Undergraduate URCA Poster Presentations

With mentorship from PhD student Chuyi Yang, Eleuthera explored how children interpret prosocial behavior and whether they use the cost of helping to inform trait inferences. The research found that, even after a single observation, children readily view a person as helpful—regardless of the effort or cost involved. They also expect that person to help again in future situations, even in new domains or when personal sacrifice is involved. These findings suggest that children see helpfulness as a stable, generalizable trait.