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Context congruence: How associative learning modulates cultural evolution
Monica Tamariz1,2, Aliki Papa1,3, Mioara Cristea1
1Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Plos One
|April 4, 2023
Summary
Individuals are more likely to transmit cultural variants learned in a congruent context, showing context congruence bias influences cultural transmission more than prestige bias.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Social Psychology
- Evolutionary Anthropology
Background:
- Cultural transmission is influenced by factors like model prestige and variant frequency.
- The impact of context congruence on onward cultural transmission remains understudied.
- Understanding transmission choices is key to explaining cultural evolution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how context congruence affects the choice of cultural variants for onward transmission.
- To compare the influence of context congruence bias versus prestige bias in cultural transmission.
- To examine the role of the model-learner relationship in transmission decisions.
Main Methods:
- Participants learned puzzle-solving methods from an "expert" or a "peer".
- Participants then transmitted one learned method to a "novice" or another "peer".
- Experimental design manipulated learning and transmission contexts (expert-to-novice vs. peer-to-peer).
Main Results:
- Participants showed a prestige bias, favoring variants learned from an expert.
- Crucially, participants were more likely to transmit variants learned in a congruent context.
- Computer simulations indicated context congruence bias was stronger than prestige bias.
Conclusions:
- Context congruence significantly influences cultural transmission, sometimes overriding prestige effects.
- The relationship between learning and transmission contexts is a critical factor in cultural evolution.
- Future research should explore the interplay of various biases in cultural learning and transmission.
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