Introduction
Pro-social behaviors in children are one of the major concepts covered in this chapter. The social and emotional development of children starts at birth. According to research, children are born prepared to interact with others around them. Their interactions cause the infant’s brain to develop. A child’s emotional and physical needs are satisfied, and this causes the brain to build learning pathways that facilitate learning across all developmental domains. Pro-social actions are influenced by others’ behaviors, which are greatly influenced by emotional signals like smiling, sobbing, or showing interest and attentiveness. The chapter’s emphasis on the family’s contribution to young children’s and infants’ social growth is another important lesson. For instance, according to Bergin and Bergin (2019), children in households with parental conflict develop poor emotional stability and have more psychiatric issues. However, children in high-conflict homes may do better if the fighting ceases than children in moderate-conflict families with a divorce from their parents. Notably, children do better if parents can continue to practice good parenting, regardless of the composition of the family.
Discussion
Uncertainty on how the idea of paying reduces pro-social behavior stands out as a key learning issue from the chapter. In the long run, tangible benefits reduce pro-social behavior, as claimed by Bergin and Bergin (2019). However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] (2019), rewarding children for excellent conduct may inspire them to do more of what their parents want, leading to an increase in pro-social behavior. This is also supported by research conducted by Aknin et al. (2018), who acknowledged increased pro-social behavior with rewards. People have known from infancy that incentives or the prospect of rewards enhances performance and, as a result, pro-social behavior for high performance. It is because of this controversy on whether rewarding performance increases or decreases pro-social behavior that informed my decision for selecting it significant learning issue in the chapter.
The first set of guidelines the author utilizes to illustrate the idea of boosting or lowering pro-social conduct in children’s social growth is reinforcement. Bergin and Bergin (2019) assert that compliments and expressions of gratitude are the main factors that spur pro-social conduct rather than rewarding it. Parental praise shapes a child’s genuine identity, leading to the development of a pro-social personality. Bergin and Bergin (2019) show that praise may have a greater impact if it is given to the child rather than the conduct that it is intended to reward. Practice is another different set of principles that promote the emergence of pro-social conduct. Bergin and Bergin (2019) contend that rather than complex moral thinking, well-established habits boost children’s pro-social behavior. As a result, it is debatable whether the idea of rewarding children does or does not lead to an increase in their pro-social conduct.
However, in my experience, incentives have been considered to enhance pro-social conduct. When students are informed that they will get a reward for completing an exercise, they are often happy. Children’s motivation to work harder and be more kind is increased. As a result, from my experience as a teacher and in modern society, children’s pro-social conduct is increased by both rewarding and praising them. In this sense, it can be argued that pro-social conduct is more closely related to cultural and familial upbringing in terms of incentives than it is to pro-social behavior as a whole.
Conclusion
In conclusion, good parenting is a virtue that should be emulated for strong social development and emotional stability, hence, performance. As illustrated, parenting strategies and, by extension, pro-social conduct, are influenced by family structure and culture. In the framework of their interactions with their main caregivers, as well as within their families and societal institutions, children acquire socio-emotional abilities that have an impact on their pro-social conduct. In this instance, it may be claimed that rewarding children boost their pro-social conduct in certain cultures but not in others.
References
Aknin, L. B., Van de Vondervoort, J. W., & Hamlin, J. K. (2018). Positive feelings reward and promote prosocial behavior.Current Opinion in Psychology, 20(1), 55-59.
Bergin, C. C., & Bergin, D. A. (2019). Child Adolescent Development in your classroom, chronological approach (1st ed.). Cengage Learning.
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. (2019). How to use rewards.