Age-dependent changes in intuitive and deliberative cooperation
Abstract Cooperation is one of the most advantageous strategies to have evolved in small- and large-scale human societies, often considered essential to their success or survival. We investigated how cooperation and the mechanisms influencing it change across the lifespan, by assessing cooperative c...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-31691-9 |
| _version_ | 1797864736599048192 |
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| author | Francesco Nava Francesco Margoni Nilmini Herath Elena Nava |
| author_facet | Francesco Nava Francesco Margoni Nilmini Herath Elena Nava |
| author_sort | Francesco Nava |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Cooperation is one of the most advantageous strategies to have evolved in small- and large-scale human societies, often considered essential to their success or survival. We investigated how cooperation and the mechanisms influencing it change across the lifespan, by assessing cooperative choices from adolescence to old age (12–79 years, N = 382) forcing participants to decide either intuitively or deliberatively through the use of randomised time constraints. As determinants of these choices, we considered participants’ level of altruism, their reciprocity expectations, their optimism, their desire to be socially accepted, and their attitude toward risk. We found that intuitive decision-making favours cooperation, but only from age 20 when a shift occurs: whereas in young adults, intuition favours cooperation, in adolescents it is reflection that favours cooperation. Participants’ decisions were shown to be rooted in their expectations about other people’s cooperative behaviour and influenced by individuals’ level of optimism about their own future, revealing that the journey to the cooperative humans we become is shaped by reciprocity expectations and individual predispositions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T22:56:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-139924018ce445788cc8fc603e39ebd3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T22:56:56Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-139924018ce445788cc8fc603e39ebd32023-03-22T11:09:44ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-03-0113111710.1038/s41598-023-31691-9Age-dependent changes in intuitive and deliberative cooperationFrancesco Nava0Francesco Margoni1Nilmini Herath2Elena Nava3Department of Economics, London School of EconomicsDepartment of Psychology, University of OsloDepartment of Economics, London School of EconomicsDepartment of Psychology, University of Milano-BicoccaAbstract Cooperation is one of the most advantageous strategies to have evolved in small- and large-scale human societies, often considered essential to their success or survival. We investigated how cooperation and the mechanisms influencing it change across the lifespan, by assessing cooperative choices from adolescence to old age (12–79 years, N = 382) forcing participants to decide either intuitively or deliberatively through the use of randomised time constraints. As determinants of these choices, we considered participants’ level of altruism, their reciprocity expectations, their optimism, their desire to be socially accepted, and their attitude toward risk. We found that intuitive decision-making favours cooperation, but only from age 20 when a shift occurs: whereas in young adults, intuition favours cooperation, in adolescents it is reflection that favours cooperation. Participants’ decisions were shown to be rooted in their expectations about other people’s cooperative behaviour and influenced by individuals’ level of optimism about their own future, revealing that the journey to the cooperative humans we become is shaped by reciprocity expectations and individual predispositions.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-31691-9 |
| spellingShingle | Francesco Nava Francesco Margoni Nilmini Herath Elena Nava Age-dependent changes in intuitive and deliberative cooperation Scientific Reports |
| title | Age-dependent changes in intuitive and deliberative cooperation |
| title_full | Age-dependent changes in intuitive and deliberative cooperation |
| title_fullStr | Age-dependent changes in intuitive and deliberative cooperation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Age-dependent changes in intuitive and deliberative cooperation |
| title_short | Age-dependent changes in intuitive and deliberative cooperation |
| title_sort | age dependent changes in intuitive and deliberative cooperation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-31691-9 |
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