The Evolutionary Roots of Social Comparison

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Julia Fischer
• Subject Area: Social Psychology, Industrial and Organisational Psychology
• Term: from 2014 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 246329797

Social comparison processes are a fundamental characteristic of human behavior, and the underlying psychological mechanisms and processes have been intensively investigated in the last decades. Yet, until now, relatively little is known about the evolutionary foundations of social comparisons. Do non-human animals also engage in self-other comparisons or are these extensive social comparisons restricted to humans? Studies on non-human primates indicate that animals may be sensitive to the actions of others and adjust their responses. Chimpanzees and capuchin monkeys, for example, refuse to participate in experiments, if a partner animal is receiving better rewards for the same task. Crows and ravens also show this `inequity aversion¿. These studies suggest that there may be an evolutionary basis for social comparisons, but until now the underlying mechanisms have never been explored systematically. In an attempt to fill this important gap in understanding, the present project aims to elucidate the evolutionary roots of social comparisons. We will adopt a comparative approach and combine experimental paradigms from social psychology with animal behavior research methods. Specifically, in an analogy to classic research on social comparison processes in humans, we will examine how the performance of a partner influences subjects¿ performance behavior in monkeys (long-tailed macaques, Macaca fascicularis) and birds (carrion crows, Corvus corone). These species are particularly skilled at social tasks and thus ideally suited for our comparative research endeavor. More specifically, to examine whether specific features of social comparisons are already evident in non-human animals, we will use classic paradigms that have been developed to examine the underlying mechanisms of social comparisons in humans. Using parallel performances on touch-screen setups, we will investigate whether social comparisons in monkeys and birds are influenced by the relative difference between the subject¿s and the co-actor¿s performance as well as the personal relationship between them (Line 1), the social status of the subject within its group (Line 2) as well as prior priming procedures to shift the focus to similarity or dissimilarity features, respectively (Line 3). To validate the comparative approach we will conduct the experiments of Line 1 and 3 with human participants, too. Furthermore, experiments of Line 2 are in close collaboration to P7 reflecting our ambition to strive for a truly interdisciplinary approach.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 2150: Relativity in Social Cognition: Antecedents and Consequences of Comparative Thinking
• International Connection: Austria
• Participating Persons: Professor Dr. Thomas Bugnyar; Professor Dr. Thomas Mussweiler