Cooperation-Competition: A Comparison of Australian European and Aboriginal School Children

Abstract

Australian European and full-blood Aboriginal school children were assigned to groups of four individuals who performed a task in which cooperation maximised and competition minimised reward. The Aboriginal sample showed significantly more cooperative responses than the European sample. Differences also occurred within the Aboriginal sample, with individuals in the stream preparing for secondary education showing more competitive behaviour than those continuing post-primary courses emphasising manual training and domestic science. The role of kinship as a determinant of cooperation was investigated, but Aborigines from the same tribe with reciprocal kinship obligations failed to be more cooperative than those Aborigines from different tribes.