Title |
Inter-Group Conflict and Cooperation: Field Experiments Before, During and After Sectarian Riots in Northern Ireland
|
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Published in |
Frontiers in Psychology, November 2015
|
DOI | 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01790 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Antonio S. Silva, Ruth Mace |
Abstract |
The idea that cooperative groups out-compete less cooperative groups has been proposed as a theoretical possibility for the evolution of cooperation through cultural group selection. Previous studies have found an association between increased cooperation and exposure to inter-group violence, but most have not been able to identify the specific target of cooperation and are based on correlational data making it difficult to establish causality. In this study we test the hypothesis that inter-group conflict promotes parochial altruism (i.e., in-group altruism and out-group hostility) by using longitudinal data of a real-world measure of cooperation-charity and school donations-sampled before, during and after violent sectarian riots between Catholics and Protestants in Belfast, Northern Ireland. We find that conflict is associated with reductions in all types of cooperation, with reduced donations to a neutral charity, and both in-group and out-group primary schools. After the conflict, both in-group and out-group donations increased again. In this context we find no evidence that inter-group conflict promotes parochial altruism. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United Kingdom | 7 | 41% |
Denmark | 2 | 12% |
Germany | 1 | 6% |
Switzerland | 1 | 6% |
United States | 1 | 6% |
France | 1 | 6% |
Unknown | 4 | 24% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 10 | 59% |
Scientists | 6 | 35% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 6% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 3 | 5% |
Netherlands | 1 | 2% |
Unknown | 53 | 93% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 13 | 23% |
Student > Bachelor | 8 | 14% |
Student > Master | 8 | 14% |
Researcher | 6 | 11% |
Student > Postgraduate | 5 | 9% |
Other | 6 | 11% |
Unknown | 11 | 19% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Social Sciences | 14 | 25% |
Psychology | 13 | 23% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 9 | 16% |
Economics, Econometrics and Finance | 3 | 5% |
Arts and Humanities | 2 | 4% |
Other | 5 | 9% |
Unknown | 11 | 19% |