Vidiella, Blai;
Carrignon, Simon;
Bentley, R Alexander;
O'Brien, Michael J;
Valverde, Sergi;
(2022)
A cultural evolutionary theory that explains both gradual and punctuated change.
Journal of the Royal Society Interface
, 19
(196)
, Article 20220570. 10.1098/rsif.2022.0570.
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Abstract
Cumulative cultural evolution (CCE) occurs among humans who may be presented with many similar options from which to choose, as well as many social influences and diverse environments. It is unknown what general principles underlie the wide range of CCE dynamics and whether they can all be explained by the same unified paradigm. Here, we present a scalable evolutionary model of discrete choice with social learning, based on a few behavioural science assumptions. This paradigm connects the degree of transparency in social learning to the human tendency to imitate others. Computer simulations and quantitative analysis show the interaction of three primary factors - information transparency, popularity bias and population size - drives the pace of CCE. The model predicts a stable rate of evolutionary change for modest degrees of popularity bias. As popularity bias grows, the transition from gradual to punctuated change occurs, with maladaptive subpopulations arising on their own. When the popularity bias gets too severe, CCE stops. This provides a consistent framework for explaining the rich and complex adaptive dynamics taking place in the real world, such as modern digital media.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | A cultural evolutionary theory that explains both gradual and punctuated change |
| Location: | England |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1098/rsif.2022.0570 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2022.0570 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2022 The Authors. Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited. |
| Keywords: | Science & Technology, Multidisciplinary Sciences, Science & Technology - Other Topics, cultural evolution, punctuated evolution, social learning, transparency, popularity bias, DECISION-MAKING, POPULATION-SIZE, COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR, SOCIAL NETWORKS, DISCRETE-CHOICE, TRANSMISSION, CONFORMITY, INTELLIGENCE, COOPERATION, LEADERSHIP |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences > Genetics, Evolution and Environment |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10198569 |
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