scholarly journals Emergent Prosocial Behavior During Dynamic Human Group Formation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Badman ◽  
Masahiko Haruno ◽  
Rei Akaishi
Keyword(s):  
Prosocial Behavior ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Group Formation ◽  
Experimental Session ◽  
Cooperative Groups ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Group Interest ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Tit For Tat

For scientists, policy makers, and the general population, there is increasing interest in how humans form cooperative groups. However, how group-oriented behavior emerges during the dynamic process of group formation is still unknown. We hypothesize that humans will exhibit emergent prosocial behavior as their immediate group size increases. Using a network-embedded-dyad prisoner dilemma task, with periodic opportunities to retain or remove group members, we find subjects consistently follow a well-performing reciprocal base policy (tit-for-tat-like) across the experimental session. However, subjects’ strategies also became more forgiving and less exploitative as group size increased, with a default preference shift to cooperation. Thus, human cooperation may emerge from a desire to create and maintain larger and more cooperative groups, and multiscale strategy that considers both self-interest and group-interest.

A Cooperative Species

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Bowles ◽  
Herbert Gintis
Keyword(s):  
Common Good ◽  
Cooperative Groups ◽  
Social Emotions ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Group Competition ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Shame And Guilt ◽  
Group Members ◽  
The Common ◽  
Ethnographic Data

Why do humans, uniquely among animals, cooperate in large numbers to advance projects for the common good? Contrary to the conventional wisdom in biology and economics, this generous and civic-minded behavior is widespread and cannot be explained simply by far-sighted self-interest or a desire to help close genealogical kin. This book shows that the central issue is not why selfish people act generously, but instead how genetic and cultural evolution has produced a species in which substantial numbers make sacrifices to uphold ethical norms and to help even total strangers. The book describes how, for thousands of generations, cooperation with fellow group members has been essential to survival. Groups that created institutions to protect the civic-minded from exploitation by the selfish flourished and prevailed in conflicts with less cooperative groups. Key to this process was the evolution of social emotions such as shame and guilt, and our capacity to internalize social norms so that acting ethically became a personal goal rather than simply a prudent way to avoid punishment. Using experimental, archaeological, genetic, and ethnographic data to calibrate models of the coevolution of genes and culture as well as prehistoric warfare and other forms of group competition, the book provides a compelling and novel account of human cooperation.

scholarly journals Rapid juvenile hormone downregulation in subordinate wasp queens facilitates stable cooperation

2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1872) ◽  
pp. 20172645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Tibbetts ◽  
Michelle L. Fearon ◽  
Ellery Wong ◽  
Zachary Y. Huang ◽  
Robin M. Tinghitella
Keyword(s):  
Juvenile Hormone ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Group Formation ◽  
Reproductive Hormones ◽  
Reproductive Capacity ◽  
High Fertility ◽  
Cooperative Groups ◽  
Dominant Group ◽  
Polistes Dominula ◽  
Group Members

In many cooperatively breeding animals, subordinate group members have lower reproductive capacity than dominant group members. Theory suggests subordinates may downregulate their reproductive capacity because dominants punish subordinates who maintain high fertility. However, there is little direct experimental evidence that dominants cause physiological suppression in subordinates. Here, we experimentally test how social interactions influence subordinate reproductive hormones in Polistes dominula paper wasps. Polistes dominula queens commonly found nests in cooperative groups where the dominant queen is more fertile than the subordinate queen. In this study, we randomly assigned wasps to cooperative groups, assessed dominance behaviour during group formation, then measured levels of juvenile hormone (JH), a hormone that mediates Polistes fertility. Within three hours, lowest ranking subordinates had less JH than dominants or solitary controls, indicating that group formation caused rapid JH reduction in low-ranking subordinates. In a second experiment, we measured the behavioural consequences of experimentally increasing subordinate JH. Subordinates with high JH-titres received significantly more aggression than control subordinates or subordinates from groups where the dominant's JH was increased. These results suggest that dominants aggressively punished subordinates who attempted to maintain high fertility. Low-ranked subordinates may rapidly downregulate reproductive capacity to reduce costly social interactions with dominants. Rapid modulation of subordinate reproductive physiology may be an important adaptation to facilitate the formation of stable, cooperative groups.

A Cooperative Species

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Bowles ◽  
Herbert Gintis
Keyword(s):  
Prosocial Behavior ◽  
Social Preferences ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Group Level ◽  
Evolutionary Origins ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Group Members

This book examines the cultural, biological and other processes that explain how humans evolved into an exceptionally cooperative species. It advances two propositions, the first of which deals with proximate motivations for prosocial behavior and the second is concerned with the distant evolutionary origins and ongoing perpetuation of these cooperative dispositions. It argues that cooperation arose because it was highly beneficial to the members of groups that practiced it, and humans were able to construct social institutions that minimized the disadvantages of those with social preferences in competition with fellow group members, while heightening the group-level advantages associated with the high levels of cooperation that these social preferences allowed. The book explains why altruistic social preferences supporting human cooperation outcompeted unmitigated and amoral self-interest.

scholarly journals Skills, division of labour and economies of scale among Amazonian hunters and South Indian honey collectors

2015 ◽  
Vol 370 (1683) ◽  
pp. 20150008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul L. Hooper ◽  
Kathryn Demps ◽  
Michael Gurven ◽  
Drew Gerkey ◽  
Hillard S. Kaplan
Keyword(s):  
Group Size ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Returns To Scale ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Social Constraints ◽  
Cooperative Groups ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
South Indian ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Group Success

