The Effects of Moral Judgment, Empathy, and Self-Regulation on Prosocial Behavior of Young Children

Objectives As a voluntary behavior that benefits others, the prosocial behavior of young children is important in that it becomes an indicator of future social ability and adaptation(Ladd & Profilet, 1996). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of young children’s moral judgment, empathy, and self-regulation on their prosocial behavior. Methods This subjects were 114 3- to 5-year-old children at a preschool in Seoul. Moral judgment, empathy, and self-regulation were assessed by individual interview-type performance-based measures, and prosocial behavior was assessed by teacher ratings on a questionnaire. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to find out the general trend of research variables, and regression analysis was conducted to find out the effects of independent variables on prosocial behavior. Results Regarding the general trend of prosocial behavior and its predictors, prosocial behavior and moral judgment showed a high average score of more than 80% of the perfect score respectively. Empathy and self-regulation showed an average score of 76% and 61% of the perfect score, respectively. There were age differences in prosocial behavior and self-regulation. The regression model, which phased in age, empathy, self-regulation, and moral judgment, was found to have a significant effect on prosocial behavior. Looking at the effect of each independent variable, empathy had a significant effect on prosocial behavior. Self-regulation and moral judgment were not effective in prosocial behavior. Conclusions It has been verified that preschoolers’ maturing empathy abilities make it more likely that they will prosocially respond to the needs or suffering of others, so empathy becomes an essential element of social cognitive and emotional education aimed at altruistic human relationships. It was discussed and suggested for future research and educational approaches, including empathy oriented prosocial education programs.