Effects of physical development on children's trait perception, empathy, and prosocial behaviour

Introduction: Puberty, a universal event that begins in late childhood, entails critical physical and psychosocial changes. Relevant for the definition of the self, pubertal development, especially if manifesting earlier, may have consequences on how developing children are perceived and treated. There is little research on how physical changes during puberty influence peer trait perceptions, as well as state empathy, and prosocial behaviour. This study aims to fill this gap. Method: The sample consisted of 133 children (59 females, 74 males; M age= 11.77). In an online survey, children were asked to rate traits ( i.e. how nice, intelligent, popular, attractive, and athletic) of drawn stimuli of physically more and less developed girls and boys. Following this, they viewed a comic, where a physical and relational victimisation of the stimulus was observed. Participants then reported their state empathy, prosocial behaviour, as well as available strategy knowledge. Data were analysed using a mixed model ANOVA, with within subject factor (physically more vs less developed) and between subject factors (gender stimuli; gender participants). Results: Male participants rated the more developed female as smarter than the more developed male stimulus, while female participants perceived the less developed female as smarter than the male stimuli. The physically more developed male was seen as significantly less intelligent by male participants compared to less developed male stimulus. Female and male participants expressed higher concern, and a greater sense of responsibility to help their own respective gender. Female participants felt more knowledgeable about strategies to help females. Empathic responses were not modulated by level of physical development. Discussion: This study assessed children's trait perception, empathy and prosocial behaviour towards differently developed peers. The data revealed significant gender-based variations in perceptions and empathic responses, of which only trait attribution was associated with differences in physical development.