Why do infants help? A simple action reveals a complex phenomenon

Abstract

Abstract Why do infants spontaneously begin to help others early in their second year of life? Building on the seminal work by Warneken and Tomasello, a decade of intense research has revealed several critical developmental processes that contribute to infants’ early helping tendencies. Given the multifaceted nature of this research, here we will review empirical and theoretical advances in the field from a developmental systems perspective. The principal assumption of this perspective is that the development of early helping behavior relies on a complex interplay between individual and environmental processes. Specifically, we review and organize recent empirical and theoretical advances along four conceptual levels, spanning (1) the social human nature (affiliation and empathy), (2) social cognition (understanding others’ needs and one’s own competencies to help), (3) social interactions (social evaluation and social learning mechanisms), and (4) cultural learning (appropriation of cultural models). Besides having implications for the research and theorizing on infants’ early helping behavior, a developmental systems perspective on infants’ helping may provide, in our opinion, a theoretical framework that can help extend our general understanding of early socio-cognitive development and the complex interplay of multiple developmental processes.