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Cultural traits operating in senders are driving forces of cultural evolution
Centre for Cultural Evolution, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SE–106 91, Sweden. Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, SE–106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-0198-1288
Mälardalen University, School of Education, Culture and Communication, Educational Sciences and Mathematics. Centre for Cultural Evolution, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SE–106 91, Sweden. Institute for Futures Studies, SE–101 31 Stockholm, Sweden. (MAM)
Centre for Cultural Evolution, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SE–106 91, Sweden. Department of Psychology, Brooklyn College, 2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11210, USA. Department of Psychology, CUNY Graduate Center, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7270-9612
Mälardalen University, School of Education, Culture and Communication, Educational Sciences and Mathematics. Centre for Cultural Evolution, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SE–106 91, Sweden. (MAM)ORCID iD: 0000-0001-6194-1355
2024 (English)In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, ISSN 0962-8452, Vol. 291, no 2018Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

We introduce a mathematical model of cultural evolution to study cultural traits that shape how individuals exchange information. Current theory focuses on traits that influence the reception of information (receiver traits), such as evaluating whether information represents the majority or stems from a trusted source. Our model shifts the focus from the receiver to the sender of cultural information and emphasizes the role of sender traits, such as communicability or persuasiveness. Here, we show that sender traits are probably a stronger driving force in cultural evolution than receiver traits. While receiver traits evolve to curb cultural transmission, sender traits can amplify it and fuel the self-organization of systems of mutually supporting cultural traits, including traits that cannot be maintained on their own. Such systems can reach arbitrary complexity, potentially explaining uniquely human practical and mental skills, goals, knowledge and creativity, independent of innate factors. Our model incorporates social and individual learning throughout the lifespan, thus connecting cultural evolutionary theory with developmental psychology. This approach provides fresh insights into the trait-individual duality, that is, how cultural transmission of single traits is influenced by individuals, who are each represented as an acquired system of cultural traits.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Royal society publishing , 2024. Vol. 291, no 2018
Keywords [en]
cultural evolution, cultural transmission, cumulative culture, developmental psychology, dynamical systems, trait-individual duality
National Category
Mathematics
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-66250DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2110ISI: 001183512400006PubMedID: 38471552Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85187799771OAI: oai:DiVA.org:mdh-66250DiVA, id: diva2:1844302
Available from: 2024-03-13 Created: 2024-03-13 Last updated: 2024-04-24Bibliographically approved

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Jansson, FredrikMichaud, Jérôme

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