1
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Brown S. Creativity as emulation: the cultural basis of creative cognition. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1364596. [PMID: 38650910 PMCID: PMC11033376 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1364596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Steven Brown
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
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2
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Brinkmann L, Baumann F, Bonnefon JF, Derex M, Müller TF, Nussberger AM, Czaplicka A, Acerbi A, Griffiths TL, Henrich J, Leibo JZ, McElreath R, Oudeyer PY, Stray J, Rahwan I. Machine culture. Nat Hum Behav 2023; 7:1855-1868. [PMID: 37985914 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01742-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
The ability of humans to create and disseminate culture is often credited as the single most important factor of our success as a species. In this Perspective, we explore the notion of 'machine culture', culture mediated or generated by machines. We argue that intelligent machines simultaneously transform the cultural evolutionary processes of variation, transmission and selection. Recommender algorithms are altering social learning dynamics. Chatbots are forming a new mode of cultural transmission, serving as cultural models. Furthermore, intelligent machines are evolving as contributors in generating cultural traits-from game strategies and visual art to scientific results. We provide a conceptual framework for studying the present and anticipated future impact of machines on cultural evolution, and present a research agenda for the study of machine culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Levin Brinkmann
- Center for Humans and Machines, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Fabian Baumann
- Center for Humans and Machines, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Maxime Derex
- Toulouse School of Economics, Toulouse, France
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Thomas F Müller
- Center for Humans and Machines, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anne-Marie Nussberger
- Center for Humans and Machines, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Agnieszka Czaplicka
- Center for Humans and Machines, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Alberto Acerbi
- Department of Sociology and Social Research, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Thomas L Griffiths
- Department of Psychology and Department of Computer Science, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Joseph Henrich
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Richard McElreath
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Jonathan Stray
- Center for Human-Compatible Artificial Intelligence, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Iyad Rahwan
- Center for Humans and Machines, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.
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3
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Brinkmann L, Cebrian M, Pescetelli N. Adversarial Dynamics in Centralized Versus Decentralized Intelligent Systems. Top Cogn Sci 2023. [PMID: 37902444 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) is often used to predict human behavior, thus potentially posing limitations to individuals' and collectives' freedom to act. AI's most controversial and contested applications range from targeted advertisements to crime prevention, including the suppression of civil disorder. Scholars and civil society watchdogs are discussing the oppressive dangers of AI being used by centralized institutions, like governments or private corporations. Some suggest that AI gives asymmetrical power to governments, compared to their citizens. On the other hand, civil protests often rely on distributed networks of activists without centralized leadership or planning. Civil protests create an adversarial tension between centralized and decentralized intelligence, opening the question of how distributed human networks can collectively adapt and outperform a hostile centralized AI trying to anticipate and control their activities. This paper leverages multi-agent reinforcement learning to simulate dynamics within a human-machine hybrid society. We ask how decentralized intelligent agents can collectively adapt when competing with a centralized predictive algorithm, wherein prediction involves suppressing coordination. In particular, we investigate an adversarial game between a collective of individual learners and a central predictive algorithm, each trained through deep Q-learning. We compare different predictive architectures and showcase conditions in which the adversarial nature of this dynamic pushes each intelligence to increase its behavioral complexity to outperform its counterpart. We further show that a shared predictive algorithm drives decentralized agents to align their behavior. This work sheds light on the totalitarian danger posed by AI and provides evidence that decentrally organized humans can overcome its risks by developing increasingly complex coordination strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Levin Brinkmann
- Center for Humans and Machines, Max Planck Institute for Human Development
| | - Manuel Cebrian
- Department of Statistics, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
- UC3M-Santander Big Data Institute, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
| | - Niccolò Pescetelli
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology
- PSi, People Supported Technologies Ltd
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4
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Ladas K, Kavadias S, Hutchison-Krupat J. Cultural evolution with uncertain provision of learning resources. EVOLUTIONARY HUMAN SCIENCES 2023; 5:e32. [PMID: 38516677 PMCID: PMC10955389 DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2023.24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
An essential feature of human progress is the use of different modes of learning so agents acquire the appropriate behaviour to survive in a changing environment. Learning may result from agents who discover new knowledge on their own (individual learning), or imitate the behaviour of others (social learning). Social learning is less costly than discovery, but imitation might yield no benefit. Early theoretical models of a population consisting of purely individual and purely social learners found that both types are present in an evolutionary equilibrium. However, the presence of social learners did not provide any improvement to the average population fitness. Subsequent research showed that the presence of social learners could improve the average population fitness, provided that the pure characterisation of the agents' learning is relaxed. We return to the pure conceptualisation of agents to challenge an assumption in the early work: agents were guaranteed enough resources to perform their desired learning. We show that, if the resources an agent receives are uncertain, this turns social learning into a source of fitness improvement at the population level. Perhaps counter-intuitively, uncertain provision of resources prompts an increase in the proportion of the population that pursues the costlier individual learning activity in equilibrium.
