Graduate student Carl W. McCabe, supervised by Dr. Bruce Winterhalder, will investigate the phenomenon of cooperation in the daily lives of marketplace vendors in Beijing, China. Cooperation in large groups of non-kin is among the most distinctive behaviors exhibited by the human species. However, large disagreements remain across the social sciences about how best to account for such forms of human sociality.
The researcher will investigate and assess both theoretical models and methods used to study cooperative behaviors. The models to be investigated are Kin Selection, Reciprocal Altruism, a Rational-Choice-Based model of Equilibrating Relationships, and Cultural Group Selection. Each model makes predictions about the contextual information that individuals attune to when they make decisions about cooperation. Using ethnographic interviews and observations as well as experimental economic games, McCabe will record data on patterns of cooperation in the daily lives of individuals in a Beijing marketplace. Interviews and observations will focus on recording patterns of cooperation and associated social relationships. These methods will also be used to determine if individuals pay attention to forms of contextual information as predicted by theoretical models. Experimental economic games will produce a data set that is cross-culturally comparable with other recent research on cooperation. By collecting both ethnographic data and results of experimental economic games, McCabe will also be able to assess how well the experimental game methodology is a reflection of individual behaviors outside of such controlled settings.
Understanding how and when individuals do or do not cooperate is significant for understanding cultural evolution and for economic development policy. The research also will contribute significantly to the education of a social scientist.
