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To: T L Comiskey who wrote (680)	3/3/2006 12:59:57 PM
From: coug	Respond to of 3961

Thanks T L :) And I just found this along these lines.. Either ya got it or ya don't.. Ya have to be born with it, I guess.. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Need help? Baby's got your back March 3, 2006 BY LAURAN NEERGAARD WASHINGTON -- Oops, the scientist dropped a clothespin. Not to worry -- a toddler raced to help, eagerly handing it back. The simple experiment shows the capacity for altruism emerges as early as 18 months of age. Psychology researcher Felix Warneken performed a series of ordinary tasks in front of toddlers, such as hanging towels with clothespins or stacking books. Sometimes he ''struggled'' with the tasks; sometimes he deliberately messed up. Over and over, whether Warneken dropped clothespins or knocked over his books, each of 24 toddlers offered help within seconds -- but only if he appeared to need it. Video shows how one overall-clad baby glanced between Warneken's face and the dropped clothespin before quickly crawling over, grabbing the object, pushing up to his feet and eagerly handing back the pin. Understanding people's goals Warneken never asked for the help and didn't even say ''thank you,'' so as not to taint the research by training youngsters to expect praise if they helped. After all, altruism means helping with no expectation of anything in return. And -- this is key -- the toddlers didn't bother to offer help when he deliberately pulled a book off the stack or threw a pin to the floor, Warneken reported Thursday. To be altruistic, babies must have the ability to understand other people's goals plus possess what Warneken calls ''pro-social motivation,'' a desire to be part of their community. ''When those two things come together -- they obviously do so at 18 months of age and maybe earlier -- they are able to help,'' Warneken explained. But babies aren't the whole story. No other animal is as altruistic as humans are. We donate to charity, recycle for the environment, give up a prime subway seat to the elderly -- tasks that seldom bring a tangible return beyond a sense of gratification. Human-like helpfulness Other animals are skilled at cooperating, too, but most often do so for a goal, such as banding together to chase down food or protect against predators. But primate specialists offer numerous examples of apes, in particular, displaying more humanlike helpfulness, such as the gorilla who rescued a 3-year-old boy who fell into her enclosure at the Brookfield Zoo in 1996. AP suntimes.com