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5
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Morgan TJH, Suchow JW, Griffiths TL. The experimental evolution of human culture: flexibility, fidelity and environmental instability. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221614. [PMID: 36321489 PMCID: PMC9627710 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The past 2 Myr have seen both unprecedented environmental instability and the evolution of the human capacity for complex culture. This, along with the observation that cultural evolution occurs faster than genetic evolution, has led to the suggestion that culture is an adaptation to an unstable environment. We test this hypothesis by examining the ability of human social learning to respond to environmental changes. We do this by inserting human participants (n = 4800) into evolutionary simulations with a changing environment while varying the social information available to individuals across five conditions. We find that human social learning shows some signs of adaptation to environmental instability, including critical social learning, the adoption of up-and-coming traits and, unexpectedly, contrariness. However, these are insufficient to avoid significant fitness declines when the environment changes, and many individuals are highly conformist, which exacerbates the fitness effects of environmental change. We conclude that human social learning reflects a compromise between the competing needs for flexibility to accommodate environmental change and fidelity to accurately transmit valuable cultural information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J. H. Morgan
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, 900 S. Cady Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
- Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, 777 E University Drive, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Jordan W. Suchow
- School of Business, Stevens Institute of Technology, 1 Castle Point Terrace, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA
| | - Thomas L. Griffiths
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, 320 Peretsman Scully Hall, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Princeton University, 417 Computer Science, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
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6
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Obradovich N, Özak Ö, Martín I, Ortuño-Ortín I, Awad E, Cebrián M, Cuevas R, Desmet K, Rahwan I, Cuevas Á. Expanding the measurement of culture with a sample of two billion humans. J R Soc Interface 2022; 19:20220085. [PMID: 35611621 PMCID: PMC9131129 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Culture has played a pivotal role in human evolution. Yet, the ability of social scientists to study culture is limited by the currently available measurement instruments. Scholars of culture must regularly choose between scalable but sparse survey-based methods or restricted but rich ethnographic methods. Here, we demonstrate that massive online social networks can advance the study of human culture by providing quantitative, scalable and high-resolution measurement of behaviourally revealed cultural values and preferences. We employ data across nearly 60 000 topic dimensions drawn from two billion Facebook users across 225 countries and territories. We first validate that cultural distances calculated from this measurement instrument correspond to traditional survey-based and objective measures of cross-national cultural differences. We then demonstrate that this expanded measure enables rich insight into the cultural landscape globally at previously impossible resolution. We analyse the importance of national borders in shaping culture and compare subnational divisiveness with gender divisiveness across countries. Our measure enables detailed investigation into the geopolitical stability of countries, social cleavages within small- and large-scale human groups, the integration of migrant populations and the disaffection of certain population groups from the political process, among myriad other potential future applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nick Obradovich
- Center for Humans and Machines, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Ömer Özak
- Department of Economics and Center for Scientific Computing, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75205, USA.,IZA, Institute of Labor Economics, 53113 Bonn, Germany.,GLO, Global Labor Organization, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - Ignacio Martín
- Nommon Solutions and Technologies, 28020 Madrid, Spain.,Department of Telematic Engineering, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 28911 Leganés (Madrid), Spain
| | - Ignacio Ortuño-Ortín
- Department of Economics,Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 28903 Getafe (Madrid), Spain
| | - Edmond Awad
- Department of Economics, University of Exeter Business School, Exeter EX4 4PU, UK
| | - Manuel Cebrián
- Center for Humans and Machines, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Rubén Cuevas
- Department of Telematic Engineering and UC3M-Santander Big Data Institute, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 28911 Leganés (Madrid), Germany
| | - Klaus Desmet
- Department of Economics and Cox School of Business, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75205, USA.,NBER, National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.,CEPR, Centre for Economic Policy Research, London EC1V 0DX, UK
| | - Iyad Rahwan
- NBER, National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Ángel Cuevas
- Department of Telematic Engineering and UC3M-Santander Big Data Institute, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 28911 Leganés (Madrid), Germany
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7
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Eren MI, Bebber MR, Knell EJ, Story B, Buchanan B. Plains Paleoindian Projectile Point Penetration Potential. JOURNAL OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2022. [DOI: 10.1086/717831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Metin I. Eren
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44224, USA, and Department of Archaeology, Cleveland Museum of Natural History
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University
- Division of Anthropology, California State University Fullerton
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Southern Methodist University
- Department of Anthropology, University of Tulsa
| | - Michelle R. Bebber
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44224, USA, and Department of Archaeology, Cleveland Museum of Natural History
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University
- Division of Anthropology, California State University Fullerton
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Southern Methodist University
- Department of Anthropology, University of Tulsa
| | - Edward J. Knell
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44224, USA, and Department of Archaeology, Cleveland Museum of Natural History
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University
- Division of Anthropology, California State University Fullerton
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Southern Methodist University
- Department of Anthropology, University of Tulsa
| | - Brett Story
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44224, USA, and Department of Archaeology, Cleveland Museum of Natural History
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University
- Division of Anthropology, California State University Fullerton
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Southern Methodist University
- Department of Anthropology, University of Tulsa
| | - Briggs Buchanan
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44224, USA, and Department of Archaeology, Cleveland Museum of Natural History
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University
- Division of Anthropology, California State University Fullerton
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Southern Methodist University
- Department of Anthropology, University of Tulsa
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8
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Box-Steffensmeier JM, Burgess J, Corbetta M, Crawford K, Duflo E, Fogarty L, Gopnik A, Hanafi S, Herrero M, Hong YY, Kameyama Y, Lee TMC, Leung GM, Nagin DS, Nobre AC, Nordentoft M, Okbay A, Perfors A, Rival LM, Sugimoto CR, Tungodden B, Wagner C. The future of human behaviour research. Nat Hum Behav 2022; 6:15-24. [PMID: 35087189 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-021-01275-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jean Burgess
- School of Communication and Digital Media Research Centre (DMRC), Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. .,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S), Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Maurizio Corbetta
- Department of Neuroscience and Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padova, Padova, Italy. .,Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Padova, Italy.
| | - Kate Crawford
- Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. .,Microsoft Research New York, New York, NY, USA. .,École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France.
| | - Esther Duflo
- Department of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Laurel Fogarty
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Alison Gopnik
- Department of Psychology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
| | - Sari Hanafi
- American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
| | - Mario Herrero
- Department of Global Development, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | - Ying-Yi Hong
- Department of Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
| | - Yasuko Kameyama
- Center for Social and Environmental Systems Research, Social Systems Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan.
| | - Tatia M C Lee
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Laboratory of Neuropsychology and Human Neuroscience, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
| | - Gabriel M Leung
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control, School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China. .,Laboratory of Data Discovery for Health, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
| | - Daniel S Nagin
- Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Anna C Nobre
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. .,Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Merete Nordentoft
- CORE - Copenhagen Research Centre for Mental Health, Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. .,Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Aysu Okbay
- Department of Economics, School of Business and Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Andrew Perfors
- Complex Human Data Hub, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
| | | | - Cassidy R Sugimoto
- School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Bertil Tungodden
- Centre of Excellence FAIR, NHH Norwegian School of Economics, Bergen, Norway.
