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Narrative as cultural attractor
James Holland Jones1, Calder Hilde-Jones2
1Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, University of California San Diego, Stanford, CA 94305-4216jhj1@stanford.eduhttps://heeh.stanford.edu.
The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|May 8, 2023
Summary
Narratives, structured relationally, transmit cultural information effectively. Their complex structure, however, impacts cultural element transmission, selection, adaptation, and robustness.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Cultural Evolution
- Information Theory
Background:
- Narratives serve as key cultural attractors, facilitating information transmission.
- The inherent structure of narratives influences how cultural elements are communicated and evolve.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore how the relational framework of narratives impacts cultural transmission.
- To analyze the role of narrative structure in cultural element selection and adaptation.
Main Methods:
- Systematic analysis of narrative structures.
- Modeling of information flow within cultural systems.
- Examination of correlations between narrative elements.
Main Results:
- Relational narrative structures are efficient for information transmission.
- Correlations introduced by narrative structure complicate cultural element selection.
- Narrative structure influences the adaptation, complexity, and robustness of cultural elements.
Conclusions:
- The systematic relational framework of narratives is crucial for cultural transmission.
- Understanding narrative structure is key to comprehending cultural evolution dynamics.
- Narrative complexity affects cultural system adaptation and resilience.
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