title: Helping the One You Hurt: Toddlers' Rudimentary Guilt, Shame, and Prosocial Behavior After Harming Another.
abstract: This study explored the role of guilt and shame in early prosocial behavior by extending previous findings that guilt- and shame-like responses can be distinguished in toddlers and, for the first time, examining their associations with helping. Toddlers (n = 32; Mage= 28.9 months) were led to believe they broke an adult's toy, after which they exhibited either a guilt-like response that included frequently confessing their behavior and trying to repair the toy; or a shame-like response that included frequently avoiding the adult and seldom confessing or attempting to repair the toy. In subsequent prosocial tasks, children showing a guilt-like response helped an adult in emotional distress significantly faster and more frequently than did children showing a shame-like response.
authors: University of Pittsburgh.
authors: Jesse D K
authors: JDK
authors: Drummond
authors: University of Ottawa.
authors: Stuart I
authors: SI
authors: Hammond
authors: University of Pittsburgh.
authors: Emma
authors: E
authors: Satlof-Bedrick
authors: University of Pittsburgh.
authors: Whitney E
authors: WE
authors: Waugh
authors: University of Pittsburgh.
authors: Celia A
authors: CA
authors: Brownell
mesh_terms: D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006167:Guilt; D006379:Helping Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D012752:Shame