| | - Claudia Wagner
- GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Köln, Germany. .,RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany. .,Complexity Science Hub Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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9
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OUP accepted manuscript. Hum Reprod Update 2022; 28:457-479. [DOI: 10.1093/humupd/dmac014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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10
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Robin AN, Denton KK, Horna Lowell ES, Dulay T, Ebrahimi S, Johnson GC, Mai D, O’Fallon S, Philson CS, Speck HP, Zhang XP, Nonacs P. Major Evolutionary Transitions and the Roles of Facilitation and Information in Ecosystem Transformations. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.711556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
A small number of extraordinary “Major Evolutionary Transitions” (METs) have attracted attention among biologists. They comprise novel forms of individuality and information, and are defined in relation to organismal complexity, irrespective of broader ecosystem-level effects. This divorce between evolutionary and ecological consequences qualifies unicellular eukaryotes, for example, as a MET although they alone failed to significantly alter ecosystems. Additionally, this definition excludes revolutionary innovations not fitting into either MET type (e.g., photosynthesis). We recombine evolution with ecology to explore how and why entire ecosystems were newly created or radically altered – as Major System Transitions (MSTs). In doing so, we highlight important morphological adaptations that spread through populations because of their immediate, direct-fitness advantages for individuals. These are Major Competitive Transitions, or MCTs. We argue that often multiple METs and MCTs must be present to produce MSTs. For example, sexually-reproducing, multicellular eukaryotes (METs) with anisogamy and exoskeletons (MCTs) significantly altered ecosystems during the Cambrian. Therefore, we introduce the concepts of Facilitating Evolutionary Transitions (FETs) and Catalysts as key events or agents that are insufficient themselves to set a MST into motion, but are essential parts of synergies that do. We further elucidate the role of information in MSTs as transitions across five levels: (I) Encoded; (II) Epigenomic; (III) Learned; (IV) Inscribed; and (V) Dark Information. The latter is ‘authored’ by abiotic entities rather than biological organisms. Level IV has arguably allowed humans to produce a MST, and V perhaps makes us a FET for a future transition that melds biotic and abiotic life into one entity. Understanding the interactive processes involved in past major transitions will illuminate both current events and the surprising possibilities that abiotically-created information may produce.
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11
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Schlaile MP, Kask J, Brewer J, Bogner K, Urmetzer S, De Witt A. Proposing a Cultural Evolutionary Perspective for Dedicated Innovation Systems: Bioeconomy Transitions and Beyond. JOURNAL OF INNOVATION ECONOMICS & MANAGEMENT 2021. [DOI: 10.3917/jie.pr1.0108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
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12
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Youngblood M, Baraghith K, Savage PE. Phylogenetic reconstruction of the cultural evolution of electronic music via dynamic community detection (1975–1999). EVOL HUM BEHAV 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2021.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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13
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Rawlings BS, Flynn EG, Kendal RL. Personality predicts innovation and social learning in children: Implications for cultural evolution. Dev Sci 2021; 25:e13153. [PMID: 34251078 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Innovation and social learning are the pillars of cultural evolution, allowing cultural behaviours to cumulatively advance over generations. Yet, little is known about individual differences in the use of social and asocial information. We examined whether personality influenced 7-11-year-old children's (N = 282) propensity to elect to observe others first or independently generate solutions to novel problems. Conscientiousness was associated with electing for no demonstrations, while agreeableness was associated with opting for demonstrations. For children receiving demonstrations, openness to experience consistently predicted deviation from observed methods. Children who opted for no demonstrations were also more likely than those opting for demonstrations to exhibit tool manufacture on an innovation challenge and displayed higher creativity, as measured by an alternate uses task. These results highlight how new cultural traditions emerge, establish and advance by identifying which individuals generate new cultural variants in populations and which are influential in the diffusion of these variants, and help reduce the apparent tension within the 'ratchet' of cumulative culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce S Rawlings
- Department of Anthropology, Durham Cultural Evolution Research Centre, Durham University, UK.,Department of Psychology, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Emma G Flynn
- School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Rachel L Kendal
- Department of Anthropology, Durham Cultural Evolution Research Centre, Durham University, UK
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14
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Smolla M, Jansson F, Lehmann L, Houkes W, Weissing FJ, Hammerstein P, Dall SRX, Kuijper B, Enquist M. Underappreciated features of cultural evolution. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200259. [PMID: 33993758 PMCID: PMC8126466 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cultural evolution theory has long been inspired by evolutionary biology. Conceptual analogies between biological and cultural evolution have led to the adoption of a range of formal theoretical approaches from population dynamics and genetics. However, this has resulted in a research programme with a strong focus on cultural transmission. Here, we contrast biological with cultural evolution, and highlight aspects of cultural evolution that have not received sufficient attention previously. We outline possible implications for evolutionary dynamics and argue that not taking them into account will limit our understanding of cultural systems. We propose 12 key questions for future research, among which are calls to improve our understanding of the combinatorial properties of cultural innovation, and the role of development and life history in cultural dynamics. Finally, we discuss how this vibrant research field can make progress by embracing its multidisciplinary nature. This article is part of the theme issue 'Foundations of cultural evolution'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Smolla
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Fredrik Jansson
- Centre for Cultural Evolution, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Division of Applied Mathematics, Mälardalen University, Västerås, Sweden
| | - Laurent Lehmann
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Biophore, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Wybo Houkes
- Philosophy and Ethics, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Franz J. Weissing
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Peter Hammerstein
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sasha R. X. Dall
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Bram Kuijper
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Magnus Enquist
- Centre for Cultural Evolution, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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15
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Chimento M, Alarcón-Nieto G, Aplin LM. Population turnover facilitates cultural selection for efficiency in birds. Curr Biol 2021; 31:2477-2483.e3. [PMID: 33826905 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.03.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Culture, defined as socially transmitted information and behaviors that are shared in groups and persist over time, is increasingly accepted to occur across a wide range of taxa and behavioral domains.1 While persistent, cultural traits are not necessarily static, and their distribution can change in frequency and type in response to selective pressures, analogous to that of genetic alleles. This has led to the treatment of culture as an evolutionary process, with cultural evolutionary theory arguing that culture exhibits the three fundamental components of Darwinian evolution: variation, competition, and inheritance.2-5 Selection for more efficient behaviors over alternatives is a crucial component of cumulative cultural evolution,6 yet our understanding of how and when such cultural selection occurs in non-human animals is limited. We performed a cultural diffusion experiment using 18 captive populations of wild-caught great tits (Parus major) to ask whether more efficient foraging traditions are selected for, and whether this process is affected by a fundamental demographic process-population turnover. Our results showed that gradual replacement of individuals with naive immigrants greatly increased the probability that a more efficient behavior invaded a population's cultural repertoire and outcompeted an established inefficient behavior. Fine-scale, automated behavioral tracking revealed that turnover did not increase innovation rates, but instead acted on adoption rates, as immigrants disproportionately sampled novel, efficient behaviors relative to available social information. These results provide strong evidence for cultural selection for efficiency in animals, and highlight the mechanism that links population turnover to this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Chimento
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Lab, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany; Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, Konstanz University, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany.
