Investigating the effects of prenatal testosterone exposure (via 2D:4D) and socio-relational factors on 3-6-year-old preschoolers' prosocial choices.

Autor: Horn L; Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: lisa.horn@univie.ac.at., Windhager S; Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria; Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences (HEAS), University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: sonja.windhager@univie.ac.at., Juricka N; Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria., Bugnyar T; Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: thomas.bugnyar@univie.ac.at., Massen JJM; Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: j.j.m.massen@uu.nl., Markova G; Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: gabriela.markova@univie.ac.at.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Early human development [Early Hum Dev] 2024 Aug; Vol. 195, pp. 106055. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jun 06.
DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2024.106055
Abstrakt: Background and Aims: Prosocial behavior such as helping and sharing develops early in childhood. Yet very few studies have investigated physiological and relational factors shaping prosociality among children. Here, we systematically examined the role of prenatal androgen exposure alongside prestige, dominance, and friendship in 3-6-year-old preschoolers' prosocial sharing with familiar peers.
Methods: We tested a sample of 65 children, predominately of European descent. We used a cost-free direct-interaction prosocial choice task to assess children's prosocial tendencies. Second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) was used as a retrospective biomarker for prenatal androgen exposure. Prestige was measured through behavioral observations of interaction partners and visual regard, dominance through teacher questionnaires, and friendship via peer preference assessments.
Results: We found that children acted prosocially when tested with a familiar peer. Children with lower 2D:4D (higher prenatal androgen exposure) behaved more prosocially. Further, there were marginal associations between the donors' prosocial tendencies and their visual regard as a proxy of their prestige (positive effect) and their teacher-rated dominance relative to the recipient (negative effect). Neither age, sex, nor friendship influenced prosocial choices.
Conclusions: Prenatal androgen exposure, approximated via 2D:4D, was associated with prosocial behavior. In contrast to previous research in older children, higher exposure was related to stronger prosocial tendencies, which corresponds to earlier findings on fairness in adults. Our findings point towards a potential role of sex steroids in the early development of children's social behavior, but they have to be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size of the current study. Nevertheless, they underscore the importance of integrating biological and psychological perspectives, while also highlighting the significance of studying the development of prosocial behavior within peer groups.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None declared.
(Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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