Aggressive Mimicry and the Evolution of the Human Cognitive Niche

Human Nature • Vol/Iss. 34 • Springer Science+Business Media • • Published In • Pages: 456-475 •
By Moser, Cody J., Buckner, William, Sarian, Melina, Winking, Jeffrey

Abstract

This study explores the ways in which human deception has evolved using a sample of 145 societies from eHRAF. After noticing that most research has focused just on tactical deception on humans, this study delved into the categorization and prevalence of human aggressive mimicry. The authors suggest that deception evolved from the context of directing it toward prey. The presence of human aggressive mimicry supports that this is a near-universal cross-cultural practice among hunter-gatherers and the authors highlight the importance of further research on human-nonhuman interactions. The authors posit that this hypothesis could serve as a link between the Social Brain Hypothesis and the Foraging Brain Hypothesis.

Samples

Sample Used Coded Data Comment
eHRAF World CulturesResearcher's own145 cultures with information on aggressive mimicry when hunting.

Hypotheses (1)

HypothesisSupported
Human deception towards prey will be universal or nearly universal in hunting-gathering societies.Supported
Documents and Hypotheses Filed By: stefania.becerralavado