emotions: part 2
Post on 22-Feb-2016
23 Views
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
Emotions: Part 2Intro to Psych
Class #62/13/14
Social Emotions toward our kin Babies & Us Nature doesn’t make babies cute, it’s the way
our brains are wired They’re cute because there are certain cues on
a baby that react with parts of our brains to make us THINK they’re cute
Recap from Tuesday
Babies & Us Cupboard Theory from Skinner
Babies attach to their parents because they provide food Operant Conditioning makes the baby drawn to the adult
Another Theory! Babies are drawn to their mother for comfort and social
interaction, as well as to feel safe from a fear of strangers
Money Experiments Wire Mother vs Cloth Mother
Which mother did the baby monkey prefer?
Recap from Tuesday
Evolution & Explaining Emotional Responses Animals’ emotional attraction to their kin is not
weird if we think about from an evolution perspective Evolution is reproduction, so they want to care
for those who carry their genes Also makes sense that a baby animal who wants
to survive would become attached to their parents
Social Emotions
What is puzzling: Why are animals nice to the animals they’re NOT related to? It’s complicated ! Examples:
They groom other animals They give warning cries (Lookout!)
It’s risky to do, but they do it anyway Animals share childcare Animals share food
Vampire bat
Social Emotions
Vampire Bats Known to share food after a big find Goes around to the other bats in the cave vomiting
the blood to be shared Everybody benefits!
This sharing is called Reciprocal Altruism Animals benefit more by working together than by
working alone But my kindness to you depends on your kindness to
me
Animals & Non-kin
Why is this so weird? Sharing is caring, right? But what about the cheaters? The free
loaders? Those that don’t contribute? They get all the benefits but pay none of the
cost Why do they do this? Why don’t ALL animals do this? What is the benefit to doing this?
Animals & Non-kin
Example: Gene A: Causes the animal to accept blood
from others and also to share his blood Gene B: accepts blood but doesn’t share his
blood Who benefits most?
Over time, Gene B will. Because it doesn’t share it will get less sick and reproduce more
Animals & Non-kin
Another Example: Warning cries
Gophers give warning cries It is adaptive to respond to a warning cry (Crap! Run!)
Respond correctly and live! Don’t respond and die It is NOT adaptive to give the warning cry
Make a loud noise to warn the others, but risk giving away your position to the monster and becoming lunch
So what’s the good solution? Respond, but don’t give
Animals & Non-kin
Yet ANOTHER Example: Go out with your friends Buy drinks for others, Have others buy drinks
for you Adaptive Behavior
It is NOT adaptive to my wallet to keep buying drinks
Solution! You can ALL buy me drinks, but I ain’t buying no
more for you!
Animals & Non-kin
BUT! If everyone believed this way, the idea of
buying a round would eventually fade away & no one would do it
THAT’S THE PUZZLE Cheating in the short term will always outdo
honesty in the long term, how come this cooperation has evolved?
Animals & Non-kin
CHEATER DETECTION! Reciprocal Altruism can only evolve and
happen if animals are also wired to punish cheaters
What does this require of the animal? They must be able to: Recognize cheaters Remember who the cheaters are Want to punish the cheaters
Animals & Non-kin
Not every animal has this, but we KNOW vampire bats do
This couldn’t evolve and continue on through the generations if the bats weren’t keeping track of the cheaters
This focus on RECIPROCATION plays a powerful role in the evolution of social emotions
Animals & Non-kin
Animals & Non-kin
This poor guy can’t get no reciprocation!
A Classic Example of the way Reciprocal Altruism can effect social emotions
Idea: You & a friend get caught committing a crime Cops want to know everything, they want you
to rat out your friend You have 2 options:
Cooperate with your friend by staying silent Defect on your friend by squealing
The Prisoner’s Dilemma
But wait! If you cooperate and your friend defects, you
go to prison for life & he’s free If you defect and your friend cooperates,
he’ll go to prison for life & you’ll be free
WHAT DO YOU DO?
The Prisoner’s Dilemma
The Nice Side: I’ll stay quiet and I’ll cooperate
But if you trust your friend to cooperate, they might defect
Logic: The best case is for you to defect while your friend cooperates (CYA!)
Worst thing to happen? You cooperate and he defects. Now you’re
screwed
The Prisoner’s Dilemma
Another Example: My spouse & I are breaking up Should I get a lawyer? If we both don’t get lawyers, then we’ll split down
the middle and both get something But if I don’t get a lawyer, and they do, I could get
taken to the cleaners! If I get a lawyer and they don’t, I could get
everything! But if we both get lawyers, we could both get
screwed
The Prisoner’s Dilemma
Yet ANOTHER Example: Country A & Country B want to do nuclear
disarmament We’d do GREAT if both countries disarmed! We’d all
get along! But wouldn’t it be cool if THEY disarmed and we
kept our weapons? Then we could invade and take everything!
But if we disarm and they don’t, they’ll invade us! If we both build up our weapons, then we’ll both do
pretty badly too
The Prisoner’s Dilemma
Last Example! A drug deal I want to buy drugs from you. I have $1000 Great! Let’s meet behind the gym at 2am and
we’ll make the trade, You bring the money Wait! This is a drug deal. No one’s going to call
the cops if it goes bad…
The Prisoner’s Dilemma
If I bring a gun and stick in his face, then I can have the drugs AND the money! I win!
But if he brings a gun, then he gets the money and the drugs. I lose!
If we both bring a gun, this probably won’t end well for either of us
We should just cooperate and do the stinking deal
The Prisoner’s Dilemma
ACTIVITY! Pair up! Player 1 vs Player 2 When I say go, just show the person your
choice If you both Cooperate: $3 If one player Cooperates, the other Defects: $5
to the defector, nothing to the cooperator Both Defect: $0 for both
The Prisoner’s Dilemma
How many people cooperated? How many defected? How many made $5? How many got nothing?