| | - Gustavo Alarcón-Nieto
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Lab, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Lucy M Aplin
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Lab, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany; Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, Konstanz University, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
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16
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Mesoudi A. Cultural selection and biased transformation: two dynamics of cultural evolution. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200053. [PMID: 33993764 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Here, I discuss two broad versions of human cultural evolution which currently exist in the literature and which emphasize different underlying dynamics. One, which originates in population-genetic-style modelling, emphasizes how cultural selection causes some cultural variants to be favoured and gradually increase in frequency over others. The other, which draws more from cognitive science, holds that cultural change is driven by the biased transformation of cultural variants by individuals in non-random and consistent directions. Despite claims that cultural evolution is characterized by one or the other of these dynamics, these are neither mutually exclusive nor a dichotomy. Different domains of human culture are likely to be more or less strongly weighted towards cultural selection or biased transformation. Identifying cultural dynamics in real-world cultural data is challenging given that they can generate the same population-level patterns, such as directional change or cross-cultural stability, and the same cognitive and emotional mechanisms may underlie both cultural selection and biased transformation. Nevertheless, fine-grained historical analysis and laboratory experiments, combined with formal models to generate quantitative predictions, offer the best way of distinguishing them. This article is part of the theme issue 'Foundations of cultural evolution'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Mesoudi
- Human Behaviour and Cultural Evolution Group, Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
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18
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Odom KJ, Araya-Salas M, Morano JL, Ligon RA, Leighton GM, Taff CC, Dalziell AH, Billings AC, Germain RR, Pardo M, de Andrade LG, Hedwig D, Keen SC, Shiu Y, Charif RA, Webster MS, Rice AN. Comparative bioacoustics: a roadmap for quantifying and comparing animal sounds across diverse taxa. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:1135-1159. [PMID: 33652499 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Animals produce a wide array of sounds with highly variable acoustic structures. It is possible to understand the causes and consequences of this variation across taxa with phylogenetic comparative analyses. Acoustic and evolutionary analyses are rapidly increasing in sophistication such that choosing appropriate acoustic and evolutionary approaches is increasingly difficult. However, the correct choice of analysis can have profound effects on output and evolutionary inferences. Here, we identify and address some of the challenges for this growing field by providing a roadmap for quantifying and comparing sound in a phylogenetic context for researchers with a broad range of scientific backgrounds. Sound, as a continuous, multidimensional trait can be particularly challenging to measure because it can be hard to identify variables that can be compared across taxa and it is also no small feat to process and analyse the resulting high-dimensional acoustic data using approaches that are appropriate for subsequent evolutionary analysis. Additionally, terminological inconsistencies and the role of learning in the development of acoustic traits need to be considered. Phylogenetic comparative analyses also have their own sets of caveats to consider. We provide a set of recommendations for delimiting acoustic signals into discrete, comparable acoustic units. We also present a three-stage workflow for extracting relevant acoustic data, including options for multivariate analyses and dimensionality reduction that is compatible with phylogenetic comparative analysis. We then summarize available phylogenetic comparative approaches and how they have been used in comparative bioacoustics, and address the limitations of comparative analyses with behavioural data. Lastly, we recommend how to apply these methods to acoustic data across a range of study systems. In this way, we provide an integrated framework to aid in quantitative analysis of cross-taxa variation in animal sounds for comparative phylogenetic analysis. In addition, we advocate the standardization of acoustic terminology across disciplines and taxa, adoption of automated methods for acoustic feature extraction, and establishment of strong data archival practices for acoustic recordings and data analyses. Combining such practices with our proposed workflow will greatly advance the reproducibility, biological interpretation, and longevity of comparative bioacoustic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karan J Odom
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, U.S.A.,Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, U.S.A
| | - Marcelo Araya-Salas
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, U.S.A.,Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, U.S.A.,Sede del Sur, Universidad de Costa Rica, Golfito, 60701, Costa Rica
| | - Janelle L Morano
- Macaulay Library, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, U.S.A.,Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, U.S.A
| | - Russell A Ligon
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, U.S.A.,Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, U.S.A
| | - Gavin M Leighton
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, U.S.A.,Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, U.S.A.,Department of Biology, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo, NY, 14222, U.S.A
| | - Conor C Taff
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, U.S.A.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, U.S.A
| | - Anastasia H Dalziell
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, U.S.A.,Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, U.S.A.,Centre for Sustainable Ecosystem Solutions, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia
| | - Alexis C Billings
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812, U.S.A.,Department of Environmental, Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94709, U.S.A
| | - Ryan R Germain
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, U.S.A.,Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, U.S.A.,Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DK-2100, Denmark
| | - Michael Pardo
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, U.S.A.,Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, U.S.A.,Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, U.S.A
| | - Luciana Guimarães de Andrade
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, U.S.A.,Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, U.S.A
| | - Daniela Hedwig
- Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, U.S.A
| | - Sara C Keen
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, U.S.A.,Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, U.S.A.,Department of Geological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, U.S.A
| | - Yu Shiu
- Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, U.S.A
| | - Russell A Charif
- Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, U.S.A
| | - Michael S Webster
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, U.S.A.,Macaulay Library, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, U.S.A
| | - Aaron N Rice
- Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, U.S.A
