Experiments investigating cooperative types in humans: A complement to evolutionary theory and simulations. Kurzban, R. & Houser, D. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 102(5):1803-7, 2005. doi abstract bibtex Unlike other species, humans cooperate in large, distantly related groups, a fact that has long presented a puzzle to biologists. The pathway by which adaptations for large-scale cooperation among nonkin evolved in humans remains a subject of vigorous debate. Results from theoretical analyses and agent-based simulations suggest that evolutionary dynamics need not yield homogeneous populations, but can instead generate a polymorphic population that consists of individuals who vary in their degree of cooperativeness. These results resonate with the recent increasing emphasis on the importance of individual differences in understanding and modeling behavior and dynamics in experimental games and decision problems. Here, we report the results of laboratory experiments that complement both theory and simulation results. We find that our subjects fall into three types, an individual's type is stable, and a group's cooperative outcomes can be remarkably well predicted if one knows its type composition. Reciprocal types, who contribute to the public good as a positive function of their beliefs about others' contributions, constitute the majority (63%) of players; cooperators and free-riders are also present in our subject population. Despite substantial behavioral differences, earnings among types are statistically identical. Our results support the view that our human subject population is in a stable, polymorphic equilibrium of types.
@Article{Kurzban2005,
author = {Robert Kurzban and Daniel Houser},
journal = {Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A},
title = {Experiments investigating cooperative types in humans: {A} complement to evolutionary theory and simulations.},
year = {2005},
number = {5},
pages = {1803-7},
volume = {102},
abstract = {Unlike other species, humans cooperate in large, distantly related
groups, a fact that has long presented a puzzle to biologists. The
pathway by which adaptations for large-scale cooperation among nonkin
evolved in humans remains a subject of vigorous debate. Results from
theoretical analyses and agent-based simulations suggest that evolutionary
dynamics need not yield homogeneous populations, but can instead
generate a polymorphic population that consists of individuals who
vary in their degree of cooperativeness. These results resonate with
the recent increasing emphasis on the importance of individual differences
in understanding and modeling behavior and dynamics in experimental
games and decision problems. Here, we report the results of laboratory
experiments that complement both theory and simulation results. We
find that our subjects fall into three types, an individual's type
is stable, and a group's cooperative outcomes can be remarkably well
predicted if one knows its type composition. Reciprocal types, who
contribute to the public good as a positive function of their beliefs
about others' contributions, constitute the majority (63\%) of players;
cooperators and free-riders are also present in our subject population.
Despite substantial behavioral differences, earnings among types
are statistically identical. Our results support the view that our
human subject population is in a stable, polymorphic equilibrium
of types.},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.0408759102},
keywords = {Agonistic Behavior, Animals, Anura, Behavior, Animal, Cues, Male, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S., Vocalization, 15665099},
}
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Results from theoretical analyses and agent-based simulations suggest that evolutionary dynamics need not yield homogeneous populations, but can instead generate a polymorphic population that consists of individuals who vary in their degree of cooperativeness. These results resonate with the recent increasing emphasis on the importance of individual differences in understanding and modeling behavior and dynamics in experimental games and decision problems. Here, we report the results of laboratory experiments that complement both theory and simulation results. We find that our subjects fall into three types, an individual's type is stable, and a group's cooperative outcomes can be remarkably well predicted if one knows its type composition. Reciprocal types, who contribute to the public good as a positive function of their beliefs about others' contributions, constitute the majority (63%) of players; cooperators and free-riders are also present in our subject population. 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