Academic literature on the topic 'Altruism in animals'

Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles

Select a source type:

Consult the lists of relevant articles, books, theses, conference reports, and other scholarly sources on the topic 'Altruism in animals.'

Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.

You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.

Journal articles on the topic "Altruism in animals"

1

Sibly, Richard M., and Robert N. Curnow. "Genetic polymorphisms between altruism and selfishness close to the Hamilton threshold rb = c." Royal Society Open Science 4, no. 2 (2017): 160649. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160649.

Full text
Abstract:
Genes that in certain conditions make their carriers altruistic are being identified, and altruism and selfishness have shown to be heritable in man. This raises the possibility that genetic polymorphisms for altruism/selfishness exist in man and other animals. Here we characterize some of the conditions in which genetic polymorphisms may occur. We show for dominant or recessive alleles how the positions of stable equilibria depend on the benefit to the recipient, b , and the cost to the altruist, c , for diploid altruists helping half or full sibs, and haplodiploid altruists helping sisters. Stable polymorphisms always occur close to the Hamilton threshold rb = c . The position of the stable equilibrium moves away 0 or 1 with both increases in c , the cost paid by the altruist, and increasing divergence from the Hamilton threshold, and alleles for selfishness can reach frequencies around 50%. We evaluate quantitative estimates of b , c and r from field studies in the light of these predictions, but the values do not fall in the regions where genetic polymorphisms are expected. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see as genes for altruism are discovered whether they are accompanied by alternate alleles for selfishness.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
2

Prudkov, Pavel N., and Olga N. Rodina. "On Altruism Toward Nonhuman Animals." Society & Animals 24, no. 4 (2016): 321–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/15685306-12341419.

Full text
Abstract:
The authors studied the motivation of nonhuman animal protectors engaged in caring for homeless animals. They were compared with individuals not involved in this activity. There were two hypotheses regarding the motivation. One hypothesis proposed animal protection is a substitute for people not satisfied with their family life and/or work. Another hypothesis suggested personality traits made some individuals attentive to the plight of humans and animals. The authors gathered demographic information and used an inventory on altruism toward humans and animals. There were no distinctions in demographics. The factor analysis of the inventory revealed two factors. One factor was altruism toward animals and another factor was altruism toward humans. Animal protectors scored high on the first factor and low on the second. Non-animal protectors demonstrated the opposite distribution of scores. This is inconsistent with the second hypothesis. Altruism toward animals and altruism toward humans may result from different mechanisms.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
3

Aaltola, Elisa. "The Moral Value of Animals." Essays in Philosophy 5, no. 2 (2004): 343–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.5840/eip2004527.

Full text
Abstract:
As it comes to animal ethics, broad versions of contractualism are often used as a reason for excluding animals from the category of those with moral value in the individualistic sense. Ideas of “reciprocity” and “moral agency” are invoked to show that only those capable of understanding and respecting the value of others may have value themselves. Because of this, possible duties toward animals are often made dependent upon altruism: to pay regard to animals is to act in an other-regarding manner instead of mutual benefit. There are three main versions of altruism in animal ethics. The first one of these is the most traditional, and emphasises benevolence as a source of moral regard. The second concentrates on the notion of value, and claims that animals have value in the individualistic sense despite being incapable of moral agency. The third resists overt theory-dependency, often included in the second version, and concentrates more on the elements of “context” and “identification”. Out of these, a combination of the last two is identified as the most fruitful basis for altruistic animal ethics.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
4

Schuster, Richard. "Altruism is a social behavior." Behavioral and Brain Sciences 25, no. 2 (2002): 272–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x02470057.

Full text
Abstract:
Altruism and cooperation are explained as learned behaviors arising from a pattern of repeated acts whose acquired value outweighs the short-term gains following single acts. But animals and young children, tempted by immediate gains, have difficulty learning behaviors of self-control. An alternative source of reinforcement, shared by animals and humans, arises from social interaction that normally accompanies cooperation and altruism in nature.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
5

Thompson, Graham J., Peter L. Hurd, and Bernard J. Crespi. "Genes underlying altruism." Biology Letters 9, no. 6 (2013): 20130395. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2013.0395.

