Spring 2013
Th 5:00-7:50; A224 Wells Hall
Group Processes
PSY 840-001
Instructor: Carlos David Navarrete
E-Mail: cdn@msu.edu
Phone: 517-432-8391
Office: 247 Psychology Bldg.
Office Hours: Th 3:30p-4:30p
Overview
This is a course in the behavioral science of groups. It is designed to guide
graduate students through a discussion of the cross-disciplinary study of the
nature and causes of human social behavior and cognition in groups. The
conceptual focus will be on the relevant social science literature in behavioral
economics, evolutionary biology and social psychology. We will discuss the
evolution, function, psychology, and strategic logic of how individuals
manage social relationships to achieve their objectives and fulfill their needs
in the context of the objectives and needs of others. Perhaps more than most
courses, this seminar is concerned with the "big questions” regarding human
social life in the context of group living. As such, we will analyze topics such
as family and friendship, sex and gender, cooperation and conflict, politics,
religion, and moralistic punishment within intra- and inter-group contexts.
TOPICS BY WEEK
Foundations of Human ProSociality in Groups
Course Themes and Goals
This seminar is designed to provide graduate students with exposure to
classical and emerging perspectives on the structure and function of group
processes. This course seeks to provide the conceptual tools to explore
fundamental behavioral science themes relevant to human social life in ways
that can be integrated with theory and research in evolutionary biology,
economics, anthropology and social psychology.
An important thread that unifies these disparate enterprises is the notion of
strategic logic of behavior. This way of viewing the world is informed by the
commonalities in analytical reasoning tools developed in theoretical biology
and economics as exemplified in what has come to be known as game theory.
This way of addressing intellectual problems commonly is becoming ever
more prevalent in the social sciences in recent years, and has the potential to
become a unifying principles bridging the natural and social sciences. This
powerful analytical perspective cuts to the core of the fundamental nature of
the human condition, and has the potential to unify various ways of thinking
about the world into a network of ideas and concepts with the potential to be
as intellectually satisfying as any explanation of the world coming from
physics or chemistry.
PSY 840-001
Week 1
Introduction to Game Theory
Week 2
Why do we live in groups? Herds,
aggregations and “real” groups
Week 3
Origins of Groups: Kin and Reciprocal
Altruism
Week 4
Economics of the Sexual Division of
Labor: Parental Investment and Sexual
Selection Theory
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Students will be challenges to reflect on the way they conduct their own
research in their specific areas in terms of broader “why” questions, and how
the perspectives discussed during seminars can be integrated (or not) with
their own working assumptions about why we are the way we are. Although
practical applications are an important component of the seminar, the
ultimate goal of this course, it might be argued, is to be as helpful as possible
to providing students the exposure to the ideas for building a meta-theoretical
framework for furthering their own research goals and aspirations.
Evaluation
Week 5
Levels of Selection and Pro-Sociality:
Strong Reciprocity or Individual SelfInterest?
Behavioral Economics in Group
and Intergroup Contexts
Grading evaluation is based on a midterm exam (25%), class participation
(40%), game theory exercises (%10), and a final paper (25%).
Exam & Term Paper
The midterm is a "take-home" exam composed of 8 short essay items. Test
items are posted on Angel in the 7th week, and responses are due via Angel
within 3 days.
The final term paper will be on a specific area relevant to your own research
interests. The paper will be written as a research proposal designed to test
hypotheses are informed by perspectives discussed in this seminar. The paper
should be written in the format of your discipline, and range from 8-12
double-spaced pages (excluding references). More details to follow.
Class Participation
Meetings are structured such that students lead discussion of the readings.
Each week, one to three students will serve as a “defense team,” presenting the
arguments and evidence for them while highlighting the strengths the
perspectives provided in the readings. One-to-three students serve as a
“prosecution team,” and raise concerns regarding weaknesses and problems
with the readings. Through this dialectic, students critically evaluate the logic,
clarity, and evidence for theories and hypotheses covered in the week’s
readings. This allows for learning reinforcement of the principles covered in
this course, and is necessary for necessary for the highest levels of engagement
of theory and research in the science of group processes.
