Adult Education is the Psychologist's Business

One hundred eighty-seven kindergarten through sixth grade Caucasian boys and girls ranked seven types of candy according to preference, then were given the opportunity to share candy with children described as similar to them, with children described as dissimilar and needy, or with both. Charitable behavior, defined as sharing significantly more with needy recipients, was shown to emerge at about age 7 and to increase significantly to age 10. Results are discussed in relation to age changes in perceptual discrimination, ability to abstract, and internalization of social norms.