Full text
Abstract:
William D. Hamilton postulated the existence of ‘genes underlying altruism’, under the rubric of inclusive fitness theory, a half-century ago. Such genes are now poised for discovery. In this article, we develop a set of intuitive criteria for the recognition and analysis of genes for altruism and describe the first candidate genes affecting altruism from social insects and humans. We also provide evidence from a human population for genetically based trade-offs, underlain by oxytocin-system polymorphisms, between alleles for altruism and alleles for non-social cognition. Such trade-offs between self-oriented and altruistic behaviour may influence the evolution of phenotypic diversity across all social animals.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
6

Yamamoto, Shinya, and Masayuki Tanaka. "How did altruism and reciprocity evolve in humans?" Interaction Studies 10, no. 2 (2009): 150–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/is.10.2.04yam.

Full text
Abstract:
The evolution of altruism and reciprocity has been explained mainly from ultimate perspectives. However, in order to understand from a proximate perspective how humans evolved to be such cooperative animals, comparative studies with our evolutionary relatives are essential. Here we review several recent experimental studies on chimpanzees’ altruism and reciprocity. These studies have generated some conflicting results. By examining the differences in the results and experimental paradigms, two characteristics of prosociality in chimpanzees emerged: (1) chimpanzees are more likely to behave altruistically and/or reciprocally upon a recipient’s request, than without request, and (2) chimpanzees also show a tendency to regard others and help in contexts not involving food. Supposing that these two characteristics of altruism, recipient-initiated altruism and non-food altruism, were present in the common ancestor of chimpanzees and humans, it is possible that increased social cognitive abilities, capacity for language, necessity for food sharing, and enriched material culture favored in humans the unique evolution of cooperation, characterized by voluntary altruism and frequent food donation.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
7

Noh, Suegene, Katherine S. Geist, Xiangjun Tian, Joan E. Strassmann, and David C. Queller. "Genetic signatures of microbial altruism and cheating in social amoebas in the wild." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115, no. 12 (2018): 3096–101. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1720324115.

Full text
Abstract:
Many microbes engage in social interactions. Some of these have come to play an important role in the study of cooperation and conflict, largely because, unlike most animals, they can be genetically manipulated and experimentally evolved. However, whereas animal social behavior can be observed and assessed in natural environments, microbes usually cannot, so we know little about microbial social adaptations in nature. This has led to some difficult-to-resolve controversies about social adaptation even for well-studied traits such as bacterial quorum sensing, siderophore production, and biofilms. Here we use molecular signatures of population genetics and molecular evolution to address controversies over the existence of altruism and cheating in social amoebas. First, we find signatures of rapid adaptive molecular evolution that are consistent with social conflict being a significant force in nature. Second, we find population-genetic signatures of purifying selection to support the hypothesis that the cells that form the sterile stalk evolve primarily through altruistic kin selection rather than through selfish direct reproduction. Our results show how molecular signatures can provide insight into social adaptations that cannot be observed in their natural context, and they support the hypotheses that social amoebas in the wild are both altruists and cheaters.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
8

Guéguen, Nicolas. "Redesigning the Donation Box: The Effect of Animal Banks on Donations for Animal Welfare." Society & Animals 21, no. 3 (2013): 240–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/15685306-12341257.

Full text
Abstract:
Abstract Some recent studies have shown that physical objects present in the environment can affect altruism. This effect was demonstrated in the context of fundraising for animals. Different banks were placed near the cash register in eight bakeries with a message explaining that the solicitation was for animal welfare. The banks were either in the shape of a dog, a cat, a cow, a pig, or a classic cube. Results showed that more donations were given with the dog and cat banks, whereas no difference in donations was found among the three other banks.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
9

Abed, Riadh T. "Suicide as altruism: A Darwinian perspective." Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine 14, no. 4 (1997): 144–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0790966700003396.

Full text
Abstract:
There has been increased interest recently in the implications of Darwinian theory on psychology, psychiatry and in medicine generally. As a result a large number of publications have appeared that attempt to reformulate a range of psychiatric disorders in the light of evolutionary theory. However, relatively little attention has been paid to the subject of suicide from the evolutionary perspective with some notable exceptions. The purpose of this brief paper is to bring the Darwinian perspective to the notice of a wider psychiatric readership hoping that this will add a further dimension to the debate on suicide and selfdestructive behaviour. Darwinia n theory had found it difficult to account for the existence of altruistic behavioural strategies in social animals until it was explained by Hamilton that the focus for selection was not the individual but the gene. Altruism here refers to any behaviour that reduces the reproductive fitness of the donor while increasing the reproductive fitness of the recipient. According to Hamilton's formulation (the kin selection theory) the individual will behave in a nepotistic manner (ie. altruistically towards kin) as this will enhance the overall chances of his genes to pass to the next generation not only through his own descendants but through non-descendant kin, a measure he termed ‘inclusive fitness’. Therefore it would not be surprising that individuals would be more likely to behave altruistically towards kin than non-kin.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
10