The Prisoner’s Dilemma
There was once a competition to design computers that could play this game and always win
The winner was called “Tit for Tat” & was one of the simplest programs competing
4 lines of basic code First time you meet someone: Cooperate (be
nice) After that, each time do what the other
program did on the previous plays
The Prisoner’s Dilemma
Why did this win?? It starts friendly But it’s not a sucker – If you screw with it, it’ll
screw with you on the next turn But it’s also forgiving – It will be nice to you if you
are nice to it It’s transparent – there’s nothing complicated
about this idea & you could TELL it’s wasn’t a sucker and was forgiving (IMPORTANT!)
It learned to cooperate and make it out the best even in a situation that might have cheating
The Prisoner’s Dilemma
Some think our emotions go along with the different emotions one feels in the Prisoner’s Dilemma
We like people who cooperate with us This motivates us to be nice to them in the future “If you’re nice to me now, I’ll be nice to you back”
We don’t like being screwed with We feel anger and distrust toward those who betray us Motivates us to betray or avoid them in the future
We feel bad when we betray someone who cooperated with us Motivates us to behave better in the future
The Prisoner’s Dilemma
Ultimatum Game Choose a partner (different from last game) One of you is A, one of you is B You have $10 One Rule:
Person A, turn to Person B and make an offer between $0 - $10
Person B says one word: Accept or Reject If the offer is rejected, no one gets anything If the offer is accepted, B gets the offer and A gets the
rest
Another Game!
How many accepted? How many rejected? How many offered $1? How many accepted $1?
The person who accepts the $1 offer was being RATIONAL
$1 is better than no dollars
Ultimatum Game
From a logical point of view, you should reason that $1 is better than nothing and accept the $1
Because we’re smart, Person A should use this same logic and offer the $1
But people are not purely rational Even with one shot, people won’t accept unfair
distribution, they reject them out of spite The offer must be higher to get over that spite
Ultimatum Game
Moral of the story: A rational person is easily taken advantage of A rational person will always respond to
attacks with measured and appropriate responses
You could share with me I’d be happy and grateful
You could mess with me, take my things, harass me I won’t make a fuss
Logical & Rational Thinking
Some advantage to being irrational & having a temper If you have a temper & are known to act
irrationally, people are forced to treat you better because of your personality
So who are you going to take from? The reasonable person? The person with the hair trigger temper?
Logical & Rational Thinking
The reasonable person The unreasonable person might do
unreasonable things & that’s too risky
Logical & Rational Thinking
Could this also apply to why people fall in love???????
You have to choose who you want to devote your life to
It’s a huge trust, you’re going to raise kids together. It’s very important to you that your partner not leave you
Logical & Rational Thinking
A rational person would say: “We should mate & have children because I find
you the most attractive of everybody who is available that I’ve met so far. I’m very rational and so long as this continues to be the case, we‘ll be together.”
Romantic? Not really Wouldn’t you rather be with someone that was
head over heels in love? It’s irrational, but it’s also endearing The person’s irrationality means you can trust
them more in the long run
Logical & Rational Thinking
Irrational Violence Most murder is not caused by provocation (is
not rational) Most murder is generated from insult, curse,
petty infraction This isn’t “crazy irrationality” though It’s “adaptive irrationality”
Logical & Rational Thinking
“In chronically feuding and warring societies, the central manly virtue is the capacity for violence. To turn the other cheek is not sane but stupid or contemptibly weak. If I show myself a rational person when picked on or harassed, I’ll be known as somebody you can pick on or harass.” – Daly & Wilson
What does this mean?
Adaptive Irrationality
In the modern world: Violence due to people disrespecting each
other or giving a dirty look Some may think it irrational behavior But it’s not irrational CIRCUMSTANCES
People living together having to deal with each other over and over again
Often there’s not much support from the police either
Adaptive Irrationality
The importance of a reputation for violence This differs from culture to culture
Cultures of Honor have certain properties Can’t rely on the law Resources that are easily taken A reputation of violent retaliation is essential to
keep your resources
Adaptive Irrationality
Examples of Cultures of Honor: Scottish Highlanders
Resources: land, money, their livelihood Western Cowboys
Resources: land, cattle Culture of Honor studied most?
The American South
Cultures of Honor
Why is the South more of a Culture of Honor than the North? Gun laws are more permissive Corporal Punishment & Capital Punishment
seem to be more approved of Attitudes toward the military are more positive Have a higher rate of violence, but only in
certain circumstances: Crimes of honor Someone insults me = I kill him Someone breaks in = I kill them
Cultures of Honor
Example! A study of college undergraduates at the Univ of
Michigan: White males, not Hispanic, not Jewish They were provoked, then taken into a room and
tested Men from the South showed higher stress & hormone
response than men from the North Differences in later behavior also suggested they were
angry “John went to the store and bought _________.” Northern men: an apple (something boring) Southern men: an AK47 (something aggressive)
Cultures of Honor
Southerners are not overall more violent They’re more sensitive to having their honor
threatened Of course these are averages: not every
Southern male will behave like this The effects are real though
When someone from the South moves to the North, they comment on how rude people are
Cultures of Honor
The North is less of a Culture of Honor Because of this, people are able to be jerky more There’s less fear of being a jerk and having
someone retaliate Culture of Honor virtues are not bad things:
Honor Loyalty Courage Self-Reliance
Cultures of Honor
Fear, love towards our kin, anger, gratitude, etc are not weird or abnormal
They are complex systems meant to motivate us that have been created to help us heal with the natural and social environment
Overall Summary
top related