Richard Mcelreath

Publication List Details

Period

2001 - 2009

Number

62

Co-Authors

When natural selection favors imitation of parents (2008)

McElreath, Richard, Strimling, Pontus

It is commonly assumed that parents are important sources of socially learned behavior and beliefs. However, the empirical evidence that parents are cultural models is ambiguous, and debates continue...

When natural selection favors imitation of parents (2008)

McElreath, Richard, Strimling, Pontus

It is commonly assumed that parents are important sources of socially learned behavior and beliefs. However, the empirical evidence that parents are cultural models is ambiguous, and debates continue...

New methods in quantitative ethnography: economic experiments and variation in the price of equality (2007)

McElreath, Richard, Efferson, Charles; Takezawa, Masanori

A new method for quantitatively documenting concerns for economic fairness has the potential for identifying variation in prosociality within and across societies. Multiple dictator games conducted...

New methods in quantitative ethnography: economic experiments and variation in the price of equality (2007)

McElreath, Richard, Efferson, Charles; Takezawa, Masanori

A new method for quantitatively documenting concerns for economic fairness has the potential for identifying variation in prosociality within and across societies. Multiple dictator games conducted...

A Naturalistic Approach to the Theory of the Firm : The Role of Cooperation and Cultural Evolution (2006)

Cordes, Christian, Richerson, Peter J., McElreath, Richard, Strimling, Pontus

One reason why firms exist, this paper argues, is because they are suitable organizations within which cooperative production systems based on human social predispositions can evolve. In addition, we...

How Does Opportunistic Behavior Influence Firm Size? (2006)

Cordes, Christian, Richerson, Peter J., McElreath, Richard, Strimling, Pontus

This paper relates firm size and opportunism by showing that, given certain behavioral dispositions of humans, the size of a profit-maximizing firm can be determined by cognitive aspects underlying...

“Economic man” in cross-cultural perspective: Behavioral experiments in 15 small-scale societies (2005)

Henrich, Joseph, Boyd, Robert, Bowles, Samuel, Camerer, Colin, Fehr, Ernst, Gintis, Herbert, ...

Researchers from across the social sciences have found consistent deviations from the predictions of the canonical model of self-interest in hundreds of experiments from around the world. This...

Economic man in cross-cultural perspective: behavioral experiments in 15 small-scale societies (2005)

McElreath, Richard

Since "Selfishness examined . . ." (Caporael et al. 1989) appeared in these pages, more than 15 years ago, many additional experiments have strongly confirmed the doubts expressed by Caporael and her...

Economic man in cross-cultural perspective: behavioral experiments in 15 small-scale societies (2005)

McElreath, Richard

Since "Selfishness examined . . ." (Caporael et al. 1989) appeared in these pages, more than 15 years ago, many additional experiments have strongly confirmed the doubts expressed by Caporael and her...

Social learning and the maintenance of cultural variation: an evolutionary model and data from East Africa (2004)

McElreath, Richard

Human societies maintain between-group variation despite mixing of people and ideas. In order for variation to remain, migrants or their children must preferentially adopt local norms, customs, and...

Social learning and the maintenance of cultural variation: an evolutionary model and data from East Africa (2004)

McElreath, Richard

Human societies maintain between-group variation despite mixing of people and ideas. In order for variation to remain, migrants or their children must preferentially adopt local norms, customs, and...

Shared norms and the evolution of ethnic markers (2003)

McElreath, Richard, Boyd, Robert;, Richerson, Peter J.

Unlike other primates, human populations are often divided into ethnic groups that have self-ascribed membership and are marked by seemingly arbitrary traits such as distinctive styles of dress or...

Shared norms and the evolution of ethnic markers (2003)

McElreath, Richard, Boyd, Robert;, Richerson, Peter J.

Unlike other primates, human populations are often divided into ethnic groups that have self-ascribed membership and are marked by seemingly arbitrary traits such as distinctive styles of dress or...

Are peasants risk-averse decision makers? (2002)

McElreath, Richard, Henrich, Joseph

For decades, researchers studying small-scale, subsistence-oriented farmers have sought to explain why these "peasants" seem slow to acquire new technologies, novel agricultural practices, and new...

Are peasants risk-averse decision makers? (2002)

McElreath, Richard, Henrich, Joseph

For decades, researchers studying small-scale, subsistence-oriented farmers have sought to explain why these "peasants" seem slow to acquire new technologies, novel agricultural practices, and new...

In search of Homo economicus: Behavioral experiments in 15 small-scale societies (2001)

Henrich, Joseph, Boyd, Robert, Bowles, Samuel, Camerer, Colin F., Fehr, Ernst, Gintis, Herbert, ...

We can summarize our results as follows. First, the canonical model is not supported in any society studied. Second, there is considerably more behavioral variability across groups than had been...

In search of Homo economicus: Behavioral experiments in 15 small-scale societies (2001)

Henrich, Joseph, Boyd, Robert, Bowles, Samuel, Camerer, Colin F., Fehr, Ernst, Gintis, Herbert, ...

We can summarize our results as follows. First, the canonical model is not supported in any society studied. Second, there is considerably more behavioral variability across groups than had been...

