Meta-analysis shows infants prefer prosocial puppets but findings lack generalizability outside North America

This meta-analysis investigated whether 9-month-old infants show a preference for prosocial behavior over antisocial behavior using a box opening and closing paradigm. The study included infants from Norway and Indonesia, alongside experiments conducted in North America. Overall, the pooled data suggested that approximately 58% of infants chose the Helper puppet, indicating a qualitative preference for prosocial agents.

When analyzing specific regional samples, the Norwegian and Javanese cohorts showed similar trends with roughly 58% and 57% preferring the Helper respectively. However, these differences were not statistically significant compared to chance levels in the smaller cohorts. The authors noted that the most pronounced effects were observed in studies conducted in North America, which were nearly all derived from a single laboratory.

Key limitations highlighted by the authors include the restricted generalizability of findings from North American studies to other geographic regions. The review explicitly advises against inferring causation where only association is reported. Given the concentration of data from a single laboratory in North America, the authors recommend interpreting these results with caution when applying them to diverse populations.