The Role of Individual Differences in Shaping Cooperative Ability During Early Childhood

Abstract

Cooperation is a fundamental part of our society, and being effective cooperators allow us to safely navigate our social and physical worlds. Unlike other prosocial behaviours, all participants of a cooperative activity share the same goal, consequently all participants benefit from engaging in the activity. Despite the mutual benefit, not all members of society have the same ability to cooperate, consequently, some adults and children struggle to engage and succeed in cooperative activities. There is a large body of research suggesting that cooperative ability develops within the first three years of life with key developmental trends; infants become progressively competent during their cooperative interactions, engage in cooperative interactions with a variety of individuals, and the interactions become more complex. Much less known about the mechanisms underlying cooperative development. Understanding how and why cooperation develops is important in explaining why some individuals fail to cooperate, and could provide key insights into how cooperation may be enhanced. Researchers have started to investigate the role of individual differences in shaping and explaining the development of cooperation. Despite this, little research into the role of individual differences has looked at children’s cooperative ability with adults, and how that ability changes over time. The present research addresses these gaps by longitudinally investigating the role of lab-based experiences, shared-goal understanding and temperamental tendencies in shaping infant’s ability to cooperate with an unfamiliar adult. Results revealed complex relationships between temperament and cooperative ability; overall only some temperamental traits (e.g., Impulsivity, Smiling and Laughter, High Intensity Pleasure) predicted cooperative ability, and not all were predictors across time. The present research raised further questions with respect to how different individual characteristics interact with one another, and how these interactions may mediate the development of cooperation.