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Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... May 2014Hamilton's rule is a central theorem of inclusive fitness (kin selection) theory and predicts that social behaviour evolves under specific combinations of relatedness,... (Review)
Review
Hamilton's rule is a central theorem of inclusive fitness (kin selection) theory and predicts that social behaviour evolves under specific combinations of relatedness, benefit and cost. This review provides evidence for Hamilton's rule by presenting novel syntheses of results from two kinds of study in diverse taxa, including cooperatively breeding birds and mammals and eusocial insects. These are, first, studies that empirically parametrize Hamilton's rule in natural populations and, second, comparative phylogenetic analyses of the genetic, life-history and ecological correlates of sociality. Studies parametrizing Hamilton's rule are not rare and demonstrate quantitatively that (i) altruism (net loss of direct fitness) occurs even when sociality is facultative, (ii) in most cases, altruism is under positive selection via indirect fitness benefits that exceed direct fitness costs and (iii) social behaviour commonly generates indirect benefits by enhancing the productivity or survivorship of kin. Comparative phylogenetic analyses show that cooperative breeding and eusociality are promoted by (i) high relatedness and monogamy and, potentially, by (ii) life-history factors facilitating family structure and high benefits of helping and (iii) ecological factors generating low costs of social behaviour. Overall, the focal studies strongly confirm the predictions of Hamilton's rule regarding conditions for social evolution and their causes.
Topics: Altruism; Animals; Biological Evolution; Birds; Cooperative Behavior; Genetic Fitness; Hierarchy, Social; Insecta; Mammals; Phylogeny; Selection, Genetic; Social Behavior
PubMed: 24686934
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2013.0362 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Jan 2016In order to interpret and engage with the social world, individuals must understand how they relate to others. Self-other understanding forms the backbone of social...
In order to interpret and engage with the social world, individuals must understand how they relate to others. Self-other understanding forms the backbone of social cognition and is a central concept explored by research into basic processes such as action perception and empathy, as well as research on more sophisticated social behaviours such as cooperation and intergroup interaction. This theme issue integrates the latest research into self-other understanding from evolutionary biology, anthropology, psychology, neuroscience and psychiatry. By gathering perspectives from a diverse range of disciplines, the contributions showcase ways in which research in these areas both informs and is informed by approaches spanning the biological and social sciences, thus deepening our understanding of how we relate to others in a social world.
Topics: Biological Evolution; Cognition; Cooperative Behavior; Empathy; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Social Behavior; Social Behavior Disorders; Social Perception
PubMed: 26644602
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0066 -
Evolution; International Journal of... Mar 2022Social behavior is observed in a wide range of species, and its potential benefits include protection from predators, enhanced feeding, and reproductive opportunities....
Social behavior is observed in a wide range of species, and its potential benefits include protection from predators, enhanced feeding, and reproductive opportunities. Experimental approaches using artificial selection on sociability can answer fundamental questions about the evolution of social behavior, such as: Can sociability evolve by artificial selection? Is aggressiveness associated with sociability levels? Does sociability increase reproductive success? Scott et al. attempt to answer those questions using the fruit fly as a model species.
Topics: Aggression; Animals; Drosophila; Reproduction; Social Behavior
PubMed: 35085403
DOI: 10.1111/evo.14441 -
Scientific Reports Nov 2022Human visitors affect the behavior of captive animals, which is the so-called visitor effect. The number and behavior of visitors may influence stress-related behaviors...
Human visitors affect the behavior of captive animals, which is the so-called visitor effect. The number and behavior of visitors may influence stress-related behaviors in captive animals, such as self-scratching, yawning, and visitor-directed vigilance. A social group setting can be applied to alleviate such negative visitor effects and facilitate social behavior and interactions between individuals. In this study, we examined how the number and behavior of visitors are related to stress-related behaviors of a captive mixed-species gibbon pair comprising a yellow-cheek gibbon (Nomascus gabriellae) and a white-handed gibbon (Hylobates lar). The two gibbons were separated during the study period, and we examined whether the social isolation stimulated the visitor effect. The frequency of stress-related behaviors of the gibbons increased and the social playing between them decreased proportionally to visitor number. In the indoor enclosure, the gibbons increased their visitor-directed vigilance when visitors shouted or struck the glass partition. Our findings indicate that the number and behavior of visitors negatively affect captive gibbons and that a mixed-species social setting can help gibbons reduce visitor-induced stress. Future studies with larger sample sizes will improve the understanding of the visitor effect and the social setting in the captivity.
Topics: Animals; Behavior, Animal; Hylobates; Social Behavior; Social Isolation
PubMed: 36385625
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23196-8 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2023Reading is a popular leisure activity for children, teenagers, and adults. Several theories agree that reading might improve social cognition, but the empirical evidence...
Reading is a popular leisure activity for children, teenagers, and adults. Several theories agree that reading might improve social cognition, but the empirical evidence remains tentative, with research on adolescents especially lacking. We employed a very large, and nationally representative, longitudinal dataset from the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) in Germany to examine this hypothesis. Specifically, we tested whether reading prospectively predicted future self-reported prosocial behavior and social adjustment in adolescents, controlling for a number of covariates. Two-way cross-lagged panel analyses probed the longitudinal relationship between leisure reading and these social outcomes from Grade 6 to Grade 9. In addition, we examined the effect of cumulative reading experience across Grades 5-8 on future social outcomes, using structural equation modeling. We also explored the unique contributions of cumulative reading experience in different literary genres (classic literature, popular literature, nonfiction, comic books). Cumulative reading in general did not predict future prosocial behavior and social adjustment. However, cumulative reading of modern classic literature was positively associated with later prosocial behavior and social adjustment. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: The stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on 08 November 2021. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/KSWY7 .
