Situational determinants of young children’s gratitude: The effects of perceived intentionality and the value of the benefit on gratitude and prosocial behavior.

• Autores: Anat Shoshani, Or Aharon Dvir, Dora Hain, Adi Yaffe
• Localización: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, ISSN 0022-3514, ISSN-e 1939-1315, Vol. 121, Nº. 4, 2021, págs. 914-932
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Across a series of studies, we examined the effects of the intentionality of the benefactor and the value of the benefit on 3- to 6-year-old children’s gratitude, using an experimental design. Feelings and expressions of gratitude were used as indicators of gratitude, and prosocial behavior toward the benefactor was examined as a possible behavioral correlate. Experiment 1 (N = 175) showed that the benevolent intention of the benefactor affected preschool children’s gratitude and helping behavior toward the benefactor. Experiment 2 (N = 172) found significant effects for the perceived value of the benefit on children’s gratitude and prosociality. Experiment 3 (N = 218) showed that children’s gratitude was influenced by both the value of the gift and the benefactor’s benevolent intentions. Children’s theory-of-mind abilities mediated the relationship between children’s age and gratitude. The results suggest that intention and gift value may act as determinants of gratitude in early childhood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)