Some studies have shown that there are links between prosocial behaviour and parental talk about emotions in very young children in whom both language and prosocial behaviour are just emerging.

In early and seminal research, Zahn-Waxler et al. showed that 18 to 30-month-old children whose mothers frequently used multiple forms of affective communication exhibited greater concern in response to others' distress and were more likely to try to comfort them.

The authors argued that this style of interaction, focussed on discipline but laden with emotion, lays the groundwork for children's general sensitivity to the feelings of others as well as an understanding of the effects of one's actions on others' emotions.

In another influential study, Dunn and colleagues found that mothers' discussion of feelings during family interactions with 18- and 24-month-olds was associated with children's cooperative and conciliatory behaviour with siblings.

Garner found that 25-month-olds whose mothers more often explained a doll's emotions or asked the children to label the doll's emotions were more attentive to and concerned about adults' distress when their favourite toy broke. There is thus initial evidence for relations between parental talk about emotions and toddler-aged children's early prosocial responsiveness.

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3. Garner PW. (2003). Child and family correlates of toddlers’ emotional and behavioral responses to a mishap. Infant Mental Health Journal. 24:580–596.

Another more recent study by Brownell et al. also found that parents' talking about others' emotions with very young children in whom prosocial behaviour is still developing can build empathy and prosocial skills in young children. Results showed that children who helped and shared more quickly and more often, especially in tasks that required more complex emotion understanding, had parents who more often asked them to label and explain the emotions depicted in the books.