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Module 1: Human Nature
Module 1:Human Nature
Module 1: Day 1
Ever wonder how the same person can commit a seemingly selfless act of charity at one time and a horribly selfish act of cruelty at another time? Today, we consider the behavior of people in simple economic games, in which players decide whether to share money. You will see that people behave strategically, shifting from fairness to selfishness when circumstances conceal their decisions from others.
Module 1: Day 2How cooperation evolvesCompared to our ancestors, we live extravagant lifestyles founded on cooperation among millions of unrelated people. But why do people work together when they can freeload off the work of others? Today, we identify the conditions required for cooperative behavior to evolve within groups of organisms. You will see that relatedness, reciprocity, or reputation stabilized cooperation at each point in the development of human societies.
Module 1: Day 3PunishmentEver wonder why the US citizens collectively pay more than 250 billion dollars a year for criminal justice? Today, we see how the fear of punishment curbs selfish behaviors. To do so, we contrast the outcomes of dictator games with the outcome of a new kind of game,in which people can refuse an unfair offer. We also learn how the desire punishment sets us apart from our fellow primates.
Module 1: Day 4ReputationHow many ways do we have of keeping track of each reputation? Credit scores, driver’s licenses, school transcripts, criminal records---the list goes on and on. How much would you pay to conceal information that ruins your reputation among peers? Today, we see how reputation provides a ticket to enjoy the benefits of cooperation in any large group of unrelated people.
No wonder blackmail is such a common enterprise!
Module 1: Day 5What makes someone antisocial?
For selfishness or cooperation to evolve, they must have molecular bases that depends on an organism’s alleles. Today, we examine the molecular processes that generate variation in behavior and consider genetic differences between people. You will learn that most behaviors are heritable to some degree and can evolve by natural selection.