In addition, students not serving on the prosecution or defense teams for that
week’s readings are required to submit one or two paragraphs of their
thoughts or initial impressions on this readings at least 12-hours before each
class meeting. The purpose of this exercise is to further encourage class
discussion and critical thinking about the readings. Students may be asked to
elaborate on his or her discussion thoughts/impressions with the class.
Week 6
Are Groups Rational? Expected Utility
Meets Prospect Theory
Week 7
Prisoners Dilemmas and Group
Dynamics: Solving the Free-Rider
Problem
Week 8
Midterm Exam
Week 9
Sex Differences and Similarities in
Economic Behavior
Week 10
Strong Reciprocity and Altruistic
Punishment: Self versus Other
Regarding Behavior
Week 11
Honest Signaling, Cheap Talk and ProSocial Behavior: Lies, Truth and
Financial Incentives for Both
Game Theory Exercises
There are bi-weekly homework assignments to help us through basic concepts
PSY 840-001
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in elementary game theory. These assignments are designed not for diagnostic
purposes, but for development. No formal mathematical training about the
level of basic algebra is required. More info TBA.
Social Psychology and Behavior in
Groups
READING SCHEDULE (TENTATIVE)
WEEK 1
Week 12
Social Facilitation and Cooperation
within Groups: Lift vs. Choking
Introduction to Game Theory
Tutorial available on Angel.
WEEK 2
Why do we live in groups? Herds, aggregations and “real” groups
Hamilton, W. D. (1971). "Geometry for the Selfish Herd". Journal of
Theoretical Biology 31.
Raafat, R. Chater, N, and Frith, C. (2009). Herding in humans. Trends in
Cognitive Sciences, 13(10), 420-428.
Week 13
Teamwork, Group Cohesion and
Conflict in Intra- and Inter-Group
Contexts
Week 14
Conflict Resolution Within and
Between Groups
Week 15
Morality and Social Norms
Lickel, B., Hamilton, D. L., & Sherman, S. J. (2001). Elements of a lay theory
of groups: Types of groups, relational styles, and the perception of group
entitativity. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 5, 129–140.
Moreland, R. L., Hogg, M. A., & Hains, S. C. (1994). Back to the future:
Social psychological research on groups. Journal of Experimental Social
Psychology, 30, 527-555.
WEEK 3
The Origins of Groups: Kin and Reciprocal Altruism
Hamilton, W.D. (1963). The evolution of altruistic behavior. The American
Naturalist, 97(896): 354-356.
Dawkins, R. (1979). Twelve misunderstanding of kin selection. Zeitschrift für
Tierpsychologie, 51, 184—200.
Lieberman, D., Tooby,J., & Cosmides, L. (1997). The architecture of human
kin detection. Nature, 445: 727-731.
Axelrod, R. & Hamilton, W.D. The evolution of cooperation, Science,
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211(4489):1390-1396.
Trivers, R. (1971). The evolution of reciprocal altruism. Quarterly Review of
Biology, 46: 35-57.
WEEK 4
Economics of the Sexual Division of Labor: Parental Investment and
Sexual Selection Theory
Trivers, R. L. (1972). Parental investment and sexual selection. In B.
Campbell (Ed.) Sexual selection and the descent of man, 1871-1971 (pp 136–179).
Chicago, Aldine.
Bird, R. (1999). Cooperation and conflict: the behavioral ecology of the sexual
division of labor. Evolutionary Anthropology. 8(2): 65-75.
Becker, G. (1985). Human Capital, Effort, and the Sexual Division of Labor.
Journal of Labor Economics, 3(1), 33-58.
Haselton, M.G. & Buss, D.M. (2000). Error management theory: A new
perspective on biases in cross-sex mind reading. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 78(1): 81-91.
Gangestad, S., Garver-Apgar, C., Simpson, J., & Cousin, A. (2007). Changes
in women’s mate preferences across the ovulatory cycle. Journal of Personality
& Social Psychology, 92(1): 151-163.
