Socialization and the altruistic behavior of children.

The recent research into altruistic behavior by children is reviewed under four main headings. The first concerns the generality of children's social altruism, and an average correlation of .3 appeared to be representative across behavioral situations. The second section concerns person variables with particular emphasis on age and the cognitive-developmental variables of moral judgment and role taking. The third heading concerns environmental variables and involves more or less direct attempts to demonstrate socializing processes at work. The items dealt with are reinforcement, the role of models, training in role taking, and verbal socialization procedures such as preaching and induction. Finally, theory is considered with particular emphasis on the theories of social learning and cognitive development.