Class IX Graduate Paper

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Class IXGraduate Paper

• Animal play and the evolution of morality an
  ethological approach
• Allen and Bekoff

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Social play a foundation of fairness
Animals helping behaviors, food sharing,
turn-taking during play similar to human moral
behavior Is turn-taking during social play
related to the evolution of morality in humans?
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Social play only widespread among relatively
large-brained mammals and birds ? Related to
evolution of cooperation and fairness Play
negotiations of cooperation and agreements to
behave fairly
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Fairness the mutually implicitly agreed upon
rules ? players undertake not to dominate, prey
on, or mate with their playmates Advantage due
to social rank or size are not exploited
Animals often have social expectations Violation
of these expectations constitutes being treated
unfairly
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Expectation ? surprise When playmate becomes too
assertive or aggressive Difficult to assess the
emotions involved Animals feel betrayed when
they are wronged?
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Social play important in development of young
animals ? May provide a foundation of fairness
for other forms of social cooperation
Neurobiology being fair feels good for
animals!
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Philosophical history of cognitive
ethology Classical ethology watching
spontaneous behavior of animals in natural
conditions American behaviorists study
behavior under laboratory conditions
(experimental control) Darwin there is
continuity of mental powers between humans and
other species Both no theorizing about the
mental states of nonhuman animals
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Mid 70s swing back attempts to delineate the
cognitive capacities of nonhuman animals Griffin
1978 cognitive ethology Morality questions
on emotions, empathy, etc Convergence of
ethology and behaviorism to combine field and
laboratory approaches to study animal cognition
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Ethological approach to morality Variety of
disciplines questions about the evolutionary
origins of morality Critics the behavior of
nonhuman primates is not genuinely moral in the
same sense as human moral behavior ? Humans are
capable of reasoning theoretically about their
morality in ways that most animals almost
certainly are not
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But also very basic emotional responses are
involved in human morality which may have
analogues in animal behavior ? Roots of morality
can be found in animal behavior when animals
themselves are not moralistic Better
understanding of human morality from studying its
roots, even if those roots themselves are
non-moral
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Behavior of some non-human animals may be a
genuine form of moral behavior ? human moral
behavior Codes of conduct what is permissible
and what not during social encounters
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Animal play and social contracts Existence of
animal morality is not obvious But play
is! Evident emotions involved joy and
happiness Neurochemistry play gives a positive
feeling fun During social play animals
exchange continuously information about their
intentions and desires to play
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• Play patterns from other behaviors predatory
  behavior, antipredatory behavior, mating
  activities
• How do animals know that they are playing?
• How do they communicate their desires or
  intentions to play or to continue playing?
• How is the play mood maintained?
• I want to play
• This is still play no matter what I am going to
  do to you
• This is still play regardless of what I just did
  to you
• Play markers behavior patterns (also auditory,
  olfactory, tactile markers) to initiate or
  maintain play

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• In dogs the bow stimulates recipients to
  engage in social play
• Play signals honest signals
• Are rarely used to deceive others
• Cheaters (invite another to play and then attempt
  to dominate them) are unlikely to be chosen as
  play partners

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Role-reversing and self-handicapping to maintain
social play Role reversing dominant animal
performs action that would normally occur in
submissives during real aggression ? roll-over
on his back Self-handicapping not fighting
to the maximum potential ? Not biting that hard,
behavior adjusted to age of opponent Both may
signal the intention to continue playing
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Why cooperate and play fairly? Learning ground
rules How hard can they bite? How roughly can
they interact? How to resolve conflicts Playing
fairly and trusting other to do so as well
Individuals may generalize the rules learned in
playing to other situations Cooperation and
fairness evolved because they are important in
the formation and maintenance of social
relationships
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• Benefits individuals and groups
• Play is very important in social, cognitive, and
  physical development
• Actual benefits of social play in terms of
  survival and reproductive fitness not known
• Indication no play major factor for spending
  more time alone more risky
• ? Little doubt that absence of play can have
  devastating effects on social development

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• Small time window when individuals can play
  without being responsible for their own
  well-being
• ? Socialization period
• Social skills are learned most rapidly

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• Behaving fairly may be group adaptation
• Groups integrity depends upon individuals
  conforming to certain rules
• Animals learn right and wrong, acceptable
  and unacceptable

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• Genetic influence
• Not one fairness or moral gene
• But variation in levels of morality among
  animals
• Better morality is rewarded more offspring
• Genes associated with good behavior
• Natural selection against those that do not play
  by the rules