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Empowering Urban Governance through Urban Science: Multi-Scale Dynamics of Urban Systems Worldwide. SUSTAINABILITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/su12155954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Cities are facing many sustainability issues in the context of the current global interdependency characterized by an economic uncertainty coupled to climate changes, which challenge their local policies aiming to better conciliate reasonable growth with livable urban environment. The urban dynamic models developed by the so-called “urban science” can provide a useful foundation for more sustainable urban policies. It implies that their proposals have been validated by correct observations of the diversity of situations in the world. However, international comparisons of the evolution of cities often produce unclear results because national territorial frameworks are not always in strict correspondence with the dynamics of urban systems. We propose to provide various compositions of systems of cities in order to better take into account the dynamic networking of cities that go beyond regional and national territorial boundaries. Different models conceived for explaining city size and urban growth distributions enable the establishing of a correspondence between urban trajectories when observed at the level of cities and systems of cities. We test the validity and representativeness of several dynamic models of complex urban systems and their variations across regions of the world, at the macroscopic scale of systems of cities. The originality of the approach resides in the way it considers spatial interaction and evolutionary path dependence as major features in the general behavior of urban entities. The models studied include diverse and complementary processes, such as economic exchanges, diffusion of innovations, and physical network flows. Complex systems dynamics is in principle unpredictable, but contextualizing it regarding demographic, income, and resource components may help in minimizing the forecasting errors. We use, among others, a new unique source correlating population and built-up footprint at world scale: the Global Human Settlement built-up areas (GHS-BU). Following the methodology and results already obtained in the European GeoDiverCity project, including USA, Europe, and BRICS countries, we complete them with this new dataset at world scale and different models. This research helps in further empirical testing of the hypotheses of the evolutionary theory of urban systems and partially revising them. We also suggest research directions towards the coupling of these models into a multi-scale model of urban growth.
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Abstract
Abstract. Turning verbal theories into formal models is an essential business of a mature science. Here I elaborate on taxonomies of models, provide ten lessons for translating a verbal theory into a formal model, and discuss the specific challenges involved in collaborations between modelers and non-modelers. It’s a start.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul E. Smaldino
- Department of Cognitive and Information Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA, USA
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21
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Tinits P, Sobchuk O. Open-ended cumulative cultural evolution of Hollywood film crews. EVOLUTIONARY HUMAN SCIENCES 2020; 2:e26. [PMID: 37588342 PMCID: PMC10427440 DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2020.21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Are there large-scale trends in art history that surpass individual creativity or relatively short artistic movements? Many theories describe art history as a process similar to a change of fashions, while others suggest that art can be progressive - getting better, in some sense, over time. We approach this question anew with the theory of cumulative cultural evolution, which describes cultural accomplishments in terms of innovations that are maintained across generations and accumulated to support ever greater creative potential. In this paper, we empirically test the possibility for cumulative evolution in the techniques used to make an artistic product. Specifically, we measure the size and structure of the production crews in American films in 1910-2010 based on a dataset of 1000 popular films across the century. We find that film crews become exponentially more complex, with a growing set of core jobs, and more innovative in creating new jobs in filmmaking. Our study shows that art history can be cumulative, showing the progressive maintenance of innovative techniques, and thus providing an alternative to the widespread view of art history as a mere fluctuation of trends and fashions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peeter Tinits
- Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- School of Humanities, Tallinn University, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Oleg Sobchuk
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
- Institute of Cultural Research, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
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22
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Beller S, Bender A, Jordan F. Editors' Review and Introduction: The Cultural Evolution of Cognition. Top Cogn Sci 2020; 12:644-653. [PMID: 32248636 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/24/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
This topic addresses a question of key interest to cognitive science, namely which factors may have triggered, constrained, or shaped the course of cognitive evolution. It highlights the relevance of culture as a driving force in this process, with a special focus on social learning and language, conceptual tools, and material culture. In so doing, the topic combines two goals: to provide an overview of current empirical and theoretical work leading this field, tailored for a wider cognitive science audience, and to investigate the potential for integrating multiple perspectives across several timescales and levels of analysis, from the microlevel of individual behavior to the macrolevel of cultural change and language diversification. One key purpose is to assess the extent to which the different research approaches can cross-fertilize each other, thereby also contributing to the advancement of cognitive science more broadly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sieghard Beller
- Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen.,SFF Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE), University of Bergen
| | - Andrea Bender
- Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen.,SFF Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE), University of Bergen
| | - Fiona Jordan
- Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Bristol
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23
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Lonati S. What explains cultural differences in leadership styles? On the agricultural origins of participative and directive leadership. THE LEADERSHIP QUARTERLY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.leaqua.2019.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Wissen für den Wandel – Wissenstheoretische Grundlagen einer nachhaltigen Bioökonomiepolitik. BIOÖKONOMIE NACHHALTIG GESTALTEN 2020. [PMCID: PMC7308792 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-658-29433-5_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Eine Strategie zur Umsetzung einer nachhaltigen Bioökonomie muss neben disziplinären und technischen Zielvorstellungen auch den gesellschaftlichen Wandel einplanen und vorbereiten. Eine zukunftsfähige politische Strategie muss also neben dem techno-ökonomischen Wissen ebenso solches Wissen fördern, welches es Produzenten und Konsumenten ermöglicht, nicht-nachhaltige Verfahren und Verhaltensweisen nicht nur zu reduzieren, sondern radikal zu verändern. Dazu gehören neben den technologischen Fertigkeiten auch ein interdisziplinäres Verständnis systemischer Zusammenhänge, demokratisch legitimierte Zielvorstellungen sowie die notwendigen Fähigkeiten, um diese Ziele partizipativ umzusetzen. Nur durch die Anerkennung und gezielte Förderung dieses als dediziert bezeichneten Wissens können nachhaltige Veränderungen erwachsen. Der Beitrag ergänzt das evolutionsökonomische Konzept des wissensbasierten Wandels durch Ansätze aus den Nachhaltigkeitswissenschaften. Konkret werden die besonderen Eigenschaften dieses dedizierten Wissens diskutiert, wodurch nicht zuletzt eine Grundlage für neue Ansätze in der Bioökonomiepolitik geschaffen wird.