St-Pierre, Angèle, Karine Larose, and Frédérique Dubois. "Long-term social bonds promote cooperation in the iterated Prisoner's Dilemma." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 276, no. 1676 (2009): 4223–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2009.1156.

Full text
Abstract:
Reciprocal altruism, one of the most probable explanations for cooperation among non-kin, has been modelled as a Prisoner's Dilemma. According to this game, cooperation could evolve when individuals, who expect to play again, use conditional strategies like tit-for-tat or Pavlov. There is evidence that humans use such strategies to achieve mutual cooperation, but most controlled experiments with non-human animals have failed to find cooperation. One reason for this could be that subjects fail to cooperate because they behave as if they were to play only once. To assess this hypothesis, we conducted an experiment with monogamous zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata ) that were tested in a two-choice apparatus, with either their social partner or an experimental opponent of the opposite sex. We found that zebra finches maintained high levels of cooperation in an iterated Prisoner's Dilemma game only when interacting with their social partner. Although other mechanisms may have contributed to the observed difference between the two treatments, our results support the hypothesis that animals do not systematically give in to the short-term temptation of cheating when long-term benefits exist. Thus, our findings contradict the commonly accepted idea that reciprocal altruism will be rare in non-human animals.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
More sources

Dissertations / Theses on the topic "Altruism in animals"

1

Bucher, Benoit Cyril Albert. "Underlying mechanisms and evolutionary roots of prosocial behaviors in non-human animals." Kyoto University, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/2433/254500.

Full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
2

Eldakar, Omar Tonsi. "The evolution of self-limiting behavior strategies." Diss., Online access via UMI:, 2008.

Find full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
3

Kovacs, Jennifer L. "Queen-specific selective pressures and caste dimorphism in the social wasp Vespula maculifrons." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/37100.

Full text
Abstract:
Within social insect colonies, sterile workers are responsible for brood care, while queens are the primary egg-layers. These reproductive caste differences are often accompanied by pronounced morphological distinctions. Queen and worker phenotypic differences are particularly remarkable considering caste is environmentally, rather than genetically, determined. Environmental caste determination can produce intralocus genetic conflict between castes, particularly when homologous traits are highly dimorphic. Therefore, when studying the evolution of social insect caste dimorphism, one must consider the genetic architecture underlying phenotypic expression as well as the selective pressures that have shaped caste morphology. This dissertation presents the results of four studies that investigated factors affecting caste morphology in the social wasp Vespula maculifrons. The first two studies focused on identifying queen morphological traits that were positively associated with queen fitness and would therefore be subject to selection. Queen length, specifically gaster length, was positively associated with overwintering survival and was consistently associated with mating success. Both of these findings suggest that queen gaster length is under selection during two life-history events, mating and overwintering, in which workers do not participate. These findings provide empirical support for the adaptive evolution of a caste dimorphic trait. The third and fourth studies used classical quantitative genetic and morphological analyses to examine the genetic architecture underlying caste dimorphism in V. maculifrons. I determined which traits were under caste-specific selection by analyzing trait allometries and the levels of genetic control, variation, and dimorphism of traits between castes. Little genetic variation for morphological trait size was detected for most worker and queen traits, suggesting a strong influence of environment on phenotypic variation. Additionally, analyses of trait allometries indicated that several queen traits (mass, thorax width and length) were under queen-specific selection. The relationship between thorax length, gaster length, and overall body size is further evidence of selection on length in queens. Overall, these studies provide evidence for the importance of queen-specific selection in the evolution of caste dimorphism. When placed in the broader context of caste evolution, they point to the importance of life-history in shaping the genetic architecture underlying caste dimorphism.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
4

Tan, Jingzhi. "The Origin of Prosociality Toward Strangers." Diss., 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10161/8017.

