An Observational Study of Prosocial and Antisocial Behaviors Among Preschool Children in the United States: Types, Frequencies, Developmental Trends, and Contextual Influences

Angelina Spricigo

Co-Presenters: Jennifer Chen

College: College of Health Professions and Human Services

Major: MA.SPEECH-LNGPATH

Faculty Research Mentor: Chen, Jennifer  

Abstract:

Peer interactions provide a crucial context for learning and development, especially during the preschool years when children experience rapid growth across all developmental domains. Guided by Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, this qualitative, observation-based study explored prosocial and antisocial behaviors within the context of peer interactions. It included 13 preschool children from three age-based classrooms (3-, 3.5-, and 4-year-olds) at a private childcare center in the United States. Eighteen 30-minute observations were conducted to examine children’s prosocial and antisocial behaviors in terms of their types, frequencies, developmental trends, and contextual influences across five daily activities. The main findings revealed that the three most frequently occurring types of prosocial behavior were: (1) social proactivity, (2) social responsiveness, and (3) sharing; the two most commonly occurring types of antisocial behavior were: (1) physical aggression and (2) verbal aggression. Furthermore, this study identified overall developmental trends, with 4-year-olds exhibiting higher frequencies of prosocial behavior and lower frequencies of antisocial behavior compared with their 3- and 3.5-year-old peers. However, contextual influences were also evident. Specifically, during unstructured playtime, 3-year-olds displayed prosocial behavior most frequently, whereas 4-year-olds exhibited antisocial behavior most frequently. The findings were interpreted through the lens of self-regulation and theory of mind.