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Cross-cultural variation in cooperation: A meta-analysis
Giuliana Spadaro1, Caroline Graf1, Shuxian Jin1
1Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|March 14, 2022
Summary
Impersonal cooperation is common across diverse societies, with little variation explained by cultural or institutional factors. This suggests that cooperation among strangers is a widespread human behavior, contrary to previous assumptions.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
- Cross-Cultural Psychology
Background:
- Impersonal cooperation among strangers is crucial for public goods.
- Factors like institutions, religion, and culture have been proposed to explain cooperation variations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To meta-analyze studies on impersonal cooperation across societies.
- To test hypotheses explaining cross-societal variations in cooperation.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a meta-analysis of 1,506 studies on impersonal cooperation in social dilemmas.
- Included data from 70 societies and replicated findings within the United States.
Main Results:
- Found minimal cross-societal variation in impersonal cooperation.
- Cultural, ancestral, and linguistic factors explained little to no variance in cooperation.
Conclusions:
- Impersonal cooperation is prevalent and similar across societies.
- Prior research may have overestimated differences in cooperation between modern societies.
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