Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Altruism towards cousins.

Joonghwan Jeon1, David M Buss

  • 1Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station A8000, Austin, TX 78712, USA. joonghwan@mail.utexas.edu

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|March 1, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Do romantic relationships matter more to men than to women? An evolutionary psychology perspective.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
Same author

Sex Biases in Patterns of Parental Investment.

Human nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.)·2026
Same author

Evolutionary psychology hypotheses are testable and falsifiable.

The American psychologist·2026
Same author

Beyond falsifiability: Evolutionary psychology's many theoretical strengths-Reply to Geary (2026) and Moore (2026).

The American psychologist·2026
Same author

Hierarchy Navigation : Individual Differences in Tactics, Strategies, and Traits.

Human nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.)·2025
Same author

Status-impact assessment: is accuracy linked with status motivations?

Evolutionary human sciences·2023
Same journal

Chronic limb loading results in remarkable load carriage economy in growing fowl.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Motion-from-structure in face perception: expectations of natural face motion depend on face shape.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Unification and generalization of models of zygote survival.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Phenological type- and diameter-dependent effects of individual light availability and interannual climate variation on tree growth.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Interaction range of common goods shapes Black Queen dynamics beyond the cheater-cooperator narrative.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Stingray spine diversity reflects performance trade-offs linked to puncture and breakability.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
See all related articles

People show more altruism towards maternal cousins due to paternity uncertainty. This study confirms psychological adaptations for cousin altruism, prioritizing mother's sister's children over father's brother's children.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary psychology
  • Behavioral ecology
  • Human social behavior

Background:

  • Kin investment research indicates a matrilateral bias linked to paternity uncertainty.
  • Kin altruism extends beyond investment, suggesting evolved psychological mechanisms for cousin-directed aid.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the hypothesis that psychological adaptations regulate cousin altruism based on paternity uncertainty.
  • To predict and empirically validate differential altruistic tendencies towards various cousin categories.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a formal mathematical model predicting altruism levels towards different cousin types.
  • Conducted an empirical study with 195 participants assessing expressed altruistic proclivities.
  • Measured psychological variables: emotional closeness, empathic concern, and contact frequency.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Empirical findings confirmed the model's predictions regarding altruism hierarchy.
  • Participants showed highest altruism towards mother's sister's (MoSis) children, followed by mother's brother's (MoBro), father's sister's (FaSis), and father's brother's (FaBro) children.
  • Emotional closeness, empathy, and contact frequency mirrored this altruism pattern.

Conclusions:

  • Results support the existence of cousin-specific psychological adaptations sensitive to paternity uncertainty.
  • Evolved mechanisms appear to modulate altruism based on the reliability of kinship, particularly concerning paternal certainty.