Social and individual learning of helping in humans and other species

Helping behaviors can be innate, learned by copying others (cultural transmission) or individually learned de novo. These three possibilities are often entangled in debates on the evolution of helping in humans. Here we discuss their similarities and differences, and argue that evolutionary biologis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in ecology & evolution (Amsterdam) 2008-12, Vol.23 (12), p.664-671
Main Authors: Lehmann, Laurent, Foster, Kevin R., Borenstein, Elhanan, Feldman, Marcus W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal ethology
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects
Helping Behavior
Heredity
Humans
Learning
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Social interactions. Communication. Group processes
Social psychology
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Summary:Helping behaviors can be innate, learned by copying others (cultural transmission) or individually learned de novo. These three possibilities are often entangled in debates on the evolution of helping in humans. Here we discuss their similarities and differences, and argue that evolutionary biologists underestimate the role of individual learning in the expression of helping behaviors in humans.
ISSN:0169-5347
1872-8383
DOI:10.1016/j.tree.2008.07.012