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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
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Articles 1 - 6 of 6
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Comparative Approaches To Studying Strategy: Towards An Evolutionary Account Of Primate Decision Making, Sarah F. Brosnan, Michael J. Beran, Audrey E. Parrish, Sarah A. Price, Burt J. Wilson
Comparative Approaches To Studying Strategy: Towards An Evolutionary Account Of Primate Decision Making, Sarah F. Brosnan, Michael J. Beran, Audrey E. Parrish, Sarah A. Price, Burt J. Wilson
Psychology Faculty Publications
How do primates, humans included, deal with novel problems that arise in interactions with other group members? Despite much research regarding how animals and humans solve social problems, few studies have utilized comparable procedures, outcomes, or measures across different species. Thus, it is difficult to piece together the evolution of decision making, including the roots from which human economic decision making emerged. Recently, a comparative body of decision making research has emerged, relying largely on the methodology of experimental economics in order to address these questions in a cross-species fashion. Experimental economics is an ideal method of inquiry for this …
The Importance Of Risk Tolerance And Knowledge When Considering The Evolution Of Inequity Responses Across The Primates, Gregory Deangelo, Sarah F. Brosnan
The Importance Of Risk Tolerance And Knowledge When Considering The Evolution Of Inequity Responses Across The Primates, Gregory Deangelo, Sarah F. Brosnan
Psychology Faculty Publications
Researchers studying human and non-human primates have begun exploring deviations from the canonical model of expected utility. Additionally, researchers have examined the role of inequality in decision-making across the taxa. However, these two research programs are rarely combined. In this paper we offer an examination of the role and impact of risk and inequity on decision-making in both human and non-human primates. We also offer insights into what drives these observed differences, considering a range of explanations from biological to methodological.
A Hypothesis Of The Co-Evolution Of Cooperation And Inequity, Sarah F. Brosnan
A Hypothesis Of The Co-Evolution Of Cooperation And Inequity, Sarah F. Brosnan
Psychology Faculty Publications
Recent evidence demonstrates that humans are not the only species to respond negatively to inequitable outcomes which are to their disadvantage. Several species respond negatively if they subsequently receive a less good reward than a social partner for completing the same task. While these studies suggest that the negative response to inequity is not a uniquely human behavior, they do not provide a functional explanation for the emergence of these responses due to similar characteristics among these species. However, emerging data support the hypothesis that an aversion to inequity is a mechanism to promote successful long-term cooperative relationships amongst non-kin. …
Property In Non-Human Primates, Sarah F. Brosnan
Property In Non-Human Primates, Sarah F. Brosnan
Psychology Faculty Publications
Property is rare in most nonhuman primates, most likely because their lifestyles are not conducive to it. Nonetheless, just because these species do not frequently maintain property does not mean that they lack the propensity to do so. Primates show respect for possession, as well as behaviors related to property, such as irrational decision making regarding property (e.g. the endowment effect) and barter. The limiting factor in species other than humans is likely the lack of social and institutional controls for maintaining property. By comparing primates and humans, we gain a better understanding of how human property concepts have evolved.
Trading Behavior Between Conspecifics In Chimpanzees, Pan Troglodytes, Sarah F. Brosnan, Michael J. Beran
Trading Behavior Between Conspecifics In Chimpanzees, Pan Troglodytes, Sarah F. Brosnan, Michael J. Beran
Psychology Faculty Publications
Bartering of commodities between individuals is a hallmark of human behavior that is not commonly seen in other species. This is difficult to explain because barter is mutually beneficial, and appears to be within the cognitive capabilities of many species. It may be that other species do not recognize the gains of trade, or that they do not experience conditions (e.g., low risk) in which barter is most beneficial. To answer these questions, we instituted a systematic study of chimpanzees’ ability to barter with each other when doing so materially benefits them. Using tokens derived from symbols they have used …
Animal Behavior: The Right Tool For The Job, Sarah F. Brosnan
Animal Behavior: The Right Tool For The Job, Sarah F. Brosnan
Psychology Faculty Publications
A recent discovery that wild capuchins choose a functionally appropriate tool from a set of apparently similar tools casts new light on our understanding of how animals understand complex tasks.