Explain why the signal is socially costly

Reference no: EM131335403

Peacocks, with their fabulous tails, live wild in the jungle. There, a tail is a detriment?-?it slows the birds in flight, and presents an excellent handle for a predator to grab hold of. Nevertheless, males continue to grow them because peahens love bling, and the more, the better.

a. Explain the value of a long tail as a signal, focusing on the general principle that signals must be costly to a strong bird, but even more costly to a weak bird.

b. Peahens would receive the same information if all peacocks cut their tails in half. In light of this truth, explain why the signal is socially costly.

c. Suppose all male peacocks agreed to cut their tails in half. Explain why such an agreement is unlikely to last, and why the disintegration of the agreement makes all peacocks worse off.

Reference no: EM131335403

Questions Cloud

Contrast negative and positive externalities : How can the external marginal benefit and external marginal cost curves be used to find the efficient level of an externality?

What is the radius of the traffic circle : In traveling three-fourths of the way around a circle a car travels 0.224 mi. What is the radius of the traffic circle? (Do not round until the final answer. Round to the nearest thousandth as needed)

Write an argumentative research paper on a managed care : Write an argumentative research paper on a managed care-related topic, assumption or myth; thoroughly explaining what it is, why it's important, and how it fundamentally impacts the managed care system today.You will gather evidence on present a w..

What amount of interest expense was paid in cash : What amount of interest expense was paid in cash in 2014? What total amount of cash was paid to the bank on April 30, 2015, for principal and interest?

Explain why the signal is socially costly : Explain the value of a long tail as a signal, focusing on the general principle that signals must be costly to a strong bird, but even more costly to a weak bird.

What is its bearing from port : A ship leaves port on a bearing of 31.0° north of east and travels 13.3 mi. The ship then turns due east and travels 4.2 mi. How far is the ship from port, and what is its bearing from port?

Discuss four types of technology wilson could use : What do you think of the experimental design Wilson used to assess the call-center training program? How would you suggest the company improve it? Discuss four types of technology Wilson could use to deliver training, based on the information in th..

What is the net benefit of a college education to a charlie : If the company, operating blindly with no degree requirements, were to pay an average wage of $45,000, what would most of its applicants look like?

Find the resultant force of the two trucks : One of the pickups pulls with a force of 2000 pounds and the other pulls with a force of 3000 pounds with an angle of 60° between them. With how much force must the monster truck pull in order to remain unmoved? (Hint: Find the resultant force ..

User Account

All Pages