Gene-culture coevolution: a test of the steady-state hypothesis for gene-culture translation

Although there has been considerable discussion of the gene-culture theory (GCT) approach to biocultural systems, relatively little critical attention has focused on the specific approximations used in GCT, or on their improvement. Here we consider the steady-state hypothesis used in GCT models to connect activity on the level of individual choice behavior to the level of societies taken as wholes. The hypothesis is tested by using Monte Carlo techniques to estimate solutions to the dynamical equation for social order. The steady-state hypothesis is found generally to be invalid for all the categories of choice function originally considered by Lumsden and Wilson, but acceptable for the highly restricted parameter ranges used in their treatments of the gene-frequency change. The implications for the development of improved gene-culture modeling techniques are discussed.