Full text
Abstract:
<p>Humans are champions of prosociality. Across different cultures and early in life, humans routinely engage in prosocial behaviors that benefit others. Perhaps most strikingly, humans are even prosocial toward strangers (i.e. xenophilic). This is an evolutionary puzzle because it cannot be explained by kinship theory, reciprocal altruism or reputation. The parochialism hypothesis proposes that this extreme prosociality is unique to humans, is motivated by unselfish motivation and evolved through group selection made possible by human culture and warfare. The first impression hypothesis, on the other hand, proposes that xenophilia can evolve to promote the selfish benefits that accrue from extending one's social network. It predicts that 1) nonhuman species can evolve prosociality toward strangers when the benefit of forming new relations is higher than the cost, 2) the motivation for prosociality can be selfish, and 3) encounters with strangers can be a positive social event since strangers represent potential social partners. This dissertation presents three sets of experiments designed to test these predictions with bonobos (Pan paniscus), a species known for reduced xenophobia. These experiments showed, first, that bonobos voluntarily shared monopolizable food with a stranger and helped the stranger to obtain out-of-reach food. Second, the observed prosociality was driven by a selfish motivation to initiate an interaction with the stranger in close proximity and an other-regarding motivation to benefit the stranger. Third, an involuntary yawning task and a voluntary choice task show converging results that bonobos attribute positive valence to completely unknown strangers by default. These experiments support the three core predictions of the first impression hypothesis and challenge the view that intergroup competition is crucial to the origin of prosociality toward strangers in our species. Instead, the first impression hypothesis proposes that xenophilia in bonobos is probably an adaptation to initiating non-kin cooperation. Because female bonobos are highly cooperative even though they are the dispersing sex, xenophilia might function to quickly establish cooperative relationships with new immigrants. This suggests that xenophilia and reciprocity are likely two complementary aspects of non-kin cooperation: the former explains its initiation while the latter explains its maintenance. Similarly, xenophilia in humans is likely a result of the increasing need for cooperation among non-kin due to enhanced fission-fusion dynamics, population expansion, obligate cooperative foraging and greater dependence on cultural knowledge.</p><br>Dissertation
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

Books on the topic "Altruism in animals"

1

The problem of altruism: Freudian-Darwinian solutions. B. Blackwell, 1986.

Find full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
2

Cronin, Helena. The ant and the peacock: Altruism and sexual selection from Darwin to today. Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, 1991.

Find full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
3

Origins of altruism and cooperation. Springer, 2011.

Find full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
4

Cronin, Helena. The ant and the peacock: Altruism and sexual selection from Darwin to today. Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, 1991.

Find full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
5

Je t'aide-- moi non plus: Biologique, comportemental ou psychologique, l'altruisme dans tous ses états. Vuibert, 2010.

Find full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
6

Mori, Barbara De. Lo specchio e l'altro: La cura nel rapporto uomo-animale. Mimesis, 2008.

Find full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
7

Mori, Barbara De. Lo specchio e l'altro: La cura nel rapporto uomo-animale. Mimesis, 2008.

Find full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
8

Harman, Oren Solomon. The price of altruism: George Price and the search for the origins of kindness. W.W. Norton, 2010.

Find full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
9

The price of altruism: George Price and the search for the origins of kindness. W.W. Norton, 2010.

Find full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
10

Azzone, Giovanni Felice. La moralità come adattamento: Altruismo degli animali e moralità degli esseri umani. Zadig, 2002.

Find full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
More sources

Book chapters on the topic "Altruism in animals"

1

Hara, Kenji. "Social Association Brings Out the Altruism in an Ant." In Biocommunication of Animals. Springer Netherlands, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7414-8_9.

Full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
2

Arkhipova, Alexandra, and Artem Kozmin. "Do We Really Like the Kind Girls and Animals?: Cross-Cultural Analysis of Altruism in Folktales." In International and Cultural Psychology. Springer New York, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6952-0_5.

Full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
3

Akins, Chana K. "Altruism." In Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer International Publishing, 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1373-1.

Full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
4

Korthals, Michiel. "Humanity in the Living, the Living in Humans." In The International Library of Environmental, Agricultural and Food Ethics. Springer International Publishing, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63523-7_8.

