Group behaviour

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Group behaviour
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Group behaviour

• group behaviour
• The Selfish Gene is a book on by Richard
  Dawkings, 1976
• Animal are kind to kin
• Animals are kind to non-kin
• Warning cries (help others at your own risk)
• Food sharing (the case of vampire bats)

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• Individuals benefit more by working together
  than working alone.
• The benefits outweigh the cost
• Reciprocal altruism
• But there is a problem....
• The existence of cheaters (in economic and
  sociology they are called free-riders)

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So how can altruism evolve?

• Cooperation is unstable
• Advantage to genes that lead animal to reap the
  benefits without paying the costs
• Gene A accepts blood from others, share blood
• Gene B accepts blood from others, dont share
  blood
• Gene B will out reproduce Gene A
• Warning cries/ buying drinks

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Cheater detection

• Reciprocal altruism can only evolve if animals
  punish cheaters
• This requires a mental apparatus
• Recognising cheater
• Remembering the cheater
• Punish the cheater

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A casestudy on cooperationThe prisoners dilemma

• The best case is to defect while the other person
  cooperate.
• The worst case is to cooperate while the other
  person defects.
• Best for both is if each cooperate
• Worse for both is if each defect

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My spouse no My spouse yes
Me no We both do ok
Me yes
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My spouse no My spouse yes
Me no We both do ok
Me yes I get everything my husband loses everything
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My spouse no My spouse yes
Me no We both do ok My husband gets everything I lose everything
Me yes I get everything my husband loses everything
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My spouse no My spouse yes
Me no We both do ok My husband gets everything
Me yes I get everything my husband loses everything We both lose
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Country A cooperate Country A defect
Country Bcooperate We both do ok
Country B defect
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Country A NO Country A YES
Country B NO We both do ok
Country B yes B gets everything A gets nothing
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Country A NO Country A YES
Country B NO We both do ok B gets everything A gets nothing
Country B yes A gets everything B gets nothing
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Country A coop Country A defect
Country B coop We both do ok A gets everything B gets nothing
Country B defect B gets everything Agets nothing Both do pretty badly
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• I want to buy Marijuana from you
• I have 1000
• Lets meet behind the gym
• nobody is going to call the cops so
• I could go there with a gun and get the Marijuana
  without paying
• He could come with a gun and take my money

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Practice!!

• 3 euros each both coop
• 5 euros /0 euros

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• 63 computer programmes in the 1980s
• The winner is Tit-for-Tat ( by Anatol
  Rapparport)
• The programme opens by cooperating, then plays
  what the other played in the previous game.
• Punish for selfish behaviour, reward for
  cooperative behaviour.
• Be NICE you meet someone
• Not an idiot if you defect I will defect back
• Forgiving once you are nice it will be nice
  right back
• Transparent- easy to figure out how to work
  together for mutual gain

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The ultimate game

• Player A has 10 euros
• Player B
• Player A can offer from 1 t0 10
• B can accept (cooperate) you share the money
• B can reject (defect) nobody gets anything.
• 5 time in a row

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Psychologists believe

• A rational person is easily exploited.
• There is some advantage to being irrational,
  people are forced by dint of your irrationality
  to treat you better.
• The irrational reaction/violence varies from
  culture to culture.
• Violence due to disrespect
• the culture of honour

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Properties of the Culture of Honour

• One cannot rely on law.
• Resources are easily taken.
• Western Cowboys
• Masai Warriers
• American South has more of a culture of honour
  than the American North.
• Corporal punishment is more approved of.
• Attitudes towards the military are more positive.
• More violence (not less safety)

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• Nisbet Wilson made a psychological experiments.
• American Caucasian students.
• A graduate students bump into the person looks at
  him and says Asshole
• Students from the American South showed higher
  hormone response and stress response, testerone
  level and cortisol level increased.

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The Robbers Cave study

• 11-12 years old boys at a 3 week camping program
• Well adjusted WASPs
• Separate cabins, leaders
• Eagles and Rattlers
• Distinctive cultures
• within group solidarity
• Negative stereotyping
• Hostility raids violence

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The Robbers Cave Study

• Attempts to reduce hostility between the
  groups
• Peace talks
• Individual competitions
• Shared meals
• Shared movies
• Fun with firecrackers
• Sermons on brotherly love

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The Robbers Cave Study

• What could bring them together?

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• A SUPERORDINATE GOAL
• (a common ememy)