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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 14, 2026

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

Published on: August 25, 2023

Whose subjectivity? Power and inequality in cultural selection.

Zachary H Garfield¹

¹Africa Institute for Research in Economics and Social Science, University of Mohammed VI Polytechnic, Rabat, Morocco zachary.garfield@um6p.ma https://zhgarfield.github.io/.

The Behavioral and Brain Sciences

|July 13, 2026

Summary

Subjective selection links individual minds to cultural trends. However, social hierarchies, power dynamics, and inequality influence whose perceptions become cultural traditions, reflecting both shared psychology and unequal influence.

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 14, 2026

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

Published on: August 25, 2023

Area of Science:

Cognitive Science
Social Psychology
Cultural Anthropology

Background:

Singh's framework proposes subjective selection as a mechanism linking individual cognition to cultural convergence.
Existing models may not fully account for the role of social structures in shaping cultural transmission.

Purpose of the Study:

To elaborate on Singh's framework by introducing the concept of hierarchical mediation in subjective selection.
To analyze how social hierarchies influence the amplification of individual perceptions into cultural traditions.

Main Methods:

Conceptual analysis and theoretical commentary on existing frameworks.
Integration of social power dynamics and inequality into models of cultural evolution.

Main Results:

Subjective selection is not uniformly enacted; it is hierarchically mediated by influence, authority, and interdependence.
Inequality and social power significantly determine whose evaluations gain cultural traction.

Conclusions:

Cultural traditions reflect a complex interplay between shared human psychology and the unequal distribution of social influence.
Understanding hierarchical mediation is crucial for a comprehensive model of cultural convergence and societal influence.