Cooperation and Social Decisions Group

Our research explores the cooperative behaviour of human and non-human great apes. Which psychological mechanisms support cooperative interactions in human and non-human great apes?

Our research investigates the cooperative tendencies and skills of human and non-human primates. Is human cooperation fundamentally different from that of other animals? What are the similarities and differences in the cooperative abilities of non-human and human great apes? How do cooperative abilities develop in children? To what extent is cooperation dependent on specific cognitive skills, communication and culture?

By studying the cooperative tendencies and skills of chimpanzees, complemented with studies of young children and human adults, our goal is to gain insight into the evolutionary and developmental roots of human cooperation and prosociality.