Felix Warneken, Professor of Psychology


What Children and Chimpanzees Reveal About the Origins of Human Cooperation

Abstract: Humans are able to cooperate with others in sophisticated, flexible ways: assisting others who need help, working collaboratively in teams, and sharing resources according to what’s ‘fair’. How do humans accomplish these behaviors? In some views, we are initially driven by purely selfish motives and must be taught to be cooperative. Yet other views suggest we have a biological predisposition for cooperation that emerges early. This talk presents psychological research with children and chimpanzees that provide insight both into the evolutionary origins of human cooperation, and the factors that shape them over child development.

Stream talk here.

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