Doctoral Disseration Research: Population Structure and Large-Scale Cooperation in Pohang, South Korea

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University of Washington doctoral student Jun-Hong Kim, under the supervision of Dr. Darryl J. Holman, will undertake research to examine the structure of large-scale cooperation and to test the hypotheses derived from cultural group selection theory. In order to explain cooperation beyond household members and explain the creation of public goods, the peculiarities unique to human culture must be explored. Humans uphold cultural norms and have developed sanctions for those who do not follow them, or for those who take advantage of altruistic behaviors in others. Cultural group selection theory incorporates these "moral sentiments" in explaining between-group differences of social norms and cooperativeness. The research is important both to cultural evolutionary theory and to more general understandings of how human beings cooperate.Kim's research will be carried out in Pohang, South Korea among high school students. The project has four aims: (1) test whether social support (from family, school and so on) is important to adolescents' motivation for helping others; (2) test whether prosocial individuals preferentially tend to befriend other prosocial individuals; (3) test whether an individual's prosociality and preferential association are linked with neighborhood quality; and (4) test whether a neighborhood with high "social" qualities contains more individuals who will sanction norm violators. Kim will collect data using mixed methods, including surveys, semi-structured interviews, ethnographic observations and experimental games. Insights from this study can potentially be applied to neighborhood projects that enhance the quality of life for children and adolescents. Funding this research also supports the education of a graduate student.