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Jiang H, Sliwa J. Practicing cooperative skills shapes brain-wide networks. Trends Cogn Sci 2024; 28:590-592. [PMID: 38705785 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2024.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Humans and other primates skillfully navigate the complex cognitive interplay of cooperative behaviors. However, the neural resources we rely on to do so are poorly understood. Franch et al. found that neuronal activity in a visual-frontal domain general cortical network is shaped during the training of a cooperative behavior to highlight relevant sensory inputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haozhou Jiang
- Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau, CNRS, Inserm, APHP, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Julia Sliwa
- Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau, CNRS, Inserm, APHP, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
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2
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Regolin L, Loconsole M. Behavioural Methods to Study Cognitive Capacities of Animals. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:3445. [PMID: 38003062 PMCID: PMC10668706 DOI: 10.3390/ani13223445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the past 20 years, the scientific community has witnessed a growing interest in the comparative study of mental capabilities [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Regolin
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, 35131 Padua, Italy;
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3
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Smith JE, Natterson-Horowitz B, Mueller MM, Alfaro ME. Mechanisms of equality and inequality in mammalian societies. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220307. [PMID: 37381860 PMCID: PMC10291435 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The extent of (in)equality is highly diverse across species of social mammals, but we have a poor understanding of the factors that produce or inhibit equitable social organizations. Here, we adopt a comparative evolutionary perspective to test whether the evolution of social dominance hierarchies, a measure of social inequality in animals, exhibits phylogenetic conservatism and whether interspecific variation in these traits can be explained by sex, age or captivity. We find that hierarchy steepness and directional consistency evolve rapidly without any apparent constraint from evolutionary history. Given this extraordinary variability, we next consider multiple factors that have evolved to mitigate social inequality. Social networks, coalitionary support and knowledge transfer advantage to privilege some individuals over others. Nutritional access and prenatal stressors can impact the development of offspring, generating health disparities with intergenerational consequences. Intergenerational transfer of material resources (e.g. stone tools, food stashes, territories) advantage those who receive. Nonetheless, many of the same social species that experience unequal access to food (survival) and mates (reproduction) engage in levelling mechanisms such as food sharing, adoption, revolutionary coalitions, forgiveness and inequity aversion. Taken together, mammals rely upon a suite of mechanisms of (in)equality to balance the costs and benefits of group living. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolutionary ecology of inequality'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E. Smith
- Biology Department, University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, 105 Garfield Avenue, Eau Claire, WI 54702, USA
| | - Barbara Natterson-Horowitz
- School of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of California, 650 Charles Young Drive South, A2-237 CHS, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Maddison M. Mueller
- Biology Department, University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, 105 Garfield Avenue, Eau Claire, WI 54702, USA
| | - Michael E. Alfaro
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 2149 Terasaki Life Sciences Building, 612 Charles E. Young Drive South, Box 957246, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7246, USA
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4
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Bhattacharjee D, Cousin E, Pflüger LS, Massen JJ. Prosociality in a despotic society. iScience 2023; 26:106587. [PMID: 37124413 PMCID: PMC10134446 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Prosociality is the intent to improve others' well-being. Existing hypotheses postulate that enhanced social tolerance and inter-individual dependence may facilitate prosocial preferences, which may favor the evolution of altruism. While most studies are restricted to "tolerant" (cooperatively breeding and self-domesticated) species, despotic societies provide an alternative opportunity to investigate prosociality due to nepotism and ample inter-individual dependencies. Japanese macaques live in hierarchical matrilineal societies, with strong kin bonds. Besides, tolerance among non-kin may persist through reciprocity. Using a group service food-provision paradigm, we found prosocial preferences in a semi free-ranging group of Japanese macaques. The extent of provisioning was at levels comparable to tolerant species. Dyadic tolerance predicted the likelihood and magnitude of provisioning, while kinship predicted the magnitude. We emphasize the role of a complex socio-ecology fostering individual prosocial tendencies through kinship and tolerance. These findings necessitate a framework including different forms of interdependence beyond the generally tolerant species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debottam Bhattacharjee
- Animal Behavior & Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Corresponding author
| | - Eythan Cousin
- Animal Behavior & Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Department of Ecology, Physiology & Ethology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Strasbourg, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Lena S. Pflüger
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Austrian Research Center for Primatology, Ossiach 16, 9570 Ossiach, Austria
| | - Jorg J.M. Massen
- Animal Behavior & Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Austrian Research Center for Primatology, Ossiach 16, 9570 Ossiach, Austria
