Third-party punishment by preverbal infants.
Yasuhiro Kanakogi1, Michiko Miyazaki2, Hideyuki Takahashi3
1Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan. y-kanakogi@hus.osaka-u.ac.jp.
Nature Human Behaviour
|June 10, 2022
Summary
Eight-month-old infants demonstrate a capacity for third-party punishment, selectively gazing at aggressors after witnessing antisocial acts. This early emergence suggests a foundational role for punishment in human cooperation.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Evolutionary Anthropology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Third-party punishment of antisocial behavior is a uniquely human trait observed across cultures.
- The developmental origins and ontogeny of this behavior in early infancy are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the emergence of third-party punishment in human infants.
- To determine if infants exhibit punishment-related decision-making towards antisocial agents.
Main Methods:
- A participatory cognitive paradigm using gaze-contingency techniques was employed.
- Infants' gaze directed at agents on a monitor triggered events, such as a stone crushing an agent.
- Five experiments with 120 infants (eight months old) were conducted, including three control experiments.
Main Results:
- Eight-month-old infants selectively increased their gaze towards an aggressor after observing antisocial interactions.
- Control experiments ruled out alternative explanations for the observed gaze behavior.
- Findings suggest that punishment-related decision-making influenced infant looking behavior.
Conclusions:
- A disposition for third-party punishment emerges in early infancy.
- Third-party punishment plays a crucial role in the development of human cooperation.
- This behavioral tendency may represent an evolutionarily acquired human trait.
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