Building Cumulative Culture

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-53
Author(s):  
Kim Sterelny
Keyword(s):  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Gradual Increase ◽  
Cultural Learning ◽  
Historical Reconstruction ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Cumulative Culture ◽  
Scenario Building ◽  
Early Humans ◽  
Gradual Expansion ◽  
Human Social Behaviour

This chapter begins with a discussion of methodological issues about historical reconstruction and scenario-building. To what extent can a theory of the emergence of human social behaviour be empirically constrained? What is known (and what is not known) of the behaviour of early humans? The chapter then turns to a substantive project: developing an account of the gradual expansion of cultural learning in the hominin lineage, and of the archaeological signatures of a gradual increase in bandwidth and reliability of that learning. The emphasis in this chapter is the importance of cultural learning in making cooperation increasingly profitable.

Skill-based engagement with a rich landscape of affordances as an alternative to thinking through other minds

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Kiverstein ◽  
Erik Rietveld
Keyword(s):  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Cultural Learning ◽  
Other Minds ◽  
Middle Way ◽  
Internalist Account

Abstract Veissière and colleagues make a valiant attempt at reconciling an internalist account of implicit cultural learning with an externalist account that understands social behaviour in terms of its environment-involving dynamics. However, unfortunately the author's attempt to forge a middle way between internalism and externalism fails. We argue their failure stems from the overly individualistic understanding of the perception of cultural affordances they propose.

Evolutionary Social Science and Transcultural Psychiatry

1994 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 339-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel Paris
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Parental Investment ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Biopsychosocial Model ◽  
Transcultural Psychiatry ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Cultural Variations ◽  
Human Social Behaviour

Evolutionary principles can explain many aspects of human social behaviour. Despite important contro versies concerning the theory of sociobiology, evol utionary models offer cogent explanations for social phenomena such as altruism and parental investment. Evolutionary social science also has an important relevance for transcultural psychiatry, in that it is consistent with a biopsychosocial model for the etiology of psychiatric disorders, and points to the universals which underlie cultural variations in psychopathology.

scholarly journals Associations between Oxytocin Receptor Gene Polymorphisms, Empathy towards Animals and Implicit Associations towards Animals

Animals ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Connor ◽  
Alistair Lawrence ◽  
Sarah Brown
Keyword(s):  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Allelic Variation ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Oxytocin Receptor ◽  
Implicit Associations ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Psychological Variables ◽  
Oxytocin Receptor Gene ◽  
Receptor Gene Polymorphisms ◽  
Human Social Behaviour

Oxytocin has been well researched in association with psychological variables and is widely accepted as a key modulator of human social behaviour. Previous work indicates involvement of oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in human-human empathy, however little is known about associations of OXTR SNPs with empathy and affective reactions of humans towards animals. Five OXTR SNPs previously found to associate with human social behaviour were genotyped in 161 students. Empathy towards animals and implicit associations were evaluated. A General Linear Model was used to investigate the OXTR alleles and allelic combinations along with socio-demographic variables and their influence on empathy towards animals. Empathy towards animals showed a significant association with OXTR SNP rs2254298; homozygous G individuals reported higher levels of empathy towards animals than heterozygous (GA). Our preliminary findings show, for the first time, that between allelic variation in OXTR and animal directed empathy in humans maybe associated, suggesting that OXTRs social behaviour role crosses species boundaries, warranting independent replication.

Hume’s Jurisprudence

2019 ◽  
pp. 107-140
Author(s):  
Gerald J. Postema
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Common Interest ◽  
Mutual Benefit ◽  
Theory Of Justice ◽  
Argument Proceeds ◽  
Two Stages ◽  
Human Social Behaviour

This chapter continues the discussion of Hume's theory of justice. Justice addresses the problems arising from the inevitable interdependence of human social behaviour. The sole virtue of justice lies in coordinating this social interaction. Its necessity lies in the disastrous consequences of failure to coordinate it. The special genius of Hume's account of justice lies in his realization of the fact that in this necessity, and the strategic interdependence of social behaviour, also lies the possibility of success. The problem, as Hume sees it, is to explain how general concurrence in a scheme of rules for mutual benefit might arise. Hume's explanation involves giving an account of the strategic situation facing each of the parties in the group and a description of the processes of self-adjustment of belief, intention, and sentiment which result from recognition of this situation. His argument proceeds in two stages: in the first he explains the emergence of a sense of common interest; in the second he explains how this convention is made specific.

Genetics of Human Social Behaviour

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard P Ebstein ◽  
Rachel-Bachner Melman ◽  
Poh San Lai ◽  
Mikhail Monakhov ◽  
Soo Hong Chew
Keyword(s):  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Human Social Behaviour

scholarly journals Economic trust in young children

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1907) ◽  
pp. 20190822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra G. Rosati ◽  
Natalie Benjamin ◽  
Kerrie Pieloch ◽  
Felix Warneken
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Moral Hazard ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Interpersonal Trust ◽  
Trust Game ◽  
Developmental Origins ◽  
Economic Exchange ◽  
Economic Exchanges ◽  
Human Social Behaviour

Mutually beneficial interactions often require trust that others will reciprocate. Such interpersonal trust is foundational to evolutionarily unique aspects of human social behaviour, such as economic exchange. In adults, interpersonal trust is often assessed using the ‘trust game’, in which a lender invests resources in a trustee who may or may not repay the loan. This game captures two crucial elements of economic exchange: the potential for greater mutual benefits by trusting in others, and the moral hazard that others may betray that trust. While adults across cultures can trust others, little is known about the developmental origins of this crucial cooperative ability. We developed the first version of the trust game for use with young children that addresses these two components of trust. Across three experiments, we demonstrate that 4- and 6-year-olds recognize opportunities to invest in others, sharing more when reciprocation is possible than in a context measuring pure generosity. Yet, children become better with age at investing in trustworthy over untrustworthy partners, indicating that this cooperative skill emerges later in ontogeny. Together, our results indicate that young children can engage in complex economic exchanges involving judgements about interpersonal trust and show increasing sensitivity to appropriate partners over development.

Weinberger, Ota (1919–2009)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil MacCormick
Keyword(s):  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Legal Theory ◽  
Social Reality ◽  
Social Realism ◽  
Human Social Behaviour

Weinberger is noted as a proponent of ‘institutionalist positivism’ in legal theory. By contrast with earlier forms of so-called ‘institutionalism’ in law, Weinberger advances a theory in which norms are ideal entities linked by logical relations inter se, while being at the same time social realities identifiable in terms of the effect they exercise in guiding human social behaviour. The institutions which make possible this duality of ideal entity and social reality have themselves to be understood as structured by norms. Hence, in contrast with earlier proponents of institutionalism, who denied the foundation of law in norms, Weinberger is normativist in his approach; and for the metaphysical vitalism of precursors, he substitutes a social realism.

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