Cooperation

Question 1

Explain how Hamilton’s payoff matrix works?
Draw it out.
Which are puzzling from an evo persp?

Answer 1

Explains how 2 individuals interact, with 4 possible interaction outcomes (the gains/lossess (payoffs) are in terms of fitness.
3x3 matrix including
(mutualism, cooperation (++), selfishness (+-), altruism (-+), spite (-,-).

> Altruism should die out, because it isnt adaptive to the actor
Cooperation is a problem too because of free-riders (share the benefits, but not the cost)

Darwin felt altruism is fatal to whole NS theory

Question 2

What is kin selection?

Answer 2

It forms part of inclusive fitness theory.
It is the evolutionary strategy that favours the reproductive success of an organisms relatives, even at a cost to the organisms’s own survival.
It also explains altruistic behaviour, including sterile worker castes

Question 3

Outline Trivers’ reciprocal altruism and it’s requirements?

Answer 3

behaviour whereby an organism acts in a manner that temporarily reduces its fitness while increasing another organism’s fitness, with the expectation that the other organism will act in a similar manner at a later time.

Requirements:
> direct reciprocity costs to you should be lower than the benefits 
>benefits should be delayed
> interact often
>recognise one another/keep accounts
>be able to act contingently

Question 4

What is direct reciprocity?

Answer 4

More often used insteas of reciprocal altruism.
One average a net gain in fitness to you
(cooperative or altruistic behaviour favoured due to future mutual interactions)
very rare in nature (i.e. bats regurgitate blood for each other)

Question 5

Explain mutualism, any problems?

Answer 5

Altruistic actions that directly benefits both individuals immediately (i.e. hunting).

Free-riders/exploitation can still be a problem here

Key to determine if the behaviour is analogous or homologous.

What might appear altruistic is sometimes mutualistic (selfishness involved)
i.e. groomers stress reduced but also helps the recipient

Question 6

What’s indirect reciprocity and an example?

Answer 6

By doing the action/behaviour then maybe one day someone else will help you (i.e. give blood to you)

Question 7

Explain what downstream is (indirect reciprocity)

Answer 7

help others to be build a reputation for yourself (so others help you more) i,.e. A helps B, then B helps A in the future

Question 8

Explain upstream (indirect reciprocity)

Answer 8

Help others as a form of niceness/increase the general benefit from the behaviour to all
(may not necessarily get it in return or you be nice to one so another is nice to you (i.e. harder to do )

Question 9

What does generalised reciprocity mean?

Puzzling to evo Psyc

Answer 9

(also known as attitudinal reciprocity)

The ‘warm glow’ you get from performing altruistic behaviour, without the expectation of getting anything in return

Question 10

What’s negative reciprocity (unique to humans) ?

Answer 10

Punishment, inflicting harm for harm done to you prior. Key from deterring free-riders, 3rd party punishment (ie. police)

Question 11

Strong reciprocity?

Answer 11

Co-operate and punish non-cooperators

Fair sharing of resource .e.g whale hunters
Haida potlatch group- gift giving feasts and then its all burnt (show off your riches/success)

Question 12

Cultural group selection

group selection kind of a dirty word in EP

Answer 12

Group selection important for co-operation, reliant on culture (in/out group markings)
Groups with altruists do better than groups without. Between group competiton leads to evolution of altruism under some conditions

Question 13

Outline the key points of game theory (Von Neumann & Morgenstern)

Answer 13

study of decision-making in the context of interaction with other agents- the costs/benefits dependent on choices of others)
[in short decisions people are predicted to make depending on the strategies of others]

Question 14

Why is rationality important in game theory?

Answer 14

Accept any offer higher than zero.

It assumes all players are rational and that they know each other to be so.

Question 15

What is utility

Answer 15

measure of satisfaction from consuming a good measured as the price someone is willing to pay to satisfy a desire (i.e. money)

Question 16

Explain the nash equilibrium

Answer 16

(pick the best option possible given the constraints of the situation)
a set of strategies in which each is best response. Equilibrium exists if there is no better alternative

Question 17

What is the ESS

Answer 17

strategy than can resist invasion (i.e. from migration/mutation) by any other available strategy

Question 18

Explain the prisoner’s dilemma briefly

Answer 18

Premise is-
2 prisoners (actors) have the option of co-operation pr defecting
(both defecting/cooperate- nash equilibrium reached as there's no better alternative)

In short, the dilemma predicts that you should not co-operate in this dilemma)

Question 19

How are the payoff from the prisoner’s dilemma expressed mathematically?

Answer 19

T > R > P > S

(temptation to defect, reward for mutual co

Question 20

What is ‘cold’ cognition, examples

Answer 20

reason, calculated decisions i.e. recognise one another, keep accounts, act contingently, recognise intentions

Question 21

What is ‘hot’ cognition, examples

Answer 21

emotions, heuristics might guide our decisions,emotions serve as ‘barometers’ of our social decisions

Question 22

What is iterated prisoner’s dilemma?

Answer 22

The co-operation that can arise from prisoners dilemma-

> repeated games more likely to led to co-operation

Question 23

Religious / cultural importance to co-operation?

Answer 23

Religious kids were less generous than non-religious
Cultural importance- In WEIRD cultures, western society found older kids in families are averse to having more than their younger siblings (not in Uganda)