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SUMMARY:Detecting reliable nonverbal and paralinguistic signals of coopera
 tiveness in strangers - William Brown (Brunel University\, London)
DTSTART:20081029T123000Z
DTEND:20081029T133000Z
UID:TALK13888@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Diane Pearce
DESCRIPTION:Altruist detection is a critical component of adaptive coopera
 tion: if genuinely altruistic individuals are detectable\, then defectors 
 can be avoided and cooperation can more easily evolve. This study investig
 ated whether genuine altruistic dispositions are detectable solely from bi
 ological motion and vocal signals. Thirty males\, who were pre-assessed us
 ing implicit and explicit measures of altruistic disposition\, moved boxes
  in two conditions: for personal benefit (earning £1 per box moved)\, and
  for a stranger's benefit (who received £1 per box moved). The payoff str
 ucture was designed to encourage selfish and unselfish behaviour in the re
 spective conditions. In order to isolate biological motion signals from ot
 her signaller characteristics (e.g. attractiveness\, identity etc.) motion
 -capture technology was utilised: seven motion capture cameras recorded th
 ree-dimensional movement of 40 reflective markers placed on the box mover'
 s head and body. Caloric expenditure during box lifting was measured using
  an energy expenditure monitor. Evaluators\, blind to cooperative disposit
 ion of signaller\, rated gait motions of more genuinely altruistic individ
 uals as more "unselfish". In a second study the voices of males and female
 s pre-screened for level of altruism were recorded and band-pass filtered 
 to test if altruist-detection from voice was possible. Evaluators were acc
 urate at detecting altruism level from signallers' vocalisations. More alt
 ruistic females had higher pitched voices than less altruistic females. Th
 e reverse was marginally the case for males. These results are the first u
 nequivocal demonstration that genuine altruism is detectable solely from n
 onverbal and paralinguistic signals.
LOCATION:Library\, Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour
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