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Hammer R, Stribos MS, Boehm PM, Pink KE, Herzele J, Wallner B, Huffman MA, Massen JJM, Pflüger LS. A novel methodological approach for group classification during fission of a semi-free-ranging group of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata). Am J Primatol 2023; 85:e23463. [PMID: 36594448 PMCID: PMC10078252 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The self-initiated split of a social group, known as fission, is a challenge faced by many group-living animals. The study of group fission and the social restructuring process in real time provides insights into the mechanism of this biologically important process. Previous studies on fission in Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) assigned individuals to newly reorganized groups mainly using behavioral observations and group attendance records based on periods before or after fission itself. Here, we present a novel framework for group classification during the process of fission that uses quantifiable behavioral variables and statistical analyses. The framework was tested on a group fission process at Affenberg Landskron (Austria), a park that housed around 160 semi-free-ranging Japanese macaques. The behavioral data were collected for 26 days during fission. We analyzed three behavioral developments recurrent in fissions in Japanese macaques, that is, independence of behavior, participation in group movements, and separation of nomadic ranges. These analyses were combined to assign individuals to different groups. Our study resulted in one main group (N = 33), one subgroup (N = 36) and 56 individuals whose group membership was still undefined. The demographic characteristics of these newly formed groups were comparable with those of fissioned groups in wild populations. Furthermore, we found that these newly forming groups showed early social dynamics of fission five months before group level movements, that is: grouping based on spatial proximity and spatial withdrawal of the subgroup to the periphery. These results underline the validity of our novel framework to study social dynamics in Japanese macaques during the process of fission. It represents an important addition to existing methods, and we recommend testing its scope in other primate societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roy Hammer
- Department of Biology, Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Mathieu S Stribos
- Department of Biology, Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Pia M Boehm
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Katharina E Pink
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Julia Herzele
- Affenberg Zoobetriebsgesellschaft mbH, Ossiach, Austria
| | - Bernard Wallner
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Austrian Research Center for Primatology, Ossiach, Austria
| | - Michael A Huffman
- Austrian Research Center for Primatology, Ossiach, Austria.,Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Aichi, Inuyama, Japan
| | - Jorg J M Massen
- Department of Biology, Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Austrian Research Center for Primatology, Ossiach, Austria
| | - Lena S Pflüger
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Austrian Research Center for Primatology, Ossiach, Austria
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Verspeek J, Stevens JMG. Behavioral and physiological response to inequity in bonobos (Pan paniscus). Am J Primatol 2023; 85:e23455. [PMID: 36419405 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Inequity aversion (IA), the affective, cognitive, and behavioral response to inequitable outcomes, allows individuals to avoid exploitation and therefore stabilizes cooperation. The presence of IA varies across animal species, which has stimulated research to investigate factors that might explain this variation, and to investigate underlying affective responses. Among great apes, IA is most often studied in chimpanzees. Here, we investigate IA in bonobos, a reputedly tolerant and cooperative species for which few IA studies are available. We describe how bonobos respond to receiving less preferred rewards than a partner in a token exchange task. We show that bonobos respond to receiving less preferred rewards by refusing tokens and rewards, and by leaving the experimental area. Bonobos never refused a trial when receiving preferred rewards, and thus showed no advantageous IA. We also investigate the variability in the disadvantageous IA response on a dyadic level, because the level of IA is expected to vary, depending on characteristics of the dyad. Like in humans and chimpanzees, we show that the tolerance towards inequity was higher in bonobo dyads with more valuable relationships. To study the affective component of IA, we included behavioral and physiological measures of arousal: a displacement behavior (rough self-scratching) and changes in salivary cortisol levels. Both measures of arousal showed large variability, and while analyses on rough self-scratching showed no significant effects, salivary cortisol levels seemed to be lower in subjects that received less than their partner, but higher in subjects that received more than their partner, albeit that both were not significantly different from the equity condition. This suggests that although overcompensated bonobos showed no behavioral response, they might be more aroused. Our data support the cooperation hypothesis on an interspecific and intraspecific level. They show inequity aversion in bonobos, a reputedly cooperative species, and suggest that the variability in IA in bonobos can be explained by their socioecology. Most successful cooperative interactions happen between mothers and their sons and among closely bonded females. The limited need to monitor the partners' investment within these dyads can result in a higher tolerance towards inequity. We therefore suggest future studies to consider relevant socioecological characteristics of the species when designing and analyzing IA studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Verspeek
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.,Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jeroen M G Stevens
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.,Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.,SALTO, Agro- and Biotechnology, Odisee University College, Sint Niklaas, Belgium
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Lu YT, Hwang WH, Hsieh YT, Ho TY, Da Zhu J, Yeh CI, Huang CY. Choices behind the veil of ignorance in Formosan macaques. PNAS NEXUS 2022; 1:pgac188. [PMID: 36714857 PMCID: PMC9802069 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
An ongoing debate regarding the evolution of morality is whether other species show precursory moral behavior. The veil of ignorance (VOI) paradigm is often used to elicit human moral judgment but has never been tested in other primates. We study the division of resources behind the VOI in Formosan macaques. Monkeys choose the equal division more often when a conspecific is present than when it is absent, suggesting a degree of impartiality. To better understand this impartiality, we measure a monkey's reactions to two directions of inequity: one regarding inequity to its advantage and the other to its disadvantage. We find that disadvantageous inequity aversion correlates with the degree of impartiality behind the VOI. Therefore, seemingly impartial behavior could result from a primitive negative reaction to being disadvantaged. This suggests a mechanism to explain a tendency toward impartiality.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Yi-Tsung Hsieh
- Department of Economics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Tsung-Yu Ho
- Department of Economics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Jian- Da Zhu
- Department of Economics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Chun-I Yeh
- To whom correspondence should be addressed:
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