Predictability Outweighs Individuality of Developmental Goals With Respect to Their Functional Value: The Sample Case of Non-Cooperative Goals

Human developmental goals are both flexible and highly individualized, yet long-term cooperation requires behavioral predictability. This raises the question of whether goals that prioritize personal autonomy and independence ("ego-goals") might hinder or even contribute to cooperative behavior. Building on the assumption that predictability of action, rather than social content of goals, is a key prerequisite for successful cooperation, this study examined whether ego-goals predict cooperative behavior in novel social environments. In a two-wave longitudinal design (<i>N</i>_t₁ = 155, <i>N</i>_t₂ = 48), participants transitioning from school to university reported their developmental goals and self-perceived behavioral reliability as well as their cooperative activities. Cooperation was measured via self-report and external assessments by close others at both time points. Regression analyses revealed that ego-goals at <i>t</i>₁ significantly predicted cooperative activity at <i>t</i>₂, even when controlling for prior cooperation. Including behavioral reliability as a mediator reduced but did not annihilate this effect, supporting the hypothesis that goal-driven predictability facilitates cooperation regardless of goal content. These findings challenge the assumption that only prosocial goals foster cooperation, suggesting that the signaling function of consistent behavior, even when rooted in non-cooperative goals, can promote cooperation in new social settings. From an evolutionary perspective, these findings align with theoretical accounts highlighting behavioral consistency's role as a basis for social bonding and cooperation. Stable goals, regardless of their social direction, may serve as reliable predictors of future behavior, reducing uncertainty and facilitating partner selection, thereby supporting the evolutionarily adaptive function of cooperation, even amid variation in goal content.