Parochial Altruism: Measurement Issues

Aiming to explain human engagement in violent intergroup conflict, the theory of parochial altruism proposes a joint evolution of altruism and parochialism. The empirical evidence supporting this account, however, is mixed. In this talk, I will dissolve the confusion regarding both the independent measurement of altruism and parochialism (as the independent variables) as well as of conflict engagement (as the dependent variable). A refined semantic framework and measurement may help to explain the mixed results of previous research.