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We aren't especially fearful apes, and fearful apes aren't especially prosocial

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 May 2023

Raechel Drew ,
Enda Tan ,
Francis Yuen  and
J. Kiley Hamlin Open the ORCID record for J. Kiley Hamlin [Opens in a new window]
Raechel Drew
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada rdrew@psych.ubc.ca francis.yuen@psych.ubc.ca kiley.hamlin@psych.ubc.ca
Enda Tan
Affiliation:
Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-1131, USA Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-1131, USA endatan@umd.edu
Francis Yuen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada rdrew@psych.ubc.ca francis.yuen@psych.ubc.ca kiley.hamlin@psych.ubc.ca
J. Kiley Hamlin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada rdrew@psych.ubc.ca francis.yuen@psych.ubc.ca kiley.hamlin@psych.ubc.ca
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Abstract

Grossmann posits that heightened fearfulness in humans evolved to facilitate cooperative caregiving. We argue that three of his claims – that children express more fear than other apes, that they are uniquely responsive to fearful expressions, and that expression and perception of fear are linked with prosocial behaviors – are inconsistent with existing literature or require additional supporting evidence.

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Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 46 , 2023 , e60
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Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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