Can females gain additional paternal investment by mating with multiple males? a game theoretic approach (2001)

McElreath, Richard, Soltis, Joseph

Although females may require only one mating to become inseminated, many female animals engage in costly mating with multiple males. One potential benefit of polyandrous mating is gaining parental...

In search of homo economicus: behavioral experiments in 15 small scale societies (2001)

McElreath, Richard

Recent investigations have uncovered large, consistent deviations from the predictions of the textbook representation of Homo economicus One problem appears to lie in economists' canonical assumption...

In Search of Homo Economicus: Behavioral Experiments in 15 Small-Scale Societies (2001)

Joseph Henrich, Robert Boyd, Samuel Bowles, Colin Camerer, Ernst Fehr, Herbert Gintis, ...

Recent investigations have uncovered large, consistent deviations from the predictions of the textbook representation of Homo economicus (Alvin E. Roth et al., 1991; Ernst Fehr and Simon Gächter,...

Can females gain additional paternal investment by mating with multiple males? a game theoretic approach (2001)

McElreath, Richard, Soltis, Joseph

Although females may require only one mating to become inseminated, many female animals engage in costly mating with multiple males. One potential benefit of polyandrous mating is gaining parental...

In search of homo economicus: behavioral experiments in 15 small scale societies (2001)

McElreath, Richard

Recent investigations have uncovered large, consistent deviations from the predictions of the textbook representation of Homo economicus One problem appears to lie in economists' canonical assumption...

Models and Anti-Models: The Structure of Payoff-Dependent Social Learning

Charles Efferson, Rafael Lalive, Richard McElreath, Mark Lubell

We conducted an experiment to describe how social learners use information about the relation between payoffs and behavior. Players chose between two technologies repeatedly. Payoffs were random, but...

Conformity and Indifference: The Structure of Frequency-Dependent Social Learning

Charles Efferson, Rafael Lalive, Richard McElreath, Mark Lubell

We conducted an experiment to describe precisely how social learners use information about the distribution of behaviors in a relevant social group. Players chose between two technologies repeatedly....

Economic Man in Cross-Cultural Perspective: Behavioral Experiments in Fifteen Small-Scale Societies

Joseph Henrich, Robert Boyd, Samuel Bowles, Colin Camerer, Ernst Fehr, Herbert Gintis, ...

Experimental behavioral scientists have found consistent deviations from the predictions of the canonical model of self-interest in over a hundred experiments from around the world. Prior research...

Cooperation, Reciprocity and Punishment in Fifteen Small-scale Societies

Joseph Henrich, Robert Boyd, Samuel Bowles, Colin Camerer, Ernst Fehr, Herbert Gintis, ...

Recent investigations have uncovered large, consistent deviations from the predictions of the textbook representation of Homo Economicus: in addition to their own material payoffs, many experimental...

Egalitarian Punishment in Humans

James H. Fowler, Tim Johnson, Richard McElreath, Oleg Smirnov

Participants in laboratory public goods games are often willing to decrease the earnings of others at a cost to themselves. What motivates this behaviour is unclear: in the conventional public goods...

Inequality Reduces Punishment-Induced Cooperation in Humans

James Fowler, Tim Johnson, Richard McElreath, Oleg Smirnov

Humans often cooperate, voluntarily paying an individual cost to supply a benefit to others. Public good experiments show that punishment induces a high level of cooperation, even when it is costly...

How Does Opportunistic Behavior Influence Firm Size?

Christian Cordes, Peter J. Richerson, Richard McElreath, Pontus Strimling

This paper relates firm size and opportunism by showing that, given certain behavioral dispositions of humans, the size of a profit-maximizing firm can be determined by cognitive aspects underlying...

More ‘altruistic’ punishment in larger societies

Marlowe, Frank W, Berbesque, J. Colette, Barr, Abigail, Barrett, Clark, Bolyanatz, Alexander, Cardenas, Juan Camilo, ...

If individuals will cooperate with cooperators, and punish non-cooperators even at a cost to themselves, then this strong reciprocity could minimize the cheating that undermines cooperation. Based...

Homo Aequalis: A Cross-Society Experimental Analysis of Three Bargaining Games

Abigail Barr, Chris Wallace, Jean Ensminger, Joseph Henrich, Clark Barrett, Alexander Bolyanatz, ...

Data from three bargaining games - the Dictator Game, the Ultimatum Game, and the Third-Party Punishment Game - played in 15 societies are presented. The societies range from US undergraduates to...

The role of egalitarian motives in altruistic punishment

Johnson, Tim, Dawes, Christopher T., Fowler, James H., McElreath, Richard, Smirnov, Oleg

We conduct experiments in which subjects participate in both a game that measures preferences for income equality and a public goods game involving costly punishment. The results indicate that...

Beyond existence and aiming outside the laboratory: estimating frequency-dependent and pay-off-biased social learning strategies

McElreath, Richard, Bell, Adrian V, Efferson, Charles, Lubell, Mark, Richerson, Peter J, Waring, Timothy

The existence of social learning has been confirmed in diverse taxa, from apes to guppies. In order to advance our understanding of the consequences of social transmission and evolution of behaviour,...