Material Altruism in Children

Two field studies were conducted to assess material altruism in children. The first study examined money altruism (i.e., donation of pennies) of 240 children from ages 3 through 16. The second study examined donations of preferred candy by 263 children in kindergarten through sixth grades. The results of these studies indicate that early elementary school aged children (around age 7) donated fewer pennies and less of a preferred candy than did both younger and older children. These findings corroborate recent reports from other laboratories and contradict the commonly accepted generalization that children's altruism increases steadily with age.