Mind the Gap (eBook)

Preface 5
Acknowlegements 11
Contents 12
Contributors 15
Part I Introduction 18
1 Primate Behavior and Human Universals: Exploring the Gap 19
1.1 Introduction 19
1.2 The Gap is Behavioral 20
1.3 A Brief History of the Gap 21
1.4 Explaining the Gap 23
1.5 Primatology and the Gap 25
1.6 Uniquely Human 27
References 28
Part II Family & Social Organization
2 The Deep Structure of Human Society: Primate Origins and Evolution 33
2.1 Introduction 34
2.2 What is Reciprocal Exogamy? 35
2.3 Phylogenetic Evidence as a Test of the Exogamy Model 39
2.4 Origins of the Multifamily Community 41
2.5 Kinship in Early Hominid Society 43
2.6 The Evolution of Stable Breeding Bonds 47
2.7 Fatherhood and the Expansion of Kinship 50
2.8 The Origins of Exogamy and Postmarital Residence 52
2.9 The “Atom of Between-Group Alliances” 53
2.10 The Nascent Tribe 56
2.11 The Evolution of Residential Diversity 57
2.12 The Origins of Exogamy Rules 58
2.13 Conclusion 60
References 61
3 Conflict and Bonding Between the Sexes 66
3.1 An Approach to Universals 67
3.2 What is Sexual Conflict? 68
3.3 Approaches to Studying Sexual Conflict 69
3.4 Pre- and PostCopulatory Conflict over Mating: Sexual Coercion 70
3.5 PostCopulatory Sexual Conflict: Prezygotic 79
3.6 Postcopulatory Sexual Conflict: Postzygotic 81
3.7 A Counterstrategy: Male–Female Association 82
3.8 Conclusions and Future Directions 85
References 87
4 The Unusual Women of Mpimbwe: Why Sex Differences in Humans are not Universal 97
4.1 Introduction 98
4.2 Parental Investment Theory and Beyond 99
4.3 The Unusual Women of Mpimbwe 101
4.4 Pair Bonds in Humans 106
4.5 Mind the Crack: Concluding Observations 111
References 113
Part III Politics & Power
5 Dominance, Power, and Politics in Nonhuman and Human Primates 120
5.1 Introduction 121
5.2 What is Dominance? 122
5.3 Functions of Dominance 123
5.4 Sources of Variation in Female Dominance Style: Ecology, Phylogeny, and Self-Structuring 124
5.5 Variation in Male Dominance Style 129
5.6 Power and Politics 130
5.7 Politics and Cognition 137
5.8 Politics in Human versus Non-Human Primates 141
References 144
6 Human Power and Prestige Systems 150
6.1 Introduction 150
6.2 The Basis of Social Power in Primates 151
6.3 Prestige: A Unique Source of Social Power 152
6.4 The Evolutionary Origins of Prestige 153
6.5 Prestige, Signaling and the Origins of Inequality 156
6.6 Conclusions 161
References 161
7 The End of the Republic 164
7.1 Introduction 164
7.2 Senators, Soldiers, Slaves and a Sterile Caste 166
7.3 Emperors 171
7.4 Reproductive Skew 175
References 177
Part IV Intergroup Relationships 180
8 Intergroup Aggression in Primates and Humans: The Case for a Unified Theory 181
8.1 Introduction 181
8.2 Nonhuman Primates Living in Troops 183
8.3 Chimpanzees 194
8.4 Humans 198
8.5 Discussion 200
References 201
9 Why War? Motivations for Fighting in the Human State of Nature 206
9.1 Introduction 206
9.2 Subsistence Resources 207
9.3 Reproduction 210
9.4 Dominance: Rank, Power, Status, Prestige 215
9.5 Revenge: Retaliation to Eliminate and Deter 216
9.6 Power and the Security Dilemma 218
9.7 World-View and the Supernatural 219
9.8 Playfulness, Adventurism, Ecstasy 221
9.9 Cooperation in Fighting 222
9.10 Conclusion: Fighting in the Evolutionary State of Nature 224
References 226
Part V Foundations of Cooperation 230
10 From Grooming to Giving Blood: The Origins of Human Altruism 231
10.1 Introduction 231
10.2 The Evolution of Altruism 232
10.3 Kin Biases in Behavior 234
10.4 Cooperation Among Reciprocating Partners 235
10.5 Limits of Altruism in Primate Groups 237
10.6 Motives Underlying Altruism in NHPs 238
10.7 The Origins of Other Regarding Preferences in Humans 242
10.8 Conclusions 248
References 248
11 Evolved Irrationality? Equity and the Origins of Human Economic Behavior 253
11.1 Homo economicus: Model Subject or Tall Tale? 253
11.2 The Irrationality of Human Preferences 256
11.3 Irrational Equity-Seeking and the Emergence of Human Fairness Norms 258
11.4 The Evolution of Primate Economic Strategies: Monkey Markets 260
