title: Trust matters: a cross-cultural comparison of Northern Ghana and Oaxaca groups.
abstract: A cross-cultural analysis of trust and cooperation networks in Northern Ghana (NGHA) and Oaxaca (OAX) was carried out by means of ego networks and interviews. These regions were chosen because both are inhabited by several ethnic groups, thus providing a good opportunity to test the cultural group selection hypothesis. Against the predictions of this approach, we found that in both regions cooperation is grounded in personal trust groups, and that social cohesion depends on these emotional bonds. Moreover, in agreement with Fiske's notion of "evolved proclivities," we also found two distinct kinds of trust networks, one for each region, which vary in terms of the degree of ethnic interrelation. This pattern suggests that social cohesion increases when environmental resources are scarce.
authors.affiliation: Evocog Group, Associated Unit to IFISC (UIB-CSIC), Department of Psychology, University of the Balearic Islands Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Acedo-Carmona
authors.affiliation: Evocog Group, Associated Unit to IFISC (UIB-CSIC), Department of Psychology, University of the Balearic Islands Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
authors.forename: Antoni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gomila
keywords: cooperation; cross-cultural analysis; ethnic group; human evolution; social network; trust