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Abstract
Human culture is unique among animals in its complexity, variability, and cumulative quality. This article describes the development and diversity of cumulative cultural learning. Children inhabit cultural ecologies that consist of group-specific knowledge, practices, and technologies that are inherited and modified over generations. The learning processes that enable cultural acquisition and transmission are universal but are sufficiently flexible to accommodate the highly diverse cultural repertoires of human populations. Children learn culture in several complementary ways, including through exploration, observation, participation, imitation, and instruction. These methods of learning vary in frequency and kind within and between populations due to variation in socialization values and practices associated with specific educational institutions, skill sets, and knowledge systems. The processes by which children acquire and transmit the cumulative culture of their communities provide unique insight into the evolution and ontogeny of human cognition and culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristine H Legare
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
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26
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27
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Tureček P, Slavík J, Kozák M, Havlíček J. Non-particulate inheritance revisited: evolution in systems with Parental Variability-Dependent Inheritance. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Petr Tureček
- Department of Philosophy and History of Science, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Slavík
- Department of Stochastic Informatics, Institute of Information Theory and Automation, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Pod Vodárenskou věží Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Kozák
- Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Trojanova, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Havlíček
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná, Prague, Czech Republic
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28
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Mesoudi A, Thornton A. What is cumulative cultural evolution? Proc Biol Sci 2019; 285:rspb.2018.0712. [PMID: 29899071 PMCID: PMC6015846 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, the phenomenon of cumulative cultural evolution (CCE) has become the focus of major research interest in biology, psychology and anthropology. Some researchers argue that CCE is unique to humans and underlies our extraordinary evolutionary success as a species. Others claim to have found CCE in non-human species. Yet others remain sceptical that CCE is even important for explaining human behavioural diversity and complexity. These debates are hampered by multiple and often ambiguous definitions of CCE. Here, we review how researchers define, use and test CCE. We identify a core set of criteria for CCE which are both necessary and sufficient, and may be found in non-human species. We also identify a set of extended criteria that are observed in human CCE but not, to date, in other species. Different socio-cognitive mechanisms may underlie these different criteria. We reinterpret previous theoretical models and observational and experimental studies of both human and non-human species in light of these more fine-grained criteria. Finally, we discuss key issues surrounding information, fitness and cognition. We recommend that researchers are more explicit about what components of CCE they are testing and claiming to demonstrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Mesoudi
- Human Behaviour and Cultural Evolution Group, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Alex Thornton
- Human Behaviour and Cultural Evolution Group, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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29
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Danchin E, Nöbel S, Pocheville A, Dagaeff AC, Demay L, Alphand M, Ranty-Roby S, van Renssen L, Monier M, Gazagne E, Allain M, Isabel G. Cultural flies: Conformist social learning in fruitflies predicts long-lasting mate-choice traditions. Science 2019; 362:1025-1030. [PMID: 30498121 DOI: 10.1126/science.aat1590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2018] [Accepted: 10/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Despite theoretical justification for the evolution of animal culture, empirical evidence for it beyond mammals and birds remains scant, and we still know little about the process of cultural inheritance. In this study, we propose a mechanism-driven definition of animal culture and test it in the fruitfly. We found that fruitflies have five cognitive capacities that enable them to transmit mating preferences culturally across generations, potentially fostering persistent traditions (the main marker of culture) in mating preference. A transmission chain experiment validates a model of the emergence of local traditions, indicating that such social transmission may lead initially neutral traits to become adaptive, hence strongly selecting for copying and conformity. Although this situation was suggested decades ago, it previously had little empirical support.
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Affiliation(s)
- Etienne Danchin
- Laboratoire Évolution and Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 118 route de Narbonne, Bat 4R1, F-31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France.
| | - Sabine Nöbel
- Laboratoire Évolution and Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 118 route de Narbonne, Bat 4R1, F-31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France.,Université Toulouse 1 Capitole and Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse (IAST), Toulouse, France
| | - Arnaud Pocheville
- Department of Philosophy and Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Anne-Cecile Dagaeff
- Laboratoire Évolution and Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 118 route de Narbonne, Bat 4R1, F-31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France
| | - Léa Demay
- Laboratoire Évolution and Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 118 route de Narbonne, Bat 4R1, F-31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France
| | - Mathilde Alphand
- Laboratoire Évolution and Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 118 route de Narbonne, Bat 4R1, F-31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France
| | - Sarah Ranty-Roby
- Laboratoire Évolution and Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 118 route de Narbonne, Bat 4R1, F-31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France
| | - Lara van Renssen
- Laboratoire Évolution and Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 118 route de Narbonne, Bat 4R1, F-31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France.,Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Magdalena Monier
- Laboratoire Évolution and Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 118 route de Narbonne, Bat 4R1, F-31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France
| | - Eva Gazagne
- Behavioural Biology Unit, Department of Biology, Ecology and Evolution, University of Liège, 4020 Liège, Belgium
| | - Mélanie Allain
- Laboratoire Évolution and Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 118 route de Narbonne, Bat 4R1, F-31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France.,Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France
| | - Guillaume Isabel
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France
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30
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Neidorf L, Krieger MS, Yakubek M, Chaudhuri P, Dexter JP. Large-scale quantitative profiling of the Old English verse tradition. Nat Hum Behav 2019; 3:560-567. [PMID: 30962615 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-019-0570-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2017] [Accepted: 03/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The corpus of Old English verse is an indispensable source for scholars of the Indo-European tradition, early Germanic culture and English literary history. Although it has been the focus of sustained literary scholarship for over two centuries, Old English poetry has not been subjected to corpus-wide computational profiling, in part because of the sparseness and extreme fragmentation of the surviving material. Here we report a detailed quantitative analysis of the whole corpus that considers a broad range of features reflective of sound, metre and diction. This integrated examination of fine-grained features enabled us to identify salient stylistic patterns, despite the inherent limitations of the corpus. In particular, we provide quantitative evidence consistent with the unitary authorship of Beowulf and the Cynewulfian authorship of Andreas, shedding light on two longstanding questions in Old English philology. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of high-dimensional stylometric profiling for fragmentary literary traditions and lay the foundation for future studies of the cultural evolution of English literature.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Madison S Krieger
- Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Michelle Yakubek
- Research Science Institute, Center for Excellence in Education, McLean, VA, USA.,Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, Denton, TX, USA
| | - Pramit Chaudhuri
- Department of Classics, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Joseph P Dexter
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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31
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Pathways to cognitive design. Behav Processes 2019; 161:73-86. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2018.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Revised: 05/01/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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33
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Zeder MA. Why evolutionary biology needs anthropology: Evaluating core assumptions of the extended evolutionary synthesis. Evol Anthropol 2018; 27:267-284. [DOI: 10.1002/evan.21747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2018] [Revised: 06/12/2018] [Accepted: 08/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Melinda A. Zeder
- Department of AnthropologyNational Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution Washington District of Columbia
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34
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Mesoudi A. Migration, acculturation, and the maintenance of between-group cultural variation. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0205573. [PMID: 30325943 PMCID: PMC6191118 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0205573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2018] [Accepted: 09/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
How do migration and acculturation (i.e. psychological or behavioral change resulting from migration) affect within- and between-group cultural variation? Here I address this question by drawing analogies between genetic and cultural evolution. Population genetic models show that migration rapidly breaks down between-group genetic structure. In cultural evolution, however, migrants or their descendants can acculturate to local behaviors via social learning processes such as conformity, potentially preventing migration from eliminating between-group cultural variation. An analysis of the empirical literature on migration suggests that acculturation is common, with second and subsequent migrant generations shifting, sometimes substantially, towards the cultural values of the adopted society. Yet there is little understanding of the individual-level dynamics that underlie these population-level shifts. To explore this formally, I present models quantifying the effect of migration and acculturation on between-group cultural variation, for both neutral and costly cooperative traits. In the models, between-group cultural variation, measured using F statistics, is eliminated by migration and maintained by conformist acculturation. The extent of acculturation is determined by the strength of conformist bias and the number of demonstrators from whom individuals learn. Acculturation is countered by assortation, the tendency for individuals to preferentially interact with culturally-similar others. Unlike neutral traits, cooperative traits can additionally be maintained by payoff-biased social learning, but only in the presence of strong sanctioning mechanisms (e.g. institutions). Overall, the models show that surprisingly little conformist acculturation is required to maintain realistic amounts of between-group cultural diversity. While these models provide insight into the potential dynamics of acculturation and migration in cultural evolution, they also highlight the need for more empirical research into the individual-level learning biases that underlie migrant acculturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Mesoudi
- Human Behaviour and Cultural Evolution Group, Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, United Kingdom
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Müller TF, Winters J. Compression in cultural evolution: Homogeneity and structure in the emergence and evolution of a large-scale online collaborative art project. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0202019. [PMID: 30183760 PMCID: PMC6124739 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Cultural evolutionary theory provides a framework for explaining change in population-level distributions. A consistent finding in the literature is that multiple transmission episodes shape a distribution of cultural traits to become more compressible, i.e., a set of derived traits are more compressed than their ancestral forms. Importantly, this amplification of compressible patterns can become manifest in two ways, either via the homogenisation of variation or through the organisation of variation into structured and specialised patterns. Using a novel, large-scale dataset from Reddit Place, an online collaborative art project, we investigate the emergence and evolution of compressible patterns on a 1000x1000 pixel canvas. Here, all Reddit users could select a coloured pixel, place it on the canvas, and then wait for a fixed period before placing another pixel. By analysing all 16.5 million pixel placements by over 1 million individuals, we found that compression follows a quadratic trajectory through time. From a non-structured state, where individual artworks exist relatively independently from one another, Place gradually transitions to a structured state where pixel placements form specialised, interdependent patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas F. Müller
- Minds and Traditions Research Group, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - James Winters
- Minds and Traditions Research Group, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
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36
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Scott-Phillips T, Blancke S, Heintz C. Four misunderstandings about cultural attraction. Evol Anthropol 2018; 27:162-173. [PMID: 30099809 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Revised: 05/12/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Cultural attraction theory (CAT) is a research agenda the purpose of which is to develop causal explanations of cultural phenomena. CAT is also an evolutionary approach to culture, in the sense that it treats culture as a population of items of different types, with the frequency of tokens of those types changing over time. Now more than 20 years old, CAT has made many positive contributions, theoretical and empirical, to the naturalization of the social sciences. In consequence of this growing impact, CAT has, in recent years, been the subject of critical discussion. Here, we review and respond to these critiques. In so doing, we also provide a clear and concise introduction to CAT. We give clear characterizations of CAT's key theoretical notions, and we outline how these notions are derived from consideration of the natural character of cultural phenomena (Box ). This naturalistic quality distinguishes CAT from other evolutionary approaches to culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thom Scott-Phillips
- Department of Cognitive Science, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Stefaan Blancke
- Department of Cognitive Science, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Philosophy and Moral Science, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Christophe Heintz
- Department of Cognitive Science, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary
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37
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Bromham L, Hua X, Cardillo M, Schneemann H, Greenhill SJ. Parasites and politics: why cross-cultural studies must control for relatedness, proximity and covariation. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:181100. [PMID: 30225088 PMCID: PMC6124128 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.181100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/20/2018] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
