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Abstract

The papers in this special section illustrate the subtle interweaving of co-operation and competition as individual strategies, in primates and humans. These strategies can be strongly influenced by cultural context, and by individual/relational characteristics. The Charlesworth/LaFreniere paradigm provides opportunities for examining these, and could be analysed further in games theory terms; as can alternative paradigms. Friendship is one important relational characteristic, and its causal links to reciprocity might be examined further in terms of attachment theory and genetic similarity theory. An attachment theory approach may give insight into cultural differences in the co-operation/competition balance.

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Strategies of Co-operation: A Commentary

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