The fulfillment of others' needs elevates children's body posture.
Abstract
Much is known about young children's helping behavior, but little is known about the
underlying motivations and emotions involved. In 2 studies we found that 2-year-old
children showed positive emotions of similar magnitude-as measured by changes in their
postural elevation using depth sensor imaging technology-after they achieved a goal
for themselves and after they helped another person achieve her goal. Conversely,
children's posture decreased in elevation when their actions did not result in a positive
outcome. These results suggest that for young children, working for themselves and
helping others are similarly rewarding. (PsycINFO Database Record
Type
Journal articlePermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/13633Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1037/dev0000173Publication Info
Hepach, Robert; Vaish, Amrisha; & Tomasello, Michael (2017). The fulfillment of others' needs elevates children's body posture. Dev Psychol, 53(1). pp. 100-113. 10.1037/dev0000173. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/13633.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Michael Tomasello
James F. Bonk Distinguished Professor
Major research interests in processes of social cognition, social learning, cooperation,
and communication from developmental, comparative, and cultural perspectives. Current
theoretical focus on processes of shared intentionality. Empirical research mainly
with human children from 1 to 4 years of age and great apes.

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