WEEK 5
Levels of Selection and Pro-Sociality: Strong Reciprocity or Individual
Self-Interest?
Dugatkin,L. (1997). The Evolution of Cooperation. BioScience, 47(6): 355-362.
Hagen, E. & Hammerstein, P. (2006). Game theory and human evolution: A
critique of some recent interpretations of experimental games. Theoretical
Population Biology, 69(3), 339–348.
Gintis, H. (2000). Strong reciprocity and human sociality. Journal of Theoretical
Biology. 206, 169-179.
Henrich, J.; McElreath, R.; Barr, A.; Ensminger, J.; Barrett, C.; Bolyanatz,
A.; Cardenas, J. C.; Gurven, M. et al. (2006). "Costly Punishment Across
Human Societies". Science 312 (5781): 1767–1770.
Henrich, J.; Ensminger, J.; McElreath, R.; Barr, A.; Barrett, C.; Bolyanatz,
A.; Cardenas, J. C.; Gurven, M. et al. (2010). "Markets, Religion, Community
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Size, and the Evolution of Fairness and Punishment". Science 327 (5972):
1480–1484.
Gintis, H.; Fehr, E. (2012). "The social structure of cooperation and
punishment". Behavioral and Brain Sciences 35 (1): 28–29.
Bowles, S.; Boyd, R.; Mathew, S.; Richerson, P. J. (2012). "The punishment
that sustains cooperation is often coordinated and costly". Behavioral and Brain
Sciences 35 (1): 20–21
WEEK 6
Are Groups Rational? Expected Utility Meets Prospect Theory
TBA
WEEK 7
Prisoners Dilemmas and Group Dynamics: Solving the Free-Rider Problem
TBA
WEEK 8
Midterm Exam – No readings
WEEK 9
Sex Differences and Similarities in Economic Behavior
TBA
WEEK 10
Strong Reciprocity and Altruistic Punishment: Self versus Other Regarding
Behavior
TBA
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Week 11
Honest Signaling, Cheap Talk and Pro-Social Behavior: Lies, Truth and
Financial Incentives for Both
TBA
WEEK 12 - Social Facilitation and Social Pressure: Stereotype Lift vs.
Choking
Blascovich, Jim; Mendes, Wendy Berry; Hunter, Sarah B; & Salomon,
Kristen (2003). Social "facilitation" as challenge and threat. Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology. Jul; Vol 77(1): 68-77.
Wallace, H., Baumeister, R., & Vohs, K. D., (2005). Audience support and
choking under pressure: A home disadvantage? Journal of Sports Sciences, 23(4),
429-438.
Groff, B. D., Robert S. Baron, Danny L. Moore (1983). Distraction,
attentional conflict, and drive-like behavior. Journal of Experimental Social
Psychology, Volume 19, Issue 4, July 1983, 359-380.
Johnson, H, Barnard-Brak, L., Saxon, T., & Johnson, M. (2012). An
Experimental Study of the Effects of Stereotype Threat and Stereotype Lift on
Men and Women's Performance in Mathematics, The Journal of Experimental
Education, Vol. 80(2).
WEEK 13
Teamwork, Group Cohesion and Conflict in Intra- and Inter-Group
Contexts
TBA
WEEK 14
Conflict Resolution Within and Between Groups
TBA
WEEK 15
Morality and Group Norms
Haidt, J. (2007). The new synthesis in moral psychology. Science, 316: 998PSY 840-001
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1002.
Boyer, P. (2008). Religion: Bound to believe? Nature, 455: 1038-1039.
Hauser, M., Cushman, F., Young, L., Jin, K., Mikhail, J. (2007). A
Dissociation Between Moral Judgments and Justifications. Mind & Language,
22: 1-22.
Cohen, R., Montoya, R., & Insko, C. (2006). Group Morality and Intergroup
Relations: Cross-Cultural and Experimental Evidence. Personality & Social
Psychology Bulletin, 32(11).
Galen, L. W. (2012). Does religious belief promote prosociality? A critical
examination. Psychological Bulletin, 13.
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