Group Display as an Adaptive Response

Question 1

Wilson

Answer 1

Xenophobia has been seen in every group of animals displaying higher forms of social organisation

Question 2

Xenophobia

Answer 2

Natural selection favored genes that caused human beings to be altruistic toward members of own group but intolerant towards outsiders

Enabled our ancestors to avoid attack + leave behind more offspring

Question 3

MacDonald

Answer 3

Xenophobia is adaptive to exaggerate negative stereotypes about outsiders, as the overperception of threat is less costly than its underperception

Question 4

Podaliri + Balestri

Answer 4

Found xenophobic tendencies in Italian football crowds

Characterised by racist chants + anti-semitic banners

Question 5

Threat displays

Answer 5

Territorial behaviour is common in many animal species which typically show threat displays toward outsiders + attack with vigour when defending home territory

Example Haka, New Zealand = intimidate opponents + make home team more aggressive towards them

Aggressive displays = adaptive because allow groups to defend valuable resources associated with territory

Question 6

Testosterone + aggressive behaviour

Answer 6

Football teams playing at home were far more likely to win than visiting team because of surge in testosterone before match

Could be due to evolved drive to defend home territory = lead to more aggressive displays when playing at home

Didn’t occur at away games though

Question 7

Sexual selection

Answer 7

Males survived infanticide because useful in battle = must compete for limited females

Displays of aggressiveness + bravery = attractive to females

Male warriors in traditional societies had more sexual partners + children = suggesting direct reproductive benefit

Question 8

Acquisition of status in group

Answer 8

Displays of aggressiveness = lead peers to respect them more + strengthen bond between them + other males in group

Displays of aggressiveness + bravery in battle = indis are more likely to share benefits associated with status = increase reproductive fitness

Question 9

Signals of commitment

Answer 9

Costliness of permanent displays (scars + mutilation) means they serve as honest signals of commitment to group

By engaging in such displays, indis demonstrate commitment + loyalty to group + can benefit from profits of warfare against another group

Question 10

Minimising likelihood of defection

Answer 10

In groups where war against other groups is relatively frequent, displays such as permanent scars or piercings, would be important for survival of the group

Because such permanent displays minimise the ability of males to abscond to another group + increase their commitment to the group of which they are a memeber

Question 11

Support for Xenophobic displays

Answer 11

Foldesi found racist conduct of a core of extremist supporters led to an increase of spectators violence in general + xenophobic outbursts in particular (Hungarian football crowds)

Question 12

Support for Territoriality

Answer 12

Crowd support was rated as the most sig factor contributing to home advantage. Fans felt responsible for inspiring team to victory + took credit for distracting opponents

However the precise way which displays of support have an effect = difficult to pinpoint

The relationship with crowd size is unclear as the advantage has been shown to operate even with v.small crowds

Question 13

Gender Bias in Explanations of Warfare

Answer 13

Explanations do not reflect the behaviour of women in this process

The idea of the woman warrior is almost unheard of within most societies because women have more to lose in battle and less to gain from fighting

Therefore our understanding of displays is limited

Question 14

Does home advantage exist?

Answer 14

Basketball team study showed:

Siena away games = scored av. 76 points with crowd + 86 without crowd

Hartford home games = av. 64 points with crowd + 71 without crowd

Suggests displays of support from home crowds did not increase the performance of teams

Question 15

Support for Warfare sexual selection

Answer 15

Male youth street gang members have more sexual partners than ordinary young males

Military men have greater sex appeal but only if been observed showing bravery in combat

Question 16

Limitations of evolutionary explanation of warfare

Answer 16

Fail to explain the levels of cruelty found in human wars yet not among non-human species

Why do humans torture or mutilate their opponents when they have already defeated

May be consequence of deindividuation than evolutionary

Question 17

Real-world Application

Answer 17

Bhoys against bigotry campaign introduced

Celtic rangers have abandoned their long-standing tradition against the signing of Catholic players