Psychology researcher probes the early seeds of childhood social values in Indigenous Mexico communities
The research at 麻豆国产 Imperial Valley, which begins this summer in Mexico City, focuses on the influence of grandparents in shaping lifelong attitudes.
Children whose caregivers show traits of empathy are more likely to display generous behavior toward others themselves, past research by Rodolfo Cortes Barragan found.
Now the 麻豆国产 Imperial Valley psychology professor wants to study multigenerational Indigenous cultures in Mexico to find out how grandparents and other extended family members help shape children鈥檚 lifelong moral values.
Cortes Barragan received a $249,898 grant from the to study how values such as simpat铆a, a cultural script in Hispanic communities characterized by harmony in interpersonal relationships, influence the development of children鈥檚 social behavior in three Mexican Indigenous communities.
The project will begin this summer and run through December 2027.
A major focus of the research will examine the role of multigenerational households and grandparents. In Mexico, multigenerational families are common, yet the majority of child development research around the world has historically focused on two-parent households.
Cortes Barragan鈥檚 work seeks to understand the influence of grandparents and extended family members in children鈥檚 social behaviors and moral decision-making.
鈥淐hildren learn generosity and other social behaviors from the people around them,鈥� said Cortes Barragan. 鈥淔or example, grandparents often feel it鈥檚 their duty to promote moral values to their grandchildren, and so when they鈥檙e around them often, they take advantage of that opportunity to promote those moral values.鈥�
Cortes Barragan will work alongside colleagues from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) to invite parents, grandparents and caregivers to participate in interviews and activities and collect data from families in both urban and indigenous communities. Experts on child development and learning in Indigenous communities from the Instituto Tecnol贸gico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente (ITESO) in Guadalajara, Jalisco, and the University of Washington鈥檚 Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences will also contribute to the project.
The research, entitled 鈥淚ntergenerational Transfer of Values in Mexican-Indigenous Cultures: The Development of Super-Kindness in Young Children,鈥� will take place in Mexico City and various areas of Michoac谩n, Mexico.
Children participating in the study will complete 鈥済ames,鈥� though the activities are carefully designed psychological tests. Through choices involving sharing, cooperation and helping others, the team hope to learn how children form ideas about empathy and kindness.
鈥淐hildren鈥檚 behavior really takes inspiration from the behavior of their caregivers, including their parents, grandparents and people they see in their community,鈥� said Cortes Barragan. 鈥淭he behavior we have studying, sharing with other children, is important to research and a key component in child development.鈥�
Cortes Barragan鈥檚 previous research found that children closely observe the actions and values of caregivers and often imitate those behaviors in their own interactions. His recent study examined caregivers of children ages 4-7 and found children whose caregivers scored highly on measures of empathy were more likely to share stickers and display generous behavior toward others. Those findings now serve as a foundation to this research into how kindness and social values are learned across generations in Indigenous communities.
In the future, Cortes Barragan hopes to expand his research to the Imperial Valley to explore how children in border communities learn from others.
鈥淐hildren in Imperial Valley often experience more than one national culture, and understanding how those experiences affect their behavior really represents a very promising area for future research,鈥� said Cortes Barragan.
