Sharing in the second year of life.

RHEINGOLD, HARRIET L.; HAY, DALE F.; and WEST, MEREDITH J. Sharing in the Second Year of Life. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1976, 47, 1148-1158. A series of experiments demonstrated that sharing was a characteristic activity of children 18 months of age and younger. In play situations in the laboratory the 111 children shared with others what they saw and found of interest by the 3 behaviors of showing, giving, and partner play. They shared whatever objects the environment provided with their mothers, fathers, and unfamiliar persons. Changes in the recipients' behavior or in the familiarity of toys did not affect their sharing. Informal observations in the field and laboratory corroborated the findings of the experiments. We therefore propose that these early manifestations of sharing qualify as developmental milestones of social behavior.