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The HoneyComb Paradigm for Research on Collective Human Behavior
Published on: January 19, 2019
A game theoretical approach to the evolution of structured communication codes
José F Fontanari1, Leonid I Perlovsky
1Instituto de Física de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, Caixa Postal 369, São Carlos, SP, 13560-970, Brazil. fontanari@ifsc.usp.br
Theory in Biosciences = Theorie in Den Biowissenschaften
|March 8, 2008
Summary
Structured meaning-signal mappings evolve when individuals with shared communication codes interact more frequently. This spatial organization facilitates the spread of linguistic innovations, supporting the mother tongue hypothesis for human language evolution.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary linguistics
- Game theory
- Computational social science
Background:
- Structured meaning-signal mappings are crucial for effective communication, especially under noisy conditions.
- Traditional random interaction models fail to explain the evolution of these structured mappings due to evolutionary dynamics getting trapped in local optima.
- The spatial organization of populations may play a critical role in overcoming these evolutionary limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analytically demonstrate how spatial population structure facilitates the evolution of structured meaning-signal mappings.
- To investigate the impact of local communication networks (K nearest neighbors) on the fixation probability of advantageous linguistic innovations.
- To provide theoretical support for the mother tongue hypothesis regarding the origins of human language.
Main Methods:
- Development and analysis of a simple game theoretical model incorporating spatial population structure.
- Analytical derivation of conditions for the spread of linguistic innovations.
- Computer simulations of communication networks with K nearest neighbors to assess fixation probabilities.
Main Results:
- Spatial organization, leading to preferential interaction among users of the same code, enables the spread of beneficial linguistic innovations.
- The probability of fixation for a more efficient communication code decreases exponentially with an increasing number of neighbors (K).
- The model analytically explains how evolutionary dynamics can escape local optima in structured populations.
Conclusions:
- Preferential interaction within spatially organized populations is a key driver for the evolution of structured communication systems.
- Limited communication scope (small K) favors the establishment of novel, efficient communication codes.
- Findings support the mother tongue hypothesis, suggesting language evolved from kin-based communication systems.
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