Unknotting the interactive effects of learning processes on cultural evolutionary dynamics

Scanlon, Lauren; Lobb, Andrew; Tehrani, Jamshid J.; Kendal, Jeremy R.

Abstract

Forms of non-random copying error provide sources of inherited variation yet their effects on cultural evolutionary dynamics are poorly understood. Focusing on variation in granny and reef knot forms, we present a mathematical model that specifies how these variant frequencies are affected by non-linear interactions between copying fidelity, mirroring, handedness and repetition biases. Experiments on adult humans allowed these effects to be estimated using Approximate Bayesian Computation and the model is iterated to explain the prevalence of granny over reef knots in the wild. Our study system also serves to show conditions under which copying fidelity drives heterogeneity in cultural variants at equilibrium, and that interaction between unbiased forms of copying error can skew cultural variation.

Citation

Scanlon, L., Lobb, A., Tehrani, J. J., & Kendal, J. R. (2019). Unknotting the interactive effects of learning processes on cultural evolutionary dynamics. Evolutionary Human Sciences, 1, Article e17. https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2019.17

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 11, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Dec 23, 2019
• Publication Date: Dec 23, 2019
• Deposit Date: Nov 11, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 16, 2019
• Journal: Evolutionary Human Sciences
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 1
• Article Number: e17
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2019.17