Lecture: #8 (Friend and foe are fluid categories)

Question 1

Cognitive trait (brain feature) beneficial for a species practicing reciprocal altruism

Answer 1

We ought to excel at remembering faces (and we are)

We ought to be good at keeping track of cheaters (and we are)

We ought to be voracious consumers of social information (and we are)

Question 2

Avenues to Enhancing Cooperation

Answer 2

Tinker with the perceived costs and benefits(a little nudge goes a long way)
* Reduce the perceived cost to the other person.
* Accentuate the benefit that you’ll receive from the cooperation.

Distinguish cheaters and kind people.
Facilitate the building of reputations.
* Use “honest signals” that can’t be faked.
* Keep track of and punish cheaters.

Reduce the perceived vulnerability of partners.

• Make the first step: gifts.
• Acknowledge debts clearly and concretely

Question 3

Conditions necessary for the development of reciprocal altruism

Answer 3

Repeated interactions (or at least the potential)

High benefit to the recipient relative to the cost to the actor

The ability to Monitor/keep tabs on the people