Browsing by Author "Martinez, Nicole"
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- ItemDesire understanding and prosocial behavior: the relationship between early development of theory of mind and the social processes of preschool-age children(2003) Odessey, Rebecca; Carlson, Katharine L.; Martinez, Nicole; Boltz, Marilyn; Cassidy, Kimberly WrightThis study explores the relationship between desire understanding and prosocial behavior. A sample of 49 children, ranging from 3 to 5 years of age, was given a battery of desire understanding tasks. Prosocial behavior, as comprised of prosocial orientation, social initiative, and selflessness, was measured by teacher and parent reports. Overall desire understanding was related to teacher ratings of prosocial behavior. This significant correlation remained when controlling for selfishness. Effects of age and "risk status" were also found. Implications of teacher bias within the classroom, factors influencing the development of prosocial behavior, and a possible interaction between these two components are discussed.
- ItemPreschoolers' desire understanding and its relation to prosocial behavior(2003) Martinez, Nicole; Cassidy, Kimberly WrightTheory of mind in humans allows for communication, interaction and socialization. Through the development of a theory of mind children understand first that others have desires, and after this an understanding of belief develops, resulting in a complete theory of mind. The present study investigates the desire portion of theory of mind and its relationship to the amount and quality of prosocial behaviors preschool children engage in, as measured by teachers and parents. Prosocial behavior and desire understanding were significantly correlated, when prosocial actions were rated by teachers, while parent ratings of prosocial behavior were not related to levels of desire understanding. The effects of age, gender and classroom designation on prosocial behavior and desire understanding are examined and implications for future research are discussed.