Osaka, Japan—While most people believe corporal punishment harms children, fish might think otherwise. Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University found that a fish species uses physical punishment to encourage their offspring to help, showing advanced social and cognitive skills. Their study was published in Animal Behaviour on April 6.
For centuries, humans have used punishment to encourage cooperation and social order. But how do animals do this? Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University studied the Neolamprologus savoryi, a cichlid fish, to find out.
According to Professor Satoshi Awata, while punishment in these fish has been studied, limited evidence shows it promotes cooperative behavior.
N. savoryi helpers assist dominant breeders by defending territory and maintaining breeding shelters. Researchers observed that dominant breeders, including their offspring, attacked idle helpers in a lab setting to encourage cooperation.
The helpers subjected to this aggression increased their helping efforts, while proactive helpers avoided aggression. The study shows that nonhuman animals also use punishment to promote cooperation.
The study shows that punishment is used by animals, not just humans, to enforce cooperation and maintain social relationships. This helps to understand how cooperative behavior evolves. The findings show that fish, like humans, use advanced cognitive skills to support their societies.
In conclusion, the study shows that in some fish species, punishing offspring leads to better cooperation and teamwork, suggesting that punishment can effectively promote helpful behavior, even in animals.
Journal reference:
- Ryo Hidaka, Shumpei Sogawa etal., Punishment from dominant breeders increases helping effort of subordinates in a cooperatively breeding cichlid. Animal Behaviour. DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2024.02.020.