Schoolchildren cooperate more successfully with non-kin than with siblings.

ABSTRACT: Cooperation plays a key role in the development of advanced societies and can be stabilized through shared genes (kinship) or reciprocation. In humans, cooperation among kin occurs more readily than cooperation among non-kin. In many organisms, cooperation can shift with age (e.g. helpers at the nest); however, little is known about developmental shifts between kin and non-kin cooperation in humans. Using a cooperative game, we show that 3- to 10-year-old French schoolchildren cooperated less successfully with siblings than with non-kin children, whether or not non-kin partners were friends. Furthermore, children with larger social networks cooperated better and the perception of friendship among non-friends improved after cooperating. These results contrast with the well-established prefe

SUBMITTER: Barragan-Jason G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7893240 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature