Unknown

Dataset Information

0

Constraining free riding in public goods games: designated solitary punishers can sustain human cooperation.


ABSTRACT: Much of human cooperation remains an evolutionary riddle. Unlike other animals, people frequently cooperate with non-relatives in large groups. Evolutionary models of large-scale cooperation require not just incentives for cooperation, but also a credible disincentive for free riding. Various theoretical solutions have been proposed and experimentally explored, including reputation monitoring and diffuse punishment. Here, we empirically examine an alternative theoretical proposal: responsibility for punishment can be borne by one specific individual. This experiment shows that allowing a single individual to punish increases cooperation to the same level as allowing each group member to punish and results in greater group profits. These results suggest a potential key function of leadership in human groups and provides further evidence supporting that humans will readily and knowingly behave altruistically.

SUBMITTER: O'Gorman R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2674351 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

altmetric image

Publications

Constraining free riding in public goods games: designated solitary punishers can sustain human cooperation.

O'Gorman Rick R   Henrich Joseph J   Van Vugt Mark M  

Proceedings. Biological sciences 20090101 1655


Much of human cooperation remains an evolutionary riddle. Unlike other animals, people frequently cooperate with non-relatives in large groups. Evolutionary models of large-scale cooperation require not just incentives for cooperation, but also a credible disincentive for free riding. Various theoretical solutions have been proposed and experimentally explored, including reputation monitoring and diffuse punishment. Here, we empirically examine an alternative theoretical proposal: responsibility  ...[more]

Similar Datasets

| S-EPMC2660957 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC8660839 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC6687102 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC3538240 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC4309006 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC5742612 | biostudies-other
| S-EPMC2275881 | biostudies-other
| S-EPMC7612056 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC6547755 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC8046186 | biostudies-literature