Third-party punishment by preverbal infants

Yasuhiro Kanakogi (), Michiko Miyazaki, Hideyuki Takahashi, Hiroki Yamamoto, Tessei Kobayashi and Kazuo Hiraki
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Yasuhiro Kanakogi: Osaka University
Michiko Miyazaki: Otsuma Women’s University
Hideyuki Takahashi: Osaka University
Hiroki Yamamoto: Osaka University
Tessei Kobayashi: NTT Communication Science Laboratories
Kazuo Hiraki: The University of Tokyo

Nature Human Behaviour, 2022, vol. 6, issue 9, 1234-1242

Abstract: Abstract Third-party punishment of antisocial others is unique to humans and seems to be universal across cultures. However, its emergence in ontogeny remains unknown. We developed a participatory cognitive paradigm using gaze-contingency techniques, in which infants can use their gaze to affect agents displayed on a monitor. In this paradigm, fixation on an agent triggers the event of a stone crushing the agent. Throughout five experiments (total N = 120), we show that eight-month-old infants punished antisocial others. Specifically, infants increased their selective looks at the aggressor after watching aggressive interactions. Additionally, three control experiments excluded alternative interpretations of their selective gaze, suggesting that punishment-related decision-making influenced looking behaviour. These findings indicate that a disposition for third-party punishment of antisocial others emerges in early infancy and emphasize the importance of third-party punishment for human cooperation. This behavioural tendency may be a human trait acquired over the course of evolution.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41562-022-01354-2

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