Toddlers' reactions to the distress of familiar peers: The importance of context

Reactions to peers' distress were recorded for 52 toddlers (hosts), 18 to 36 months old, who were observed playing with familiar peers in their own homes during 2 sessions, 6 months apart. Four contextual factors were explored: the host's responsibility for the guest's distress, similarity between the toddler and the distressed peer, relative familiarity of the peer, and the toddler's experience with peers and siblings. Hosts responded more positively to distress they had caused than to distress they witnessed. Negative reactions were most likely to be shown when hosts themselves had caused the distress of a guest of the same sex. Hosts were less likely to respond either positively or negatively if they had known their guests all their lives. Toddlers who had older siblings were more likely than other hosts to respond negatively to guests' distress.