Full text
Abstract:
AbstractRecent studies in biology, ecology, and medicine make it clear that relationships between living organisms are complex and comprise different forms of collaboration and communication in particular in getting food. It turns even out that relations of collaboration and valuing are more important than those of aggression and predation. I will outline the ways organisms select and value specific items in their network of living and non-living entities. No organism eats everything; all organisms prefer certain foods, companions, and habitats. Relations between organisms are established on the basis of communication, exchange of signs, actions and goods, through mutual learning processes on all levels of life. Micro, meso and macro organisms participate in this process of valuing and communication. Animals and plants therefore show features that were traditionally attributed only to humans, like selfless assistance. The usual distinction between humans and other living beings on the basis of human’s sensitivity for altruism, language and values crumbles down due to the circumstance that also non-human living beings are prone to selfless assistance, communication and valuing.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
5

Zahn-Waxler, Carolyn, Barbara Hollenbeck, and Marian Radke-Yarrow. "The Origins of Empathy and Altruism." In Advances in Animal Welfare Science 1984. Springer Netherlands, 1985. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4998-0_2.

Full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
6

Dizon, Marivic, Lisa D. Butler, and Cheryl Koopman. "Befriending Man's Best Friends: Does Altruism Toward Animals Promote Psychological and Physical Health?" In Altruism and Health. Oxford University Press, 2007. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195182910.003.0018.

Full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
7

Sloan Wilson, David. "Cooperation and Altruism." In Evolutionary Ecology. Oxford University Press, 2001. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195131543.003.0023.

Full text
Abstract:
People have always been fascinated by cooperation and altruism in animals, in part to shed light on our own propensity or reluctance to help others. Darwin’s theory added a certain urgency to the subject because the principle of “nature red in tooth and claw” superficially seems to deny the possibility of altruism and cooperation altogether. Some evolutionary biologists have accepted and even reveled in this vision of nature, giving rise to statements such as “the economy of nature is competitive from beginning to end . . . scratch an ‘altruist’ and watch a hypocrite bleed”. Others have gone so far in the opposite direction as to proclaim the entire earth a unit that cooperatively regulates its own atmosphere (Lovelock 1979). The truth is somewhere between these two extremes; cooperation and altruism can evolve but only if special conditions are met. As might be expected from the polarized views outlined above, achieving this middle ground has been a difficult process. Science is often portrayed as a heroic march to the truth, but in this case, it is more like the Three Stooges trying to move a piano. I don’t mean to underestimate the progress that been made—the piano has been moved—but we need to appreciate the twists, turns, and reversals in addition to the final location. To see why cooperation and altruism pose a problem for evolutionary theory, consider the evolution of a nonsocial adaptation, such as cryptic coloration. Imagine a population of moths that vary in the degree to which they match their background. Every generation, the most conspicuous moths are detected and eaten by predators while the most cryptic moths survive and reproduce. If offspring resemble their parents, then the average moth will become more cryptic with every generation. Anyone who has beheld a moth that looks exactly like a leaf, right down to the veins and simulated herbivore damage, cannot fail to be impressed by the power of natural selection to evolve breathtaking adaptations at the individual level. Now consider the same process for a social adaptation, such as members of a group warning each other about approaching predators.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
8

"Beauty in the beast: cooperation, altruism and philanthropy among animals." In Animals, Rights and Reason in Plutarch and Modern Ethics. Routledge, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780203350157-10.

Full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
9

Preston, Stephanie D., and Frans B. M. De Waal. "The Communication of Emotions and the Possibility of Empathy in Animals." In Altruism and Altruistic LoveScience, Philosophy, and Religion in Dialogue. Oxford University Press, 2002. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195143584.003.0025.

Full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
10

Nurse, Angus, and Tanya Wyatt. "Wildlife as Reflectors of Violence." In Wildlife Criminology. Policy Press, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1332/policypress/9781529204346.003.0005.

Full text
Abstract:
This chapter examines the notion that human violence has its origins in the violence evident in our evolutionary history. The prevailing wisdom is that wildlife are themselves violent and when humans act violently they are behaving like ‘animals’. The exploration covers examples of violence by wildlife, including murder by chimpanzees, and rape by elephants. In contrast, the chapter also provides examples of altruism in wildlife, which counters the notion of human compassion as one of the exceptional characteristics setting us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. The chapter aims to further challenge anthropocentric legislation by exemplifying common characteristics between wildlife and humans and in so doing set the scene for further chapters’ exploration of the legal personhood of wildlife.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
We offer discounts on all premium plans for authors whose works are included in thematic literature selections. Contact us to get a unique promo code!