Altruism and Reproductive Limitations
Document Type
Article
Subject Area(s)
psychology, social sciences
Abstract
We examined how different types of reproductive limitations — functional (schizoid personality disorder and schizophrenia), physical (malnutrition), and sexual (bisexuality and homosexuality) — influenced altruistic intentions toward hypothetical target individuals of differing degrees of relatedness (r = 0, .25, and .50). Participants were 312 undergraduate students who completed a questionnaire on altruism toward hypothetical friends, half-siblings, and siblings with these different types of reproductive limitations. Genetic relatedness and reproductive limitations did not influence altruistic decision-making when the cost of altruism was low but did as the cost of altruismincreased, with participants being more likely to help a sibling over a half-sibling and a half-sibling over a friend. Participants also indicated they were more likely to help a healthy (control) person over people with a reproductive limitation. Of the three types of reproductive limitations, functional limitations had the strongest effect on altruistic decision-making, indicating that people were less likely to help those who exhibit abnormal social behavior.
Publication Info
Published in Evolutionary Psychology, Volume 7, Issue 2, 2009, pages 234-252.
© Author(s). Published by Sage Publishing in Evolutionary Psychology.
Fitzgerald, C. J., & Colarelli, S. M. (2009). Altruism and reproductive limitations. Evolutionary Psychology, 7, 234-252. https://doi.org/10.1177/147470490900700207
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