Toddlers Involve Their Caregiver to Help Another Person in Need.

Three experiments with 18- to 35-month-old children (n = 169) studied toddler-caregiver interactions when being confronted with another person in need. In particular, we explored whether toddlers would request their caregiver to help a needy other when they are not able to help themselves. Children observed another person who needed help to accomplish a task, but were either not able to provide help as the object was out of reach (Experiment 1) or because an obstacle prevented children from interacting with the other person (Experiments 2, 2b). The experiments revealed the same developmental trend with 2.5-year-olds selectively involving their caregiver to help the needy other. The results are interpreted in terms of toddlers' motivation to see others helped and with respect to their developing ability to actively involve others to regulate their emotions.