The authors examined contributors to sharing in Western and Asian children in relation to hypotheses derived from the cross-cultural framework. Parenting practices emphasizing training and awareness of others, and children’s moral reasoning were associated with larger donations. Asian girls shared more when their donations were identified rather than anonymous and shared more than Asian boys. Western boys and girls shared equally in all conditions. Moral reasoning was associated with donation, consistent with previous findings. Parenting practices and moral reasoning predicted 15% of the variance in anonymous donation. The findings suggest an integration of developmental and cultural influences on sharing in elementary school children.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Birch, L. L. , & Billman, J. (1986). Preschool children’s food sharing with friends and acquaintances. Child Development, 57, 387-395.
2.
Bryant, B. K. (1982). An index of empathy for children and adolescents. Child Development, 53, 413-425.
3.
Buhrmester, D. , Goldfarb, J., & Cantrell, D. (1992). Self presentation when sharing with friends and nonfriends. Journal of Early Adolescence, 12, 61-79.
4.
Chao, R. K. (1994). Beyond parental control and authoritarian parenting style: Understanding Chinese parenting through the cultural notion of training. Child Development, 65, 1111-1119.
5.
Cheung, F. (1996). Gender role development. In S. Lau (Ed.), Growing up the Chinese way: Chinese child and adolescent development (pp. 45-68). Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press.
6.
Eisenberg, N. , Boehnke, K., Schuhler, P., & Silbereisen, R. K. (1985). The development of pro- social behavior and cognitions in German children. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 16, 69-82.
7.
Eisenberg, N. , Cameron, E., Pasternack, J., & Tryon, K. (1988). Behavioral and sociocognitive correlates of ratings of prosocial behavior and sociometric status. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 149, 5-15.
8.
Eisenberg, N. , Shell, R., Pasternack, J.Lennon, R., Beller, R., & Mathy, R. M. (1987). Prosocial development in middle childhood: A longitudinal study. Developmental Psychology, 23, 712-718.
9.
Eisenberg-Berg, N. , & Hand, M. (1979). The relationship of preschoolers’reasoning about pro- social moral conflicts to prosocial behavior. Child Development, 50, 356-363.
10.
Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
11.
Kagitcibasi, C. (1996). Family and human development across cultures. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
12.
Keller, H. (1996). Evolutionary approaches. In J. W. Berry, Y. Poortinga, & J. Pandey (Eds.), Handbook of Cross-Cultural Psychology (Vol. 1, pp. 215-255). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
13.
Kohn, M. L. , Naoi, A., Schoenbach, C., Schooler, B., & Slomyczynski, K. M. (1990). Position in the class structure and psychological functioning in the United States, Japan and Poland. American Journal of Sociology, 95, 964-1008.
14.
Markus, H. R. , & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, motivation, and emotion. Psychological Review, 98, 224-253.
15.
Piaget, J. (1965). The moral judgment of the child. Glencoe, IL: Free Press.
16.
Radke-Yarrow, M. , Zahn-Waxler, C., & Chapman, M. (1983). Children’s prosocial dispositions and behavior. In E. M. Hetherington (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology: vol. 4. Socialization, personality and social development (pp. 469-545). New York: John Wiley.
17.
Rao, N. , & Stewart, S. M. (1999). Cultural influences on sharer and recipient behavior: Sharing in Chinese and Indian preschool children. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 30, 219-241.
18.
Rubin, K. , & Schneider, F. W. (1973). The relationship between moral judgment, egocentrism and altruistic behavior. Child Development, 44, 661-665.
19.
Staub, E. (1979). Positive social behavior and morality: Socialization and development (Vol. 2). New York: Academic Press.
20.
Staub, E. (1988). The evolution of caring and nonaggressive persons in societies. Journal of Social Issues, 44, 81-100.
21.
Stewart, S. M. , Bond, M. H., McBride-Chang, C., Fielding, R., Deeds, O., & Westrick, J. (1998). Parent and adolescent contributors to teenage misconduct in Western and Asian high school students in Hong Kong. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 22, 847-869.
22.
Stewart, S. M. , Bond, M. H., Zaman, R. M., McBride-Chang, C., Rao, N., & Fielding, R. (1999). Functional parenting in Pakistan. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 23, 747-770.
23.
Stewart, S. M. , Rao, N., Bond, M. H., Fielding, R., McBride-Chang, C., & Kennard, B. D. (1998). Chinese dimensions of parenting: Broadening Western predictors and outcomes. International Journal of Psychology, 33, 345-358.
24.
Triandis, H. C. (1994). Theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of collectivism and individualism. In U. Kim, H. C. Triandis, C. Kagitcibasi, S.-C. Choi, & G. Yoon (Eds.), Individualism and collectivism: Theory, methods, and applications (pp. 41-51). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
25.
Yarrow, M. R. , & Waxler, C. Z. (1976). Dimensions and correlates of prosocial behavior in young children. Child Development, 47, 118-125.
