Quiz 7

Question 1

What is the central idea of religous signalling?

Answer 1

Non-arbitary religous costs function as signals of altruistic intention.

Question 2

How might an ordinary altruist be identified?

Answer 2

If an individual has a history of reciprocity

Question 3

Why is religious belief a puzzle for natural selection?

Answer 3

NOT evolutionary theory predicts that natural selection will favour the avoidance of costly behaviours for their consequences on evolutionary fitness.

Natural selection would faovur adaptations which sharpen perception and not distort it.

Question 4

What do Xygalatas et al (2013) discover about the charity of performers and observers of the high intensity ritual?

Answer 4

There was no significant difference in rupees donated between those who experienced or perceived pain.

Question 5

What is an appeal of the Spandrel theory of religion?

Answer 5

It is parsimoniuous and trades complex functional explanations for simplistic cognitive explanations.

Question 6

“A solitary organism would have no need to wear her emotions on her sleeve” (Bulbulia 2004, p.27). What does this imply about emotions?

Answer 6

Emotions are signals to manipulate others

Question 7

What do Xygalatas et al (2013) mention about the relation between social identification and donations in Mauritius?

Answer 7

Social identification (both) and donations were not associated with each other.

Question 8

What is the difficulty of the traditional adaptationist account of religion?

Answer 8

Religious cooperation requires costly committments and natural selection could have opted for a more reproductively inexpensive source of cooperation.

Question 9

What does signalling theory argue is the central function of supernatural cognition?

Answer 9

NOT to facilitate reciprocal altruism.

Strictly efficient Strategy (cooperation) because reciprocal altruism is different from religious altruism and the function of religious belief is to turn strictly efficient cooperation into the nash equilibrium.

Question 10

What is the Spandrel theory of religion?

Answer 10

Religion is a byproduct generated by the interaction of ordinary mental systems and contextual cues.

Question 11

Consider the activities at public religious rituals. Why might public religious rituals affect cooperative sentiments?

Answer 11

Participants are peceived as making an altruistic sacrafice on behlaf of the group and its sacred values.

Question 12

What is a Nash equilibrium?

Answer 12

A stratergy that yelids the highest payoff given the other players best stratergy remains unchanged.

Question 13

Consider the Prisoner’s Dilemma. When might defection NOT be an optimal strategy?

Answer 13

When both individuals can ensure they are interacting with cooperators.

Question 14

Religious believers typically act under the watchful eye of a just supernatural
adjudicator with the power to punish unjust behaviours. On the flipside, what does signalling theory predict for unjust gods?

Answer 14

As ascting piously will bring misfortune just as not acting piously, religions will project the benefits of piety into the future.

Question 15

What were Xygalatas et al’s (2013) general findings for ritual effects on prosociality?

Answer 15

There was a substatial difference in prosocial responses between participants of low-ordeal ritual and high ordeal rituals.

Question 16

What is the traditional adaptationist account of religious cognition?

Answer 16

The reproductive benefits of religous ocgnition are greater than its costs therebu allowing selection for religious beliefs.

Question 17

Non-supernatural policing can be employed to enforce cooperation. What is a difficulty of this solution?

Answer 17

Cost of mnagement increases porportional to the systems efficency.

Question 18

What does signalling theory predict for the cooperation outcomes of those who partake in high-cost religous rituals compared to low cost rituals?

Answer 18

Wrong: cooperation for high cost relative to low cost but only for inlcusive identity.

Wrong: cooperation only for high cost, and would be more patriarchol.

Correct: cooperation relativly more for high cost, but would be patriarchol

Question 19

What differentiate religious emotions from everyday emotions?

Answer 19

Linked to god motivations.

Question 20

Which of the following is an example of an easy to fake signal?

Answer 20

Words/verbal declarations of belief.

Question 21

According to Bulbia (2004), what is a criticism of the spandrel theory?

Answer 21

Underestimates the cost of commitment.

Question 22

What does signalling theory predict about attitudes to religious rituals?

Answer 22

Not; only high cost rituals are considered obligatory and failures to participate are viewed as defecting.

ALL religious rituals are important (hig/low cost) people would not be considered a good coreligionist if they only engaged in high cost rituals.

Question 23

What is a difference of religious altruism compared to ordinary reciprocal altruism?

Answer 23

Not the use of emotions, belief and not just past behaviours.

Not past behaviours. Only reciprocial altruism uses past behaviours to determine who is worthy of help. Religious altrusim looks at belief and public displays of their belief/commintment (high or low cost signal).

Question 24

25. What are the pre-requists for religion?
26. Belief
27. Mistrust herrtics
28. Emotional display
29. Public displays of committmetns
30. Agression
31. High cost rituals

Answer 24

belief, emotional display and public displays of commitment