Human Evolutionary Biology 1329 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7&9: Reciprocal Altruism, Phylogenetic Tree, Handicap Principle
4 Feb 2014
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Notes for 11/29: gpp7: testing the bond. Male baboons: cooperative relationships that involve agg alliances and mutual support in fights. commitment problem. solution: fondle each other"s testicles. Handicap principle: most effect way to obtain reliable information about a partner"s commitment in a relationship is to impose a cost on the partner and assess the partner"s willingness to pay it. Attack in pairs or gangs. to fight other males. Highly promiscuous. mate with as many females and often. Large testicles for body size and can ejaculate 10-15 times a day. Lower ranking team up, one fights, one fucks, to get female. then switch. reciprocal altruism. Also want good political allies and high ranking. Testicle grab: a greeting. could be incomplete. takes a huge risk. work only if both committed to being friendly. Cooperative relationships between nonkin are intrinsically less stable. important to test the bond and assess partner"s commitment.
