Generosity as a by-product of selection for reciprocity
A new article entitled "Evolution of direct reciprocity under uncertainty can explain human generosity in one-shot encounters" by Andrew W. Deltona, Max M. Krasnowa, Leda Cosmides and John Tooby (Published online in PNAS, 25 July 2011) suggests that 'generosity', the fact that we ...
Polemics on Evolutionary Psychology
In PLoS Biology (July 19, 2011) a polemical article entitled “Darwin in Mind: New Opportunities for Evolutionary Psychology” by Johan J. Bolhuis, Gillian R. Brown, Robert C. Richardson, and Kevin N. Laland criticising ‘Santa Barbara’ (i.e., Cosmides and Tooby’s) ...
Framing, defaults, trust
Framing Effects, Default Effects, and Trust (paper here)
Craig R. M. McKenzie (UC San Diego), Michael J. Liersch (New York University), Shlomi Sher (UC San Diego)
Framing effects and default effects are often seen as examples of inconsistent preferences and are usually explained in purely ...
The Knowledge Commons: Research and Innovation in an Unequal World
The St Antony's International Review (a peer-reviewed, academic journal established by graduate members of St Antony's College at the University of Oxford) is publishing a 'Call for Papers':
"The problem of common-pool management is an ancient and enduring question in public ...
Modularity and decision making
Modularity & Decision Making (paper here)
Robert Kurzban University of Pennsylvania & Chapman University
Mechanisms that are useful are often specialized because of the efficiency gains that derive from specialization. This principle is in evidence in the domain of tools, artificial ...
Snipe hunters of preys with low epistemic vigilance
What weapon would you use to hunt a dahu? Where would you start looking for a Volkswagen Beetle radiator hose? Does elbow grease come in cans or tubes? You shouldn’t even begin thinking about these questions because they are just introductions into elaborate hoaxes. Dahus are fictional deers ...