PSYCH 3F03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Prosocial Behavior, Synapomorphy, Breastfeeding
6 Dec 2016
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Document Summary
Safe to say we are all altruists. We are exceptional in our ability to cooperate, sharing food, cooperate in large groups, orchestrate construction of public works, make sacrifices to protest. Prosocial behavior motivated by prosocial preference, concern for others. Prefer outcomes that benefit others, supported by emotions like sympathy and empathy. Even people we are not directly connected. Use comparative data to figure out how this happened. Could be convergent, emerges consistently in some env/ecological context. Derived trait: emerged in human lineage, is an outlier in the natural world. Evidence for these 3 possible explanations for the origin of prosocial behavior. It may be something we share w/ last common ancestor of chimps and humans. Joan: facilitates transition of infant from dependent suckling to independent.
