Early prosocial development: a systematic review of evidence to support the integration of neurocognitive and cross cultural methods
Introduction. Within the relatively young field of social neuroscience, there is growing interest in the interplay between biological and social influences on early prosociality (which includes key constructs of helping, sharing and comforting). In particular, neuroimaging (electroencephalography [EEG], functional near infrared spectroscopy [fNIRS]) and eye tracking haven proven invaluable methods to study infants and young children. These measures are more easily adapted for use in different cultural settings than many behavioural paradigms and so hold great potential for implementation in cross- cultural research. Method. We conducted two searches of studies of prosocial development during infancy and early childhood, one with a focus on recent methodological advances and one to review studies in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) over the past 20 years. Results. In total, we identified 15 studies that used neurocognitive methods; these had a strong focus on helping behaviour and conducted almost exclusively in high-income settings. We also identified 20 studies that investigated prosocial development in LMICs; these focussed primarily on sharing, and included just two eye-tracking studies and no studies using either EEG or fNIRS. Discussion. Several directions for future research emerged from this review. These include the need for: (i) longitudinal research to elucidate developmental trajectories; (ii) investigations involving young infants (<12 months); and (iii) the potential importance of applying EEG, fNIRS and eye tracking in cross cultural research into prosocial development.