The paper examines the possible role of siblings of handicapped children in helping or caretaking. A review of the literature is performed as a basis for proposing that there are circumstances in which intrinsically motivated, or altruistic, helping may be a more adaptive approach to coping with a handicapped brother or sister than other…

It was hypothesized that while approval of donation behavior from altruistic models would be rewarding, such approval from selfish models would be aversive. (Authors)

The elderly have generally been portrayed as needy recipients of services; only recently has attention been paid to their contributory role. To explore the nature and characteristics of helping behavior among urban elderly, 117 residents of senior citizens' housing sites in Detroit completed the Altruism Scale for the Elderly and a second measure…

A major purpose of this experiment was to assess the impact on children's imitative altruism of a model's affect expressions which were both contiguous to the critical act, and which explicated the relationship between the model's affect and his behavior. (Authors)

Reports a study exploring the relative effects of three model variables (exhortations, practices and demands) and subjects' sex, on donation behaviors and evaluations of the model by 96 junior high school students. (BD/BR)

Relation between age and helping behavior was examined in an experimental study in which children directly observed an emergency and had opportunity to intervene. A second study was then conducted, in which an emergency was staged, in order to elicit comments about factors that may inhibit helping behavior. Findings indicated a relationship…

In contrast to the view of the elderly as helpless and handicapped, some older adults may engage in helping activities and place considerable importance on this involvement. This study examined the characteristics which may distinguish those elderly persons engaged in the highest amounts of altruistic activity from those reporting lesser degrees…

Considerable attention has been paid to the question of whether altruism increases with age through the years of childhood and early adolescence. The relationship between age and helping was examined for 128 boys and 128 girls in the first experiment. A second sample of an additional 256 participants was then studied to investigate factors which…

Research on helping behavior has focused on help to elderly individuals rather than help by elderly individuals. To investigate the determinants and consequences of helping by older adults, 117 adults, from five Detroit senior citizen residences, with a mean age of 75.6 (67 percent female) completed a personal/demographic questionnaire, including…