Empathy and creativity as foundations and predictors of how prosocial behavior develops in preschool age children

Abstract The emergence of prosocial tendencies in early childhood is still not well understood and not commonly tested with direct measures. This study investigated predictors of prosocial behavior (i.e., prosocial decision-making and prosocial creativity) in 3-to-5-year-old children and explored the role of demographic factors on empathy and moral behavior. The children completed a series of child-appropriate computerized standardized picture-based tasks to evaluate their creativity, empathy, moral development, prosocial decision-making, and prosocial creativity. Parents completed questionnaires on their children’s prosocial skills and empathy, while researchers used the children’s task performance to determine their prosocial behavior and creativity. Binary and ordinal logistic regression indicated that children’s age, creativity, and cognitive empathy played important roles in prosocial decision-making and prosocial creativity. These elements likely construct the foundation of children’s prosocial behavior. Moral behavior was also important for prosocial decision-making, which was a precondition for prosocial creativity. A developmental pattern was also found for the emergence of empathy and moral behaviors, suggesting that these abilities may mature over time or may be learned as children mature. By focusing on early interventions and evidence-based educational practices, policymakers can support the holistic development of young children and set the foundation for their future well-being and societal contributions.