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Selective imitation for a private sign system.

D C Krakauer1

  • 1Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, Olden Lane, NJ 08540, USA. krakauer@ias.edu

Journal of Theoretical Biology
|March 16, 2002
PubMed
Summary
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This study explores how arbitrary signs, like human language, can evolve from simpler animal signals through selective imitation. Social structures and kinship play key roles in developing symbolic communication systems.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary linguistics
  • Game theory
  • Animal communication

Background:

  • Human languages feature arbitrary signs (signifiers), where meaning is by convention, not function.
  • This arbitrariness allows linguistic flexibility and is crucial for symbolic communication.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate how non-arbitrary animal signals can evolve into diverse, arbitrary signs through cultural evolution.
  • Explore the evolutionary hypothesis of private, arbitrary sign emergence via selective imitation in structured populations.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized game theoretic models to simulate signal imitation.
  • Examined the role of social structure and kinship in the evolution of symbolic systems.

Main Results:

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  • Arbitrary signs emerge from selective imitation within socially structured populations.
  • Arbitrary signs promote assortative interactions among users of shared sign systems.
  • Kinship acts as a mechanism for the creation of true symbols.

Conclusions:

  • Social structure, particularly kinship, facilitates the evolution of arbitrary symbolic communication.
  • Imitation-structured populations support more diverse sign systems than unstructured ones.
  • Symbols become dominant in assortative interactions within imitation-structured populations.