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The Innovation Arena: A Method for Comparing Innovative Problem-Solving Across Groups
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Innovation in the collective brain.

Michael Muthukrishna1, Joseph Henrich2

  • 1Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA Department of Social Psychology, London School of Economics, London WC2A 3LJ, UK michael@muthukrishna.com.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
|March 2, 2016
PubMed
Summary

Human innovation arises from collective intelligence within social networks, not just individual genius. Our societies function as

Keywords:
cultural evolutioninnovationintelligencelanguagesocial learningtechnology

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Social Psychology
  • Evolutionary Anthropology

Background:

  • Traditional views attribute innovation to a select few.
  • This study challenges the individualistic model of innovation.
  • It proposes innovation as a collective, emergent phenomenon.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To reframe innovation as a product of collective intelligence.
  • To explore the role of social structures in driving innovation.
  • To analyze the factors influencing innovation rates.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis of cultural learning and social networks.
  • Framework development for collective brain dynamics.
  • Review of existing literature on innovation and intelligence.

Main Results:

  • Innovation emerges from the interplay of sociality, transmission fidelity, and cultural variance.
  • Societies act as 'collective brains,' enhancing innovation.
  • Factors like language size influence transmission efficiency.

Conclusions:

  • Collective intelligence, facilitated by social networks, is the primary driver of human innovation.
  • This perspective offers new insights into intelligence (IQ) and its variations.
  • Understanding collective brains can explain historical IQ score increases and group differences.