The social learning and development of intra- and inter-ethnic sharing norms in the Congo Basin: A registered report protocol

Abstract

Compared to other species, the extent of human cooperation is unparalleled. Such cooperation is coordinated between community members via social norms. Developmental research has demonstrated that very young children are sensitive to social norms, and that social norms are internalized by middle childhood. Most research on social norm acquisition has focused on norms that modulated intra-group cooperation. Yet around the world, multi-ethnic communities also cooperate, and this cooperation is often shaped by distinct inter-group social norms. In the present study, we will investigate whether inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic social norm acquisition follows the same, or distinct, developmental trajectories. Specifically, we will work with BaYaka foragers and Bandongo fisher-farmers who inhabit multi-ethnic villages in the Republic of the Congo. In these villages, inter-ethnic cooperation is regulated by sharing norms. Through interviews with adult participants, we will provide the first descriptive account of the timing and mechanism by which BaYaka and Bandongo learn to share with out-group members. Children (5–17 years) and adults (17+ years) will also participate in a modified Dictator Game to investigate the developmental trajectories of children’s intra- and inter-ethnic sharing choices. Based on our ethnographic knowledge of the participating communities, we predict that children’s intra-ethnic sharing choices in the Dictator Game will match those of adults at an earlier age than their inter-ethnic sharing choices. We will analyze our data using logistic Bayesian modelling.

Dyadic inter-group cooperation in shotgun hunting activities in a Congo Basin village

“…Lewis, 2002;Takeuchi, 2014). Our work among the BaYaka and Bantu-speaking peoples in the Motaba River region of the Republic of the Congo, where the current study was conducted, has also shown that inter-group cooperation is further stabilised by shared norms of exchange, despite otherwise contrasting cultural norms regarding cooperation and resource sharing, and individual differences in goals and obligations (Jang & Boyette, 2021;Kandza et al, 2023;Pope-Caldwell et al, 2022).…”

Intergroup Cooperation in Shotgun Hunting Among BaYaka Foragers and Yambe Farmers from the Republic of the Congo

“…In our future work, we hope to track a range of dynamic variables which may further help or hinder intergroup cooperation. First, we need to better understand how the cultural institutions that regulate intergroup cooperation are transmitted from one generation to the next (Bombjaková, 2018;Bunce & McElreath, 2017;Pope-Caldwell, Lew-Levy, et al, 2022). Specifically, it would be interesting to investigate whether success biases play a role in the spread of hiding kills or cartridges and other behaviors which lead to higher payoffs for BaYaka (McElreath et al, 2003).…”

Creating shared goals and experiences as a pathway to peace

“…Group identification may be based on physical features such as proximity, residence, or relatedness, or social structures such as band or clan membership, indicated through dress or decoration. The capacity to identify ourselves and others as members of social groups that share certain properties allows us to interact with strangers not just as strangers; instead, we can base our treatment of them on their group membership and expect them to do the same in return (Lew- Levy, Lavi, Reckin, Cristóbal-Azkarate, & Ellis-Davies, 2018;McElreath, Boyd, & Richerson, 2003;Pope-Caldwell et al, 2022). Once norms governing relationships with out-groups are in place for both interacting groups, individuals can be reasonably confident about how they will be treated by members of the other group and able to calculate whether the interaction will be positive.…”