In foraging and other productive activities, individuals make choices regarding whether and with whom to cooperate, and in what capacities. The size and composition of cooperative groups can be understood as a self-organized outcome of these choices, which are made under local ecological and social constraints. This article describes a theoretical framework for explaining the size and composition of foraging groups based on three principles: (i) the sexual division of labour; (ii) the intergenerational division of labour; and (iii) economies of scale in production. We test predictions from the theory with data from two field contexts: Tsimane' game hunters of lowland Bolivia, and Jenu Kuruba honey collectors of South India. In each case, we estimate the impacts of group size and individual group members' effort on group success. We characterize differences in the skill requirements of different foraging activities and show that individuals participate more frequently in activities in which they are more efficient. We evaluate returns to scale across different resource types and observe higher returns at larger group sizes in foraging activities (such as hunting large game) that benefit from coordinated and complementary roles. These results inform us that the foraging group size and composition are guided by the motivated choice of individuals on the basis of relative efficiency, benefits of cooperation, opportunity costs and other social considerations.

scholarly journals Field experimental evidence shows that self-interest attracts more sunlight

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (34) ◽  
pp. 20503-20510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan Bollinger ◽  
Kenneth T. Gillingham ◽  
Marten Ovaere
Keyword(s):  
Prosocial Behavior ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
Present Value ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Natural Field ◽  
Income Groups ◽  
Natural Field Experiment ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Using Data

This study examines how messaging approaches in a prosocial intervention can influence not only the effectiveness of the intervention but also, contagion afterward. Our investigation focuses on leveraging two motivations for solar adoption: self-interest and prosocial. Using data from a natural field experiment in 29 municipalities containing 684,000 people, we find that self-interest messaging is twice as effective in inducing solar adoption both during and after the intervention. Adoptions under self-interest messaging have 10% higher net present value, but prosocial messaging increases the likelihood that adopters recommend solar to their friends and neighbors. Income moderates the effectiveness of self-interest messaging, performing much better in high-income communities than low- and moderate-income communities. There was no significant difference across income groups for prosocial messaging. These results provide guidance to policy makers aiming to encourage prosocial behavior across all income groups.

Does crossing the road in a group influence pedestrians’ gaze behavior?

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 1938-1942
Author(s):  
Mirjam Lanzer ◽  
Martin Baumann
Keyword(s):  
Group Size ◽  
Situational Factors ◽  
Gaze Behavior ◽  
The Road ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Gender Influence ◽  
Vulnerable Road Users ◽  
Group Members ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Group Characteristics

So far, research on pedestrians’ gaze behavior while crossing roads has mainly focused on individual pedestrians rather than groups. However, pedestrians often travel in groups especially in downtown areas. This observational study investigated how group characteristics (group size and movement of the group), situational factors (presence of traffic), and demographic variables (age and gender) influence pedestrians’ gaze behavior towards traffic during road crossing. A total of N = 197 pedestrians were observed of whom n = 24 traveled alone, n = 128 traveled in groups of two or three, and n = 45 traveled in groups of four or more. Results indicated that with increasing group size, the odds to observe traffic decreased. Diffusion of responsibility among group members might explain this effect. Finally, pedestrians’ group characteristics should be considered when developing automated vehicles that interact with vulnerable road users.

scholarly journals Fitness of breeders in social Damaraland mole-rats is independent of group size

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Thorley ◽  
Hanna Bensch ◽  
Kyle Finn ◽  
Tim Clutton-Brock ◽  
Markus Zöttl
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Adult Survival ◽  
High Survival ◽  
Successful Reproduction ◽  
Related Group ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Using Data

Damaraland mole-rats (Fukomys damarensis) are usually viewed as an obligatorily group living eusocial species in which successful reproduction is dependent on reproductive altruism of closely related group members. However, the reproductive ecology of social mole-rats in their natural environment remains poorly understood and it is unclear to what extent successful reproduction is dependent on assistance from other group members. Using data from a 7-year field study of marked individuals, we show that, after dispersal from their natal group, individuals typically settled alone in new burrow systems where they enjoyed high survival rates, and often remained in good body condition for several years before finding a mate. Unlike most other eusocial or singular cooperative breeders, we found that Damaraland mole-rats reproduced successfully in pairs without helpers and experimentally formed pairs had the same reproductive success as larger established groups. Overall there was only a weak increase in reproductive success with increasing group size and no effect of group size on adult survival rates across the population. Juveniles in large groups grew faster early in life but their growth rates declined subsequently so that they eventually plateaued at a lower maximum body mass than juveniles from small groups. Taken together, our data suggest that the fitness benefits of group living to breeders are small and we suggest that extended philopatry in Damaraland mole-rats has evolved because of the high costs and constraints of dispersal rather than because of strong indirect benefits accrued through cooperative behaviour.

Individual vs Group Learning: Note on Two Task Variables

1968 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 757-758 ◽  
Author(s):  
Herman S. Napier
Keyword(s):  
Present Experiment ◽  
Group Formation ◽  
Group Learning ◽  
Nominal Groups ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Task Variables ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Puzzle Task

The pooling of abilities or nominal groups technique was used in the present experiment to compare individuals with two-person groups on a picture-puzzle task. When size of the task was limited to a part (one-fourth) of the puzzle or the duration of the task was restricted to a few (four) trials, no difference between individuals and groups was evident. However, as task size and number of trials increased, groups performed at a significantly higher level than individuals. The difference was discussed in terms of information available to group members and the time required for group formation.

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