The effect of prenatal stress on cooperation: Evidence from violent conflict in Uganda

Cecchi, Francesco; Duchoslav, Jan

doi:10.1016/j.euroecorev.2017.09.015

Cited by 20 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 87 publications

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“…First, we note that the relationship between testosterone exposure and social preferences appears complex. Whereas Buser (2012) and Cecchi and Duchoslav (2018) report that public good game contributions are lower for L DR types (in line with the hypothesis that high-testosterone types are less cooperative), Brañas-Garza et al (2013) and Galizzi and Nieboer (2015) find that dictator game giving is significantly lower for those with H and L DR, compared to those with average DR. Brañas-Garza et al (2019) find no direct correlation between DR and dictator game giving, fairness or trust. In contrast, studies on risk taking present a more harmonious set of findings.…”

Section: Dr and Competitive Behaviorsupporting

confidence: 54%

“…The nature of the competition, in turn, may also attract or favor the survival of certain types. Having a type suited to a particular competitive environment may be so important as to be part of human adaptive machinery: Cecchi and Duchoslav (2018) show that the exposure of pregnant women to violent conflict in Uganda has resulted in children born with lower DRs, who cooperate less in a public good game. These findings hint at a biological feedback mechanism that may contribute to vicious circles in conflict-prone societies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘Born this Way’? Prenatal Exposure to Testosterone May Determine Behavior in Competition and Conflict

et al. 2019

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It is documented that fetal exposure to sexual hormones has long lasting effects on human behavior. The second-to-fourth digit ratio (DR) is a putative marker for prenatal exposure to testosterone (compared to estrogens) while in uterus, with higher relative exposure to testosterone resulting in a lower DR. Although the existing literature documents the correlation of DR with various decisions, and testosterone has been related to competitive behaviors, little research has studied the effect of DR on competition in conflict situations where skills do not matter. We investigate this question in the laboratory. Based on a previously obtained large sample of student subjects, we selectively invite subjects to the laboratory if their right-hand DR is in the top (High type) or bottom (Low type) tercile for their gender. Unbeknownst to the subjects, we perform a controlled match of High and Low types as opponents in a 2-person Tullock contest. We find that Low type (higher exposure to testosterone) males expend significantly higher conflict effort than High type males, that is, they are more aggressive, which reduces their opponents' earnings. Among females, however, everyone is more aggressive against the High type (who respond less aggressively). These results can partially be explained through high joy of winning and/or spitefulness for Low type males, and high spitefulness for Low type females. This investigation sheds light on the importance of biological aspects in the ex-ante determinants of conflict, and on contest design.

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Section: Dr and Competitive Behaviorsupporting

confidence: 54%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Born this Way’? Prenatal Exposure to Testosterone May Determine Behavior in Competition and Conflict

et al. 2019

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“…Conflicting groups settled closely intermixed, making it difficult for locals to differentiate between friend and foe. Similar findings of reduced prosociality from the Balkans and Uganda have been linked to post-traumatic stress disorder, a common psychological consequence of exposure to violence (Cecchi and Duchoslav 2018;Kijewski and Freitag 2018;Ruttan, McDonnell, and Nordgren 2015).…”

Section: Motivationmentioning

confidence: 76%

Ethnic Riots and Prosocial Behavior: Evidence from Kyrgyzstan

2019

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Do ethnic riots affect prosocial behavior? A common view among scholars of ethnic violence is that riots increase cooperation within the warring groups, while cooperation across groups is reduced. We revisit this hypothesis by studying the aftermath of the 2010 Osh riot in Kyrgyzstan, which saw Kyrgyz from outside the city kill over 400 Uzbeks. We implement a representative survey, which includes unobtrusive experimental measures of prosocial behavior. Our causal identification strategy exploits variation in the distance of neighborhoods to armored military vehicles, which were instrumental in orchestrating the riot. We find that victimized neighborhoods show substantially lower levels of prosocial behavior. Importantly, we demonstrate that the reduction is similarly stark both within and across groups. Using qualitative interviews, we parse out two mechanisms that help explain the surprising reduction in ingroup prosociality: Victimized Uzbeks felt abandoned by their coethnics, and variation in victimization created a feeling of suspicion.

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“…There is increasingly conclusive evidence that high temperatures may trigger or intensify violent conflict (O'Loughlin et al, 2012 ; Hsiang et al, 2013 ). Pre- and post-natal exposure to conflict have in turn been found to influence social preferences: Conflict-induced prenatal stress reduces contributions to the public good in later life (Cecchi and Duchoslav, 2018 ), while post-natal exposure leads to more prosocial behavior within close networks (Voors et al, 2012 ; Bauer et al, 2014 ; Gilligan et al, 2014 ). Many of the children in my sample were born during a period of civil war in Northern Uganda.…”

Section: Analysis and Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prenatal Temperature Shocks Reduce Cooperation: Evidence from Public Goods Games in Uganda

Duchoslav

2017

Front. Behav. Neurosci.

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Climate change has not only led to a sustained rise in mean global temperature over the past decades, but also increased the frequency of extreme weather events. This paper explores the effect of temperature shocks in utero on later-life taste for cooperation. Using historical climate data combined with data on child and adult behavior in public goods games, I show that abnormally high ambient temperatures during gestation are associated with decreased individual contributions to the public good in a statistically and economically significant way. A 1 standard deviation rise in mean ambient temperature during gestation is associated with a 10% point decrease in children's cooperation rate in a dichotomous public goods game, and the reduced taste for cooperation lasts into adulthood.

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The effect of prenatal stress on cooperation: Evidence from violent conflict in Uganda

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Cited by 20 publications

References 87 publications

‘Born this Way’? Prenatal Exposure to Testosterone May Determine Behavior in Competition and Conflict

‘Born this Way’? Prenatal Exposure to Testosterone May Determine Behavior in Competition and Conflict

Ethnic Riots and Prosocial Behavior: Evidence from Kyrgyzstan

Prenatal Temperature Shocks Reduce Cooperation: Evidence from Public Goods Games in Uganda

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