scholarly journals Modelling the evolution and diversity of cumulative culture

2011 ◽  
Vol 366 (1563) ◽  
pp. 412-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magnus Enquist ◽  
Stefano Ghirlanda ◽  
Kimmo Eriksson
Keyword(s):  
Characteristic Feature ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Mathematical Models ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Cumulative Culture ◽  
Cultural Elements ◽  
Modelling Framework ◽  
Current State ◽  
Cumulative Processes ◽  
Stochastic Events

Previous work on mathematical models of cultural evolution has mainly focused on the diffusion of simple cultural elements. However, a characteristic feature of human cultural evolution is the seemingly limitless appearance of new and increasingly complex cultural elements. Here, we develop a general modelling framework to study such cumulative processes, in which we assume that the appearance and disappearance of cultural elements are stochastic events that depend on the current state of culture. Five scenarios are explored: evolution of independent cultural elements, stepwise modification of elements, differentiation or combination of elements and systems of cultural elements. As one application of our framework, we study the evolution of cultural diversity (in time as well as between groups).

scholarly journals Divide and conquer: intermediate levels of population fragmentation maximize cultural accumulation

2018 ◽  
Vol 373 (1743) ◽  
pp. 20170062 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxime Derex ◽  
Charles Perreault ◽  
Robert Boyd
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Interdisciplinary Studies ◽  
Divide And Conquer ◽  
Population Fragmentation ◽  
Cumulative Culture ◽  
Fragmented Populations ◽  
Cultural Traits ◽  
Cumulative Cultural Evolution

Identifying the determinants of cumulative cultural evolution is a key issue in the interdisciplinary field of cultural evolution. A widely held view is that large and well-connected social networks facilitate cumulative cultural evolution because they promote the spread of useful cultural traits and prevent the loss of cultural knowledge through factors such as drift. This view stems from models that focus on the transmission of cultural information, without considering how new cultural traits actually arise. In this paper, we review the literature from various fields that suggest that, under some circumstances, increased connectedness can decrease cultural diversity and reduce innovation rates. Incorporating this idea into an agent-based model, we explore the effect of population fragmentation on cumulative culture and show that, for a given population size, there exists an intermediate level of population fragmentation that maximizes the rate of cumulative cultural evolution. This result is explained by the fact that fully connected, non-fragmented populations are able to maintain complex cultural traits but produce insufficient variation and so lack the cultural diversity required to produce highly complex cultural traits. Conversely, highly fragmented populations produce a variety of cultural traits but cannot maintain complex ones. In populations with intermediate levels of fragmentation, cultural loss and cultural diversity are balanced in a way that maximizes cultural complexity. Our results suggest that population structure needs to be taken into account when investigating the relationship between demography and cumulative culture. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Bridging cultural gaps: interdisciplinary studies in human cultural evolution’.

scholarly journals Taking the Historical-Social Dimension Seriously: A Reply to Bandini et al.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Noël Haidle ◽  
Oliver Schlaudt
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Recent Article ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Archaeological Record ◽  
Cumulative Culture ◽  
Fundamental Notion ◽  
Dynamic Interpretation

AbstractIn our recent article, "Where Does Cumulative Culture Begin? A Plea for a Sociologically Informed Perspective" (Haidle and Schlaudt in Biol Theory 15:161–174, 2020) we commented on a fundamental notion in current approaches to cultural evolution, the “zones of latent solutions” (henceforth ZLS), and proposed a modification of it, namely a social and dynamic interpretation of the latent solutions which were originally introduced within an individualistic framework and as static, genetically fixed entities. This modification seemed, and still seems, relevant to us and, in particular, more adequate for coping with the archaeological record. Bandini et al. (Biol Theory, 2021) rejected our proposition and deemed it unnecessary. In their critique, they focused on: (1) our reservations about an individualistic approach; (2) our objections to the presumption of fully naive individuals; and (3) our demand for an extended consideration of forms of social learning simpler than emulation and imitation. We will briefly reply to their critique in order to clarify some misunderstandings. However, the criticisms also show that we are at an impasse on certain crucial topics, such as the meaning of ZLS and the scope and nature of culture in general. Thus, we consider it necessary to make an additional effort to identify the conceptual roots which are at the very basis of the dissent with Bandini et al.

scholarly journals Digital culture

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Acerbi
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Cultural Transmission ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Digital Culture ◽  
Cultural Dynamics ◽  
Cumulative Culture ◽  
Future Directions

Cultural evolution can provide a useful framework to understand how information is produced, transmitted, and selected in contemporary online, digital, media. The diffusion of digital technologies triggered a radical departure from previous modalities of cultural transmission but, at the same time, general characteristics of human cultural evolution and cognition influence these developments. In this chapter, I will explore some areas where the links between cultural evolution research and digital media seem more promising. As cultural evolution-inspired research on internet phenomena is still in its infancy, these areas represent suggestions and links with works in other disciplines more than reviews of past research in cultural evolution. These include topics such as how to characterise the online effects of social influence and the spread of information; the possibility that digital, online, media could enhance cumulative culture; and the differences between online and offline cultural transmission. In the last section I will consider other possible future directions: the influences of different affordances in different media supporting cultural transmission; the role of producers of cultural traits; and, finally, some considerations on the effects on cultural dynamics of algorithms selecting information.

scholarly journals Cultural accumulation and improvement in online fan fiction

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Pianzola ◽  
Alberto Acerbi ◽  
Simone Rebora
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Harry Potter ◽  
Fan Fiction ◽  
Cumulative Culture ◽  
Cultural Systems ◽  
Cultural Traits ◽  
Cumulative Cultural Evolution ◽  
Cultural Evolution Theory ◽  
Digital Literary Studies

We analyse stories in Harry Potter fan fiction published on Archive of Our Own (AO3), using concepts from cultural evolution. In particular, we focus on cumulative cultural evolution, that is, the idea that cultural systems improve with time, drawing on previous innovations. In this study we examine two features of cumulative culture: accumulation and improvement. First, we show that stories in Harry Potter’s fan fiction accumulate cultural traits—unique tags, in our analysis—through time, both globally and at the level of single stories. Second, more recent stories are also liked more by readers than earlier stories. Our research illustrates the potential of the combination of cultural evolution theory and digital literary studies, and it paves the way for the study of the effects of online digital media on cultural cumulation.

scholarly journals Categories as Mathematical Models

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
David I. Spivak
Keyword(s):  
Dynamical Systems ◽  
Mathematical Modelling ◽  
Mathematical Models ◽  
Category Theory ◽  
Vector Spaces ◽  
Mathematical Objects ◽  
Working Definition ◽  
Modelling Framework ◽  
Categorical Models ◽  
Definition Of

Category theory is presented as a mathematical modelling framework that highlights the relationships between objects, rather than the objects in themselves. A working definition of model is given, and several examples of mathematical objects, such as vector spaces, groups, and dynamical systems, are considered as categorical models.

scholarly journals Modelling of framework materials at multiple scales: current practices and open questions

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillaume Fraux ◽  
Siwar Chibani ◽  
François-Xavier Coudert
Keyword(s):  
Atomistic Simulation ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Computational Point ◽  
Framework Materials ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Modelling Framework ◽  
Current State ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
The Family

The last decade has seen an explosion of the family of framework materials and their study, both from the experimental and computational point of view. We propose here a short highlight of the current state of methodologies for modelling framework materials at multiple scales, putting together a brief review of new methods and recent endeavours in this area, as well as outlining some of the open challenges in this field. We will detail advances in atomistic simulation methods, the development of materials databases, and the growing use of machine learning for properties prediction.

scholarly journals Modelling cultural systems and selective filters

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fredrik Jansson ◽  
Elliot Aguilar ◽  
Alberto Acerbi ◽  
Magnus Enquist
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Change ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Change Models ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Modelling Framework ◽  
Structure Changes ◽  
Cultural Systems ◽  
Cultural Domain ◽  
The Individual

A specific goal of the field of cultural evolution is to understand how processes of transmission and selection at the individual level lead to population-wide patterns of cultural diversity and change. Models of cultural evolution have typically assumed that traits are independent of one another and essentially exchangeable. But culture has a structure: traits bear relationships to one another that affect the transmission and selection process itself. Here we introduce a modelling framework to