Investigating the effects of social information on spite in an online game
While humans are highly cooperative, they can also behave spitefully. Yet, spite remains understudied. Spite can be normatively driven and while previous experiments have found some evidence that cooperation and punishment may spread via social learning, no experiments have considered the social tra...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press
|
| Series: | Evolutionary Human Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2513843X24000185/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1797213259106877440 |
|---|---|
| author | Robin Watson Thomas J. H. Morgan Rachel L. Kendal Julie Van de Vyver Jeremy Kendal |
| author_facet | Robin Watson Thomas J. H. Morgan Rachel L. Kendal Julie Van de Vyver Jeremy Kendal |
| author_sort | Robin Watson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | While humans are highly cooperative, they can also behave spitefully. Yet, spite remains understudied. Spite can be normatively driven and while previous experiments have found some evidence that cooperation and punishment may spread via social learning, no experiments have considered the social transmission of spiteful behaviour. Here we present an online experiment where, following an opportunity to earn wealth, we asked participants to choose an action toward an anonymous partner across a full spectrum of social behaviour, from spite to altruism. In accordance with cultural evolutionary theory, participants were presented with social information that varied in source and content. Across six conditions, we informed participants that either the majority or the highest earner had chosen to behave spitefully, neutrally or altruistically. We found an overall tendency towards altruism, but at lower levels among those exposed to spite compared to altruism. We found no difference between social information that came from the majority or the highest earner. Exploratory analysis revealed that participants’ earnings negatively correlated with altruistic behaviour. Our results contrast with previous literature that report high rates of spite in experimental samples and a greater propensity for individuals to copy successful individuals over the majority. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:55:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7974fd679d8648b2b322f38d3510e8db |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2513-843X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:55:26Z |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Evolutionary Human Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-7974fd679d8648b2b322f38d3510e8db2024-04-12T07:34:14ZengCambridge University PressEvolutionary Human Sciences2513-843X13510.1017/ehs.2024.18Investigating the effects of social information on spite in an online gameRobin Watson0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1359-2319Thomas J. H. Morgan1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2848-8461Rachel L. Kendal2Julie Van de Vyver3Jeremy Kendal4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8644-3117Durham Cultural Evolution Research Centre, Anthropology Department, Durham DH1 3LE, UK Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Dawson Building, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UKSchool of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, 900 South Cady Mall, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, 777 E University Drive, Tempe, AZ 85287Durham Cultural Evolution Research Centre, Anthropology Department, Durham DH1 3LE, UK Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Dawson Building, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UKPsychology Department, Durham University, Upper Mountjoy, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UKDurham Cultural Evolution Research Centre, Anthropology Department, Durham DH1 3LE, UK Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Dawson Building, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK Durham Research Methods Centre, Faculty of Social Sciences & Health Arthur Holmes Building, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UKWhile humans are highly cooperative, they can also behave spitefully. Yet, spite remains understudied. Spite can be normatively driven and while previous experiments have found some evidence that cooperation and punishment may spread via social learning, no experiments have considered the social transmission of spiteful behaviour. Here we present an online experiment where, following an opportunity to earn wealth, we asked participants to choose an action toward an anonymous partner across a full spectrum of social behaviour, from spite to altruism. In accordance with cultural evolutionary theory, participants were presented with social information that varied in source and content. Across six conditions, we informed participants that either the majority or the highest earner had chosen to behave spitefully, neutrally or altruistically. We found an overall tendency towards altruism, but at lower levels among those exposed to spite compared to altruism. We found no difference between social information that came from the majority or the highest earner. Exploratory analysis revealed that participants’ earnings negatively correlated with altruistic behaviour. Our results contrast with previous literature that report high rates of spite in experimental samples and a greater propensity for individuals to copy successful individuals over the majority.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2513843X24000185/type/journal_article |
| spellingShingle | Robin Watson Thomas J. H. Morgan Rachel L. Kendal Julie Van de Vyver Jeremy Kendal Investigating the effects of social information on spite in an online game Evolutionary Human Sciences |
| title | Investigating the effects of social information on spite in an online game |
| title_full | Investigating the effects of social information on spite in an online game |
| title_fullStr | Investigating the effects of social information on spite in an online game |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigating the effects of social information on spite in an online game |
| title_short | Investigating the effects of social information on spite in an online game |
| title_sort | investigating the effects of social information on spite in an online game |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2513843X24000185/type/journal_article |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT robinwatson investigatingtheeffectsofsocialinformationonspiteinanonlinegame AT thomasjhmorgan investigatingtheeffectsofsocialinformationonspiteinanonlinegame AT rachellkendal investigatingtheeffectsofsocialinformationonspiteinanonlinegame AT julievandevyver investigatingtheeffectsofsocialinformationonspiteinanonlinegame AT jeremykendal investigatingtheeffectsofsocialinformationonspiteinanonlinegame |