Work

The role of threats in animal cooperation

Year: 2010

Type: review

Abstract: In human societies, social behaviour is strongly influenced by threats of punishment, even though the threats themselves rarely need to be exercised. Recent experimental evidence suggests that similar hidden threats can promote cooperation and limit within-group selfishness in some animal systems. In other animals, however, threats appear to be ineffective. Here I review theoretical and empirical studies that help to understand the evolutionary causes of these contrasting patterns, and identify three factors-impact, accuracy and perception-that together determine the effectiveness of threats to induce cooperation.

Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences

DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2010.1241

Author: Michael A. Cant

Institution: University of Exeter

Language: English

Topic: Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: Natural Environment Research Council

Awards: Social influences on aging in a wild cooperative mammal, G4329178285