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Introduction

Cultural traits are embedded in webs of relations and sequentially acquired and evaluated – filtered – in light of previously acquired traits. Incorporating multiple traits and their relations is needed to understand the organisation, dynamics, and emergent products of cultural evolution.

Approach

We introduce a modelling framework of individual filtering of interdependent traits and explore the effects on cultural transmission and emergent phenomena, through mathematical treatment and simulations.

Findings

Sequential acquisition of compatible traits leads to culturally evolved filters. These organise culture into mostly consistent and stable systems. Depending on the structure of trait relations, they modulate rates of cultural change, exhibit path dependence and punctuated equilibria, and can generate convergent transmission, clustering and polarisation.

Discussion

A systems view of culture can give a fuller understanding of the source and character of emergent phenomena. It increases the scope of cultural evolution, whereby faithful transmission, self-organisation and filters can be accounted for by systems dynamics without strong assumptions on innate machinery.