Task 4 Flashcards
Explain the idea about Parochial Altruism from the Bowles Article.
- Parochialism: Favoring certain groups
- Based on the idea that a more violent past explains present cooperative behavior among social groups.
- Altruism increases in-group cooperation while parochialism fuels in-group bond and motivation to compete against other groups
- > Appearing alone, both altruism and parochialism are a disadvantage, but in combination they are a successful model (computer simulation)
- Especially in times of competition for resources, this is advantageous.
- Computer simulation showed that the survivors were either selfish and tolerant, or altruistic and parochial
Which question does the “levels of selection debate” discuss?
For whom we should expect adaptations to be optimized: The population, the individual, the group…?
Is pure altruism an Evolutionary Stable Strategy (ESS)?
No
Because of the basic mechanisms of evolution:
A) Acts that support the individual will be favored.
B) Acts that support the species will be favored.
A)
What is a reason for the existence of the principle of “kin selection”?
Kin share some of your DNA, so helping out your kin indirectly also helps your own genome.
-> Coefficient of relatedness plays a role in determining if you will help or not.
What does the Hamilton Rule say and what is the math behind it?
Support of relatives can be advantageous under certain circumstances:
- C < r*b
- C=cost; r=relatedness; b=benefit for relative
What is something, that is derived from Hamilton’s Rule, regarding reproductive success?
We should take related individuals’ reproductive success into account when estimating someone’s success.
-> Inclusive Fitness = Individual Fitness + Other’s Fitness
(Direct + Indirect)
What is the technical term for applying kin selection to relatives?
Alloparenting
Explain Hamilton’s rule on a within-individual level.
The cells within our body have r=1, thus if one cell sacrifices itself for another cell in our body, this is just as good as reproducing itself.
Will individuals always act in accordance to Hamilton’s Rule?
No. If the cost gets to great, helping will be refused. Additionally, reproduction is more important than survival, which might explain some overly selfless acts.
Explain Mutual-Benefit-Behavior
Behavior that benefits both the actor and the recipient. Not altruism. Can only be maintained if cheating/free-loading is prevented.
What are By-Product-Benefits? Give an example.
When cooperation is only engaged in, in order to increase one’s own success, this is not altruism or helping behavior, but just a by-product-benefit.
Example: Living in herds protects prey against predators.
Explain Direct Reciprocity
Individual A helps B and B returns the favor.
Evolves under certain conditions:
- Benefit for the recipient must be greater than the cost for the actor
- Prevention of cheating in place
- probability of the recipient cooperating in the future must be given. -> W
What is indirect reciprocity?
Main idea: cooperation will give us better reputation which increases likelihood of others helping us.
- Individuals are more likely to cooperate with someone whom they’ve seen reciprocate.
- Advantageous if: c
Describe a study that supports the theory of indirect reciprocity in humans.
Feeling of being watched increases donations given.
- > Study with eyes instead of flowers on top of tipp-box
- > Proven in multiple studies
