title: Age Changes in Prosocial Responding and Moral Reasoning in Adolescence and Early Adulthood.
abstract: Age changes' measures of prosocial responding and reasoning were examined. Participants' reports of helping, empathy-related responding, and prosocial moral reasoning were obtained in adolescence (from age 15-16 years) and into adulthood (to age 25-26 years). Perspective taking and approval/interpersonal oriented/stereotypic prosocial moral reasoning increased from adolescence into adulthood, whereas personal distress declined. Helping declined and then increased (a cubic trend). Prosocial moral judgment composite scores (and self-reflective empathic reasoning) generally increased from late adolescence into the early 20s (age 17-18 to 21-22) but either leveled off or declined slightly thereafter (i.e., showed linear and cubic trends); rudimentary needs-oriented reasoning showed the reverse pattern of change. The increase in self-reflective empathic moral reasoning was for females only. Thus, perspective taking and some aspects of prosocial moral reasoning-capacities with a strong sociocognitive basis-showed the clearest increases with age, whereas simple prosocial proclivities (i.e., helping, sympathy) did not increase with age.
authors.affiliation: Arizona State University.
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Eisenberg
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cumberland
authors.forename: Ivanna K
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Guthrie
authors.forename: Bridget C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: Stephanie A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Shepard