Toddlers shown to display altruism, study reveals
Posted October 7, 2011 2:37 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A new study reveals toddlers, barely old enough to walk and talk, already have a sense of fairness and altruism.
Researchers at the University of Washington showed 15-month-olds videos of people sharing crackers or milk.
The babies stared longer when the snack portions were uneven, suggesting they thought it was surprising or unexpected.
The researchers then watched as the babies were asked by a stranger to share a toy.
They found, of the children who spent more time looking at the unequal portions, 92 per cent agreed to share their favourite toy with the stranger.
