Variability and Change in Adolescents’ Prosocial Behavior Across Multiple Time Scales
We examined variability and change in adolescents’ prosocial behaviors directed to peers and friends across four time scales: two-years, one-year, two-monthly, and daily. Data from three longitudinal datasets with a total of 569 adolescents (55.7% girl, Mage = 15.23, SD = 3.90) were included. The overall time-related stability of prosocial behavior across time scales was moderate to excellent. Variability did not differ between early (age 10-15) and late (age 16-21) adolescence. Late adolescents reported higher mean levels and larger two-year increases. Finally, results indicated that prosocial behaviors measured over longer periods (i.e., two-years and one-year) are positively associated with reflective processes (perspective taking), whereas prosocial behaviors measured over shorter periods (i.e., two-monthly) are positively associated with affective processes (empathy).