11.5 Primate Economic Irrationalities: Do Monkeys Exhibit Human Economic Biases? 262
11.6 Are Primates Irrationally Equity-Seeking? 263
11.7 Conclusions About the Evolution of Human Economic Strategies 265
References 266
12 From Whence the Captains of Our Lives: Ultimate and Phylogenetic Perspectives on Emotions in Humans and Other Primates 268
12.1 Introduction 269
12.2 Ancient, Relatively Conserved Emotions 271
12.3 Emotions Associated with Elementary Sociality 272
12.4 Emotions Associated with Parenting and Pair-Bonding 275
12.5 Emotions Regulating Dyadic Cooperative Relationships 276
12.6 Linked Fate and Vicarious Emotions 279
12.7 Norm-Based Emotions 280
References 283
Part VI Language, Thought & Communication
13 Primate Communication and Human Language: Continuities and Discontinuities 289
13.1 Introduction 290
13.2 Call Production and Development 291
13.3 Call Perception 293
13.4 Syntax 295
13.5 Attributing Intentions to Signalers 296
13.6 Primate Communication and the Evolution of Language 298
References 301
14 Language, Lies and Lipstick: A Speculative Reconstruction of the African Middle Stone Age “Human Revolution” 305
14.1 Digital Minds in an Analog World 305
14.2 Analog Minds in a Digital World 307
14.3 The Evolution of Deep Social Mind 309
14.4 A Darwinian Solution 311
14.5 The Female Cosmetic Coalitions Model 314
14.6 The Human Revolution 316
References 317
15 Brain and Behaviour in Primate Evolution 320
15.1 Introduction 320
15.2 A Systems Approach to Brain Evolution 323
15.3 The Structure of Primate Social Groups 327
15.4 Implications for Human Social Evolution 330
References 332
16 The Gap is Social: Human Shared Intentionality and Culture 336
16.1 Introduction 336
16.2 Human and Great Ape Cognitive Skills Compared 337
16.3 Cultural Activities in Humans and Great Apes 338
16.4 Joint Attention and Perspective 348
16.5 From Collaboration to Culture 351
References 352
17 The Evolution and Development of Human Social Cognition 355
17.1 Introduction 355
17.2 Shared Attention and Referential Communication 357
17.3 Empathy 359
17.4 Social Learning 362
17.5 Theory of Mind 366
17.6 Conclusion 369
References 370
18 Deceit and Self-Deception 376
18.1 Introduction 377
18.2 Deception is Everywhere, at All Levels of Life 377
18.3 Detection of Deception Often Leads to Negative Consequences, Including Punishment 379
18.4 Cognitive Load is a Key Factor in the Detection of Deception in Humans 380
18.5 What is Self-Deception? 381
18.6 One Needs a Separate Theory of Reality 383
18.7 Is Self-Deception the Psyche’s Immune System? 383
18.8 Self-Deception Helps Fool Others, While Reducing the Cognitive Cost of Doing So 385
18.9 Four Examples of Self-Deception 386
18.10 Self-Inflation is the Rule in Life 387
18.11 The Neurophysiology of Thought Suppression 388
18.12 Old-Age Positivity and Immune Function 388
18.13 Are Intelligence and Self-Deception Correlated? 389
18.14 Imposed Self-Deception 390
18.15 Deceit and Self-Deception Seen as an Evolutionary Game 392
18.16 The Cost of Deconstructing Lies 394
References 395
19 Human Universals and Primate Symplesiomorphies: Establishing the Lemur Baseline 397
19.1 Introduction 398
19.2 Lemurs 400
19.3 Technical Intelligence 401
19.4 Social Intelligence 408
19.5 Discussion and Conclusions 415
References 419
Part VII Innovation & Culture
20 Ape Behavior and the Origins of Human Culture 430
20.1 Introduction: The Culture Gap 430
20.2 Some Definitions 431
20.3 How to Trace the Origins of Culture 432
20.4 Dissecting Culture and Tracing its Origins 434
20.5 Conclusions 447
References 448
21 The Coevolution of Genes, Innovation, and Culture in Human Evolution 452
21.1 Introduction 453
21.2 The Gene–Culture Framework 456
21.3 Simultaneous Evolution of Innovation and Social Learning 460
21.4 Where Did Culture Come From? 471
References 474
Part VIII Conclusions 476
22 Mind the Gap: Cooperative Breeding and the Evolution of Our Unique Features 477
22.1 Introduction 477
22.2 Cooperative Breeding and Human Nature 479
22.3 Cooperative Breeding in Hominins: When Did it Arise? 485
22.4 Discussion 487
22.5 Conclusion 492
References 492
Index 497