Topics: Adult; Child; Humans; Adolescent; Social Adjustment; Altruism; Reading; Leisure Activities; Germany; Social Behavior; Longitudinal Studies
PubMed: 37322024
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35346-7 -
The Journal of Experimental Biology Jan 2017How do animal social skills influence evolution? Complex animal social behaviors require many cognitive skills including individual recognition and observational... (Review)
Review
How do animal social skills influence evolution? Complex animal social behaviors require many cognitive skills including individual recognition and observational learning. For social systems to evolve, these abilities need to be transmitted genetically or culturally and supported by the evolution of underlying neural systems. Because animal skill sets are so varied, it seems best to describe animal cognitive behaviors as being a social calculus that can change with experience, which has evolved to match and facilitate the complexity of the social system where it arose. That is, acquiring and using social information in response to a rapidly changing complex world leads to social competence enabling success in essential behavioral interactions. Here, we describe the remarkable suite of social skills discovered in the African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni, including an attention hierarchy, male deception, transitive inference, the mechanistic bases of social dominance, female mate choice and the neural control of female reproductive behavior. The social calculus of this species is presented as an example of a potential causal factor in the evolution of sophisticated social behavior necessary for the evolutionary success of their social system.
Topics: Animals; Behavior, Animal; Biological Evolution; Cichlids; Cognition; Female; Hierarchy, Social; Male; Sexual Behavior, Animal; Social Behavior; Social Dominance
PubMed: 28057833
DOI: 10.1242/jeb.142430 -
Biology Letters Mar 2017Social interactions are often characterized by cooperation within groups and conflict or competition between groups. In certain circumstances, however, cooperation can... (Review)
Review
Social interactions are often characterized by cooperation within groups and conflict or competition between groups. In certain circumstances, however, cooperation can arise between social groups. Here, we examine the circumstances under which inter-group cooperation is expected to emerge and present examples with particular focus on groups in two well-studied but dissimilar taxa: humans and ants. Drivers for the evolution of inter-group cooperation include overarching threats from predators, competitors or adverse conditions, and group-level resource asymmetries. Resources can differ between groups in both quantity and type. Where the difference is in type, inequalities can lead to specialization and division of labour between groups, a phenomenon characteristic of human societies, but rarely seen in other animals. The ability to identify members of one's own group is essential for social coherence; we consider the proximate roles of identity effects in shaping inter-group cooperation and allowing membership of multiple groups. Finally, we identify numerous valuable avenues for future research that will improve our understanding of the processes shaping inter-group cooperation.
Topics: Animals; Ants; Behavior, Animal; Biological Evolution; Competitive Behavior; Cooperative Behavior; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Social Behavior
PubMed: 28250206
DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0793 -
Human Nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.) Dec 2014As befitting an evolutionary approach to the study of human behavior, the papers in this special issue of Human Nature cover a diversity of topics in modern and...
As befitting an evolutionary approach to the study of human behavior, the papers in this special issue of Human Nature cover a diversity of topics in modern and traditional societies. They include the goals of hunting in foraging societies, social bias, cooperative breeding, the impact of war on women, leadership, and social mobility. In combination these contributions demonstrate the utility of selectionist's thinking on a wide variety of topics. While many of the contributions employ standard evolutionary biological approaches such as kin selection, cooperative breeding and the Trivers-Willard model, others examine important human issues such as the problems of trust, the cost of war to women, the characteristics of leaders, and what might be called honest or rule-bound fights. One striking feature of many of the contributions is a novel reexamination of traditional research questions from an evolutionary perspective.
Topics: Aggression; Biological Evolution; Cooperative Behavior; Cultural Evolution; Humans; Social Behavior; Warfare
PubMed: 25277060
DOI: 10.1007/s12110-014-9215-2 -
Frontiers in Neural Circuits 2022
Topics: Neural Pathways; Social Behavior
PubMed: 35967545
DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.938354 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Jun 2023Reputations provide a powerful mechanism to sustain cooperation, as individuals cooperate with those of good social standing. But how should someone's reputation be...
Reputations provide a powerful mechanism to sustain cooperation, as individuals cooperate with those of good social standing. But how should someone's reputation be updated as we observe their social behavior, and when will a population converge on a shared norm for judging behavior? Here, we develop a mathematical model of cooperation conditioned on reputations, for a population that is stratified into groups. Each group may subscribe to a different social norm for assessing reputations and so norms compete as individuals choose to move from one group to another. We show that a group initially comprising a minority of the population may nonetheless overtake the entire population-especially if it adopts the norm, which assigns a bad reputation to individuals who cooperate with those of bad standing. When individuals do not change group membership, stratifying reputation information into groups tends to destabilize cooperation, unless individuals are strongly insular and favor in-group social interactions. We discuss the implications of our results for the structure of information flow in a population and for the evolution of social norms of judgment.
Topics: Humans; Cooperative Behavior; Models, Psychological; Social Behavior; Social Norms; Biological Evolution; Game Theory
PubMed: 37276388
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2219480120