Cultural coevolution of norm adoption and enforcement when punishers are rewarded or non-punishers are punished

Kendal, J.; Feldman, M.W.; Aoki, K.

Abstract

A number of studies have shown that social norms can be maintained at a high frequency when norm-violators are punished. However, there remains the problem of how norm-adopters and punishers coevolve within a single group. We develop a recursive system to examine the coevolution of norm-adopters and punishers where the viability of punishers is enhanced by one of two “metanorms”: (1) Norm-observers reward punishers for punishing norm-violators (Reward Model); (2) Punishers punish non-punishers (Punishment Model). Both models generate a bistable system and each is characterized in phenotype frequency space by a distinct region of attraction to the equilibrium consisting of only norm-adopting punishers. Using a Monte Carlo simulation, we find that cultural drift may allow norm-adopters and punishers to coevolve from invasion into this region of attraction, resulting in their fixation. This coevolution typically occurs across a wider range of conditions under the reward- than the punishment-based metanorm. We also show that, under appropriate conditions, a large negative statistical association between the two traits may evolve only under the Reward Model. Furthermore, for each metanorm, a population of norm-adopters who always observe the norm can be locally stable over a continuum of punishment frequencies.

Citation

Kendal, J., Feldman, M., & Aoki, K. (2006). Cultural coevolution of norm adoption and enforcement when punishers are rewarded or non-punishers are punished. Theoretical Population Biology, 70(1), 10-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tpb.2006.01.003

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Aug 1, 2006
• Deposit Date: Jan 16, 2008
• Journal: Theoretical Population Biology
• Print ISSN: 0040-5809
• Electronic ISSN: 1096-0325
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 70
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 10-25
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tpb.2006.01.003
• Keywords: Cultural drift, Cultural evolution, Metanorm, Norm adoption, Punishment.
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1535837