Hostname: page-component-77f85d65b8-6bnxx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-03-27T14:51:03.742Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Biological evolution and behavioral evolution: Two approaches to altruism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2013

Howard Rachlin ,
Matthew L. Locey  and
Vasiliy Safin
Howard Rachlin
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-2500. howard.rachlin@sunysb.eduhttp://www.psychology.stonybrook.edu/psychology/index.php?people/faculty/howard_rachlinmatthew.locey@stonybrook.eduvvsafin@gmail.com
Matthew L. Locey
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-2500. howard.rachlin@sunysb.eduhttp://www.psychology.stonybrook.edu/psychology/index.php?people/faculty/howard_rachlinmatthew.locey@stonybrook.eduvvsafin@gmail.com
Vasiliy Safin
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-2500. howard.rachlin@sunysb.eduhttp://www.psychology.stonybrook.edu/psychology/index.php?people/faculty/howard_rachlinmatthew.locey@stonybrook.eduvvsafin@gmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Altruism may be learned (behavioral evolution) in a way similar to that proposed in the target article for its biological evolution. Altruism (over social space) corresponds to self-control (over time). In both cases, one must learn to ignore the rewards to a particular (person or moment) and behave to maximize the rewards to a group (of people or moments).

Information

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 36 , Issue 1 , February 2013 , pp. 96
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Baum, W. M. (1994) Understanding behaviorism: Science, behavior, and culture. Harper-Collins.Google Scholar
Locey, M. L. & Rachlin, H.(in press) Commitment and self-control in a prisoner's dilemma game. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.Google Scholar
Rachlin, H. (2000) The science of self-control. Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Rachlin, H. (2002) Altruism and selfishness. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 25:239–96.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rachlin, H. & Jones, B. A. (2008) Social discounting and delay discounting. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making 21(1):29–43.Google Scholar
Staddon, J. E. R. & Simmelhag, V. L. (1971) The “superstition” experiment: A reexamination of its implications for the principles of adaptive behavior. Psychological Review 78:3–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar