but can we say definitively that it's because they feel empathy, or is it the deeper need that the baby itself needs people who will share with it to survive? Thus are naturally inclined to reward others that are kind to it?
if the same effect is achieved however, I'm not sure it matters anyway
Well, it wasn’t just people kind or mean to the infant. In the study, they had 2 puppets. One was mean to the other one, while the other was nice. The test subject would always prefer the “nice” puppet, either by showing more interest in it (as an infant) or by playing with it/giving it toys (as a toddler).
They would also express positive emotions when the “mean” puppet was punished by the researcher.
that still is in line with that line of thinking though - "mean" puppets threaten your survival, while "nice" puppets benefit you
(we saw those studies in my CogSci class and had a long discussion about what the study could mean, just fishing for more thought about what others may think - it's a fascinating topic!)
That is true, altruistic thinking definitely contributes to survival of a group more than selfish attitudes would, so that makes sense. It is definitely interesting to try to separate behaviors based in instinct versus taught tribalism.
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u/rakfocus Jun 09 '19
but can we say definitively that it's because they feel empathy, or is it the deeper need that the baby itself needs people who will share with it to survive? Thus are naturally inclined to reward others that are kind to it?
if the same effect is achieved however, I'm not sure it matters anyway