A growing number of studies seek to identify predictors of broad-scale patterns in human cultural diversity, but three sources of non-independence in human cultural variables can bias the results of cross-cultural studies. First, related cultures tend to have many traits in common, regardless of whether those traits are functionally linked. Second, societies in geographical proximity will share many aspects of culture, environment and demography. Third, many cultural traits covary, leading to spurious relationships between traits. Here, we demonstrate tractable methods for dealing with all three sources of bias. We use cross-cultural analyses of proposed associations between human cultural traits and parasite load to illustrate the potential problems of failing to correct for these three forms of statistical non-independence. Associations between parasite stress and sociosexuality, authoritarianism, democracy and language diversity are weak or absent once relatedness and proximity are taken into account, and parasite load has no more power to explain variation in traditionalism, religiosity and collectivism than other measures of biodiversity, climate or population size do. Without correction for statistical non-independence and covariation in cross-cultural analyses, we risk misinterpreting associations between culture and environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindell Bromham
- Macroevolution and Macroecology, Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia
| | - Xia Hua
- Macroevolution and Macroecology, Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia
| | - Marcel Cardillo
- Macroevolution and Macroecology, Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia
| | - Hilde Schneemann
- Macroevolution and Macroecology, Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia
- Erasmus Mundus Master in Evolutionary Biology (MEME), Place E. Bataillon, Montpellier 34095, France
| | - Simon J. Greenhill
- ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia
- Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, Jena 07743, Germany
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38
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Exploring the Dedicated Knowledge Base of a Transformation towards a Sustainable Bioeconomy. SUSTAINABILITY 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/su10061694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Creanza N, Kolodny O, Feldman MW. Cultural evolutionary theory: How culture evolves and why it matters. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:7782-7789. [PMID: 28739941 PMCID: PMC5544263 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1620732114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Human cultural traits-behaviors, ideas, and technologies that can be learned from other individuals-can exhibit complex patterns of transmission and evolution, and researchers have developed theoretical models, both verbal and mathematical, to facilitate our understanding of these patterns. Many of the first quantitative models of cultural evolution were modified from existing concepts in theoretical population genetics because cultural evolution has many parallels with, as well as clear differences from, genetic evolution. Furthermore, cultural and genetic evolution can interact with one another and influence both transmission and selection. This interaction requires theoretical treatments of gene-culture coevolution and dual inheritance, in addition to purely cultural evolution. In addition, cultural evolutionary theory is a natural component of studies in demography, human ecology, and many other disciplines. Here, we review the core concepts in cultural evolutionary theory as they pertain to the extension of biology through culture, focusing on cultural evolutionary applications in population genetics, ecology, and demography. For each of these disciplines, we review the theoretical literature and highlight relevant empirical studies. We also discuss the societal implications of the study of cultural evolution and of the interactions of humans with one another and with their environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Creanza
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235
| | - Oren Kolodny
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
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Whiten A, Ayala FJ, Feldman MW, Laland KN. The extension of biology through culture. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:7775-7781. [PMID: 28739924 PMCID: PMC5544333 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1707630114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Whiten
- Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews KY16 9JP, United Kingdom;
| | - Francisco J Ayala
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697
| | | | - Kevin N Laland
- Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution, School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews KY16 9JP, United Kingdom
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Abstract
The complexity and variability of human culture is unmatched by any other species. Humans live in culturally constructed niches filled with artifacts, skills, beliefs, and practices that have been inherited, accumulated, and modified over generations. A causal account of the complexity of human culture must explain its distinguishing characteristics: It is cumulative and highly variable within and across populations. I propose that the psychological adaptations supporting cumulative cultural transmission are universal but are sufficiently flexible to support the acquisition of highly variable behavioral repertoires. This paper describes variation in the transmission practices (teaching) and acquisition strategies (imitation) that support cumulative cultural learning in childhood. Examining flexibility and variation in caregiver socialization and children's learning extends our understanding of evolution in living systems by providing insight into the psychological foundations of cumulative cultural transmission-the cornerstone of human cultural diversity.
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Abstract
Discoveries about the cultures and cultural capacities of the great apes have played a leading role in the recognition emerging in recent decades that cultural inheritance can be a significant factor in the lives not only of humans but also of nonhuman animals. This prominence derives in part from these primates being those with whom we share the most recent common ancestry, thus offering clues to the origins of our own thoroughgoing reliance on cumulative cultural achievements. In addition, the intense research focus on these species has spawned an unprecedented diversity of complementary methodological approaches, the results of which suggest that cultural phenomena pervade the lives of these apes, with potentially major implications for their broader evolutionary biology. Here I review what this extremely broad array of observational and experimental methodologies has taught us about the cultural lives of chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans and consider the ways in which this knowledge extends our wider understanding of primate biology and the processes of adaptation and evolution that shape it. I address these issues first by evaluating the extent to which the results of cultural inheritance echo a suite of core principles that underlie organic Darwinian evolution but also extend them in new ways and then by assessing the principal causal interactions between the primary, genetically based organic processes of evolution and the secondary system of cultural inheritance that is based on social learning from others.
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Synchronized practice helps bearded capuchin monkeys learn to extend attention while learning a tradition. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:7798-7805. [PMID: 28739944 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1621071114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Culture extends biology in that the setting of development shapes the traditions that individuals learn, and over time, traditions evolve as occasional variations are learned by others. In humans, interactions with others impact the development of cognitive processes, such as sustained attention, that shape how individuals learn as well as what they learn. Thus, learning itself is impacted by culture. Here, we explore how social partners might shape the development of psychological processes impacting learning a tradition. We studied bearded capuchin monkeys learning a traditional tool-using skill, cracking nuts using stone hammers. Young monkeys practice components of cracking nuts with stones for years before achieving proficiency. We examined the time course of young monkeys' activity with nuts before, during, and following others' cracking nuts. Results demonstrate that the onset of others' cracking nuts immediately prompts young monkeys to start handling and percussing nuts, and they continue these activities while others are cracking. When others stop cracking nuts, young monkeys sustain the uncommon actions of percussing and striking nuts for shorter periods than the more common actions of handling nuts. We conclude that nut-cracking by adults can promote the development of sustained attention for the critical but less common actions that young monkeys must practice to learn this traditional skill. This work suggests that in nonhuman species, as in humans, socially specified settings of development impact learning processes as well as learning outcomes. Nonhumans, like humans, may be culturally variable learners.
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