How evolved psychological mechanisms empower cultural group selection

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Henrich ◽  
Robert Boyd
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Phenotypic Variation ◽  
Group Selection ◽  
Cultural Group ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Psychological Mechanisms ◽  
Cultural Group Selection ◽  
Intergroup Competition ◽  
Evolved Psychological Mechanisms

AbstractDriven by intergroup competition, social norms, beliefs, and practices can evolve in ways that more effectively tap into a wide variety of evolved psychological mechanisms to foster group-beneficial behavior. The more powerful such evolved mechanisms are, the more effectively culture can potentially harness and manipulate them to generate greater phenotypic variation across groups, thereby fueling cultural group selection.

Does cultural group selection explain the evolution of pet-keeping?

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold Herzog
Keyword(s):  
Group Selection ◽  
Cultural Group ◽  
Cultural Group Selection ◽  
Intergroup Competition ◽  
Inheritance System ◽  
Group Variation

AbstractPet-keeping is highly variable across cultures in both frequency and form. Cultural group selection offers a plausible explanation for the development and spread of this uniquely human phenomenon in that pet-keeping involves an inheritance system, socially transmitted norms and preferences, substantial between-group variation, and (albeit indirectly) intergroup competition.

Intergroup competition may not be needed for shaping group cooperation and cultural group selection

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carsten K. W. De Dreu ◽  
Daniel Balliet
Keyword(s):  
Group Selection ◽  
Cultural Group ◽  
Group Effectiveness ◽  
Intergroup Interactions ◽  
Cultural Group Selection ◽  
Intergroup Competition ◽  
Group Cooperation ◽  
Zero Sum ◽  
Group Trust

AbstractBecause intergroup interactions often are mixed-motive rather than strictly zero-sum, groups often negotiate settlements that enable both cultures to thrive. Moreover, group prosperity rests on in-group love (rather than out-group hate) that emerges also absent intergroup competition or comparison. It follows that cultural group selection (CGS) reflects group effectiveness in organizing in-group trust and cooperation, rather than winning (in)direct intergroup competitions.

Envy Reduction in Economics: Equity, Altruism and ‘Cultural Group Selection’

2003 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-151
Author(s):  
Gianrocco Tucci
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Group Selection ◽  
Structured Populations ◽  
Cultural Group ◽  
Evolutionary Processes ◽  
Cultural Group Selection ◽  
The Common ◽  
Cultural Traits ◽  
Cultural Evolutionary

Abstract This paper develops a set of arguments for envy reduction within economics. It tries to show that, if humans are psychologically biased towards accepting the group social norms, such as imitating the common behavior which may also happen to be the most successful in solving the puzzle of decision making, then cultural evolutionary processes will favour and stabilize cooperation. Then, the article discusses how, once cooperation is stable, ‘cultural group selection’ is likely to spread group-beneficial cultural traits - such as altruism considered here as the opposite of envy - through structured populations.

When is the spread of a cultural trait due to cultural group selection? The case of religious syncretism

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Santana ◽  
Raj Patel ◽  
Shereen Chang ◽  
Michael Weisberg
Keyword(s):  
Group Selection ◽  
Cultural Group ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Cultural Group Selection ◽  
Cultural Trait ◽  
Cultural Systems ◽  
Cultural Traits ◽  
Religious Syncretism

AbstractThe reproduction of cultural systems in cases where cultural group selection may occur is typically incomplete, with only certain cultural traits being adopted by less successful cultural groups. Why a particular trait and not another is transmitted might not be explained by cultural group selection. We explore this issue through the case of religious syncretism.

Mother–infant cultural group selection

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
James S. Chisholm ◽  
David A. Coall ◽  
Leslie Atkinson
Keyword(s):  
Group Selection ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Cultural Group ◽  
Cultural Group Selection

AbstractRicherson et al. argue that “cultural group selection plays an essential role in explaining human cooperation.” We believe that cooperation came first, making culture and thus cultural group selection possible. Cooperation and culture began – and begins – in mother–infant interaction.

Can Group-Functional Behaviors Evolve by Cultural Group Selection?: An Empirical Test

1995 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 473-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Soltis ◽  
Robert Boyd ◽  
Peter J. Richerson
Keyword(s):  
Group Selection ◽  
Empirical Test ◽  
Cultural Group ◽  
Cultural Group Selection

Human evolutionary history and contemporary evolutionary theory provide insight when assessing cultural group selection

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agustin Fuentes ◽  
Marc Kissel
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Theory ◽  
Group Selection ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Cultural Group ◽  
Cultural Group Selection ◽  
Relevant Evidence ◽  
Current Proposal

AbstractRicherson et al. provide a much needed roadmap for assessing cultural group selection (CGS) theory and for applying it to understanding variation between contemporary human groups. However, the current proposal lacks connection to relevant evidence from the human evolutionary record and requires a better integration with contemporary evolutionary theory. The article also misapplies the Fst statistic.

scholarly journals Cultural group selection is plausible, but the predictions of its hypotheses should be tested with real-world data

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Turchin ◽  
Thomas E. Currie
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Group Selection ◽  
Cultural Group ◽  
Real World Data ◽  
World Data ◽  
Cultural Group Selection ◽  
Target Article

AbstractThe evidence compiled in the target article demonstrates that the assumptions of cultural group selection (CGS) theory are often met, and it is therefore a useful framework for generating plausible hypotheses. However, more can be said about how we can test the predictions of CGS hypotheses against competing explanations using historical, archaeological, and anthropological data.

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