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Are we there yet? Every computational theory needs a few black boxes, including theories about groups

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 July 2022

Andrew W. Delton Open the ORCID record for Andrew W. Delton [Opens in a new window]
Andrew W. Delton*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, College of Business, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4392, USA andrew.delton@stonybrook.edu https://www.andrewdelton.com
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Abstract

Pietraszewski exemplifies the need for computational theory using group conflict; I complement this with an example of group cooperation. He criticizes past theories for having black boxes; I suggest his theory also has a black box – the concept of costs. He divides what mentally constitutes a group from mere ancillary attributes; I hazard that some of these attributes are essential.

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Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 45 , 2022 , e103
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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