• Evolution of Empathy in Non-Humans

    Sigma Xi Student Research Showcase

  • Abstract

    Does personal distress or empathetic perspective-taking motivate helping behavior in rats?

     

    Empathy: the ability to share, be affected by and understand the emotions of others. Although once considered to be unique to humans, evidence suggests many other animals across various taxa are capable of at least the most basic empathic response, emotional contagion. Furthermore, research has documented some highly social and highly intelligent large-brained mammals engaging in complex empathetic behaviors such as consolation behavior and targeted helping behavior, which are suggestive of sympathetic concern and empathetic perspective-taking; but the question remains, how did these other-oriented abilities evolve?

    To investigate this, researchers have been exploring the empathetic abilities of smaller-brained mammals, where recently, rats have been found to open the door of a restrainer that releases a trapped and distressed cage-mate, and continue to do so across various contexts. Despite the evidence of rats demonstrating helping behavior, the underlying motivations for such behavior are still unknown. 

    To better understand rodent empathy, and the evolution of empathy in general, our lab examined whether empathetic perspective-taking or personal distress motivates helping behavior in rats by introducing an escape alternative that provided refuge from the distress cues of a cage-mate trapped in a restrainer. There was no difference in the rate of door-opening between free rats with a trapped cage-mate and the option to escape, and those without the ability to escape, suggesting the option to escape had no influence on helping behavior and that its likely empathetic perspective-taking, not personal distress, that motivates helping behavior in rats.

  • Technical Slide Show

  • Discussion