Brown, W., & Moore, C. (2000). Is prospective altruist- detection an evolved solution to the adaptive problem of subtle cheating in cooperative ventures? Supportive evidence using the Wason selection task. Evolution and Human Behavior, 21(1), Lara Heisser, Jennifer Lambert, and Nisha Patel

Background Altruism is a behavior that reduces the fitness of the donor and increases the fitness of the recipient. Reciprocal altruism is likely to evolve when withholding reciprocity is detected Brown, W., & Moore, C. (2000). Is prospective altruist-detection an evolved solution to the adaptive problem of subtle cheating in cooperative ventures? Supportive evidence using the Wason selection task.

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Brown, W., & Moore, C. (2000). Is prospective altruist-detection an evolved solution to the adaptive problem of subtle cheating in cooperative ventures? Supportive evidence using the Wason selection task.

Wason Selection Task Wason selection task designed for the detection of altruism Brown, W., & Moore, C. (2000). Is prospective altruist-detection an evolved solution to the adaptive problem of subtle cheating in cooperative ventures? Supportive evidence using the Wason selection task.

Experiment 1 Testing logic: control vs altruistic detection Problem 1: Wason task used as a control Problems 2&3: Altruistic detection problems Brown, W., & Moore, C. (2000). Is prospective altruist-detection an evolved solution to the adaptive problem of subtle cheating in cooperative ventures? Supportive evidence using the Wason selection task.

Hypothesis Subjects would solve Wason tasks designed to detect altruists than the control problems Brown, W., & Moore, C. (2000). Is prospective altruist-detection an evolved solution to the adaptive problem of subtle cheating in cooperative ventures? Supportive evidence using the Wason selection task.

Results Experiment 1 Subjects detected the altruists all together Not mediated by logical reasoning since the problems were switched Brown, W., & Moore, C. (2000). Is prospective altruist-detection an evolved solution to the adaptive problem of subtle cheating in cooperative ventures? Supportive evidence using the Wason selection task.

Methods for Experiment 2 Problem 1: Altruisitic detection problem Problem 2: Cheater detection problem Problem 3: School problem Brown, W., & Moore, C. (2000). Is prospective altruist-detection an evolved solution to the adaptive problem of subtle cheating in cooperative ventures? Supportive evidence using the Wason selection task.

Experiment 2 Discussion Subjects performed better on altruist detection task No significant difference in performance of altruistic detection task and cheater detection task Brown, W., & Moore, C. (2000). Is prospective altruist-detection an evolved solution to the adaptive problem of subtle cheating in cooperative ventures? Supportive evidence using the Wason selection task.

Overall Subjects are detecting altruists rather than giving logically correct responses Adaptive benefit of detecting altruists is that altruists would gain allies and friends to rely on for hunting, gathering, social activities Purpose of altruist detection task was to determine genuiness Brown, W., & Moore, C. (2000). Is prospective altruist-detection an evolved solution to the adaptive problem of subtle cheating in cooperative ventures? Supportive evidence using the Wason selection task.

Criticism Sample size too small to detect a significant effect Human decision making is not based on simple rules, can be provoked by other emotions to choose certain cards Brown, W., & Moore, C. (2000). Is prospective altruist-detection an evolved solution to the adaptive problem of subtle cheating in cooperative ventures? Supportive evidence using the Wason selection task.