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Unknotting the interactive effects of learning processes on cultural evolutionary dynamics.
Lauren A Scanlon1,2, Andrew Lobb1, Jamshid J Tehrani2
1Department Of Mathematics, Durham University, Durham, UK.
Evolutionary Human Sciences
|August 17, 2023
Summary
Non-random copying errors influence cultural evolution. Our model explains why granny knots are more common than reef knots due to factors like copying fidelity and handedness.
Area of Science:
- Cultural Evolution
- Behavioral Ecology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Non-random copying errors are a source of inherited variation.
- The impact of these errors on cultural evolutionary dynamics remains unclear.
- Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for explaining cultural diversity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To mathematically model the effects of non-random copying errors on cultural variant frequencies.
- To investigate the interplay of copying fidelity, mirroring, handedness, and repetition biases.
- To explain the observed prevalence of specific cultural variants, such as granny knots over reef knots.
Main Methods:
- Development of a mathematical model incorporating non-linear interactions of copying biases.
- Experimental estimation of these effects in adult humans using approximate Bayesian computation.
- Iteration of the model to predict and explain real-world cultural variant prevalence.
Main Results:
- The model successfully quantifies the influence of copying fidelity, mirroring, handedness, and repetition on variant frequencies.
- It explains the higher prevalence of granny knots compared to reef knots in natural settings.
- Copying fidelity can drive cultural variant heterogeneity at equilibrium.
Conclusions:
- Non-random copying errors, particularly the interaction of biases, significantly shape cultural variation.
- The study provides a framework for understanding how simple copying mechanisms generate complex cultural patterns.
- Even unbiased errors can lead to skewed cultural variation, highlighting the importance of error dynamics.
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