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Inclusive Fitness, Reciprocal Altruism And Emotion: Testing A Social-Functional Model Of Anger And Gratitude Across Kin And Non-Kin Relationships, Harris Rubin

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Guided by the theories of inclusive fitness (Hamilton, 1964) and reciprocal altruism (Trivers, 1971), two studies tested hypotheses related to the notion that emotions are part of an evolved psychological system that functions, in part, to regulate social exchange. Emotional experience and exchange behaviors were predicted to vary based on both the structure of the situation and the type of relationship one has with a partner. Due to an absence of inclusive fitness effects, interaction with non-kin (compared with kin) exchange partners was expected to trigger more intense emotional responses. Study 1 found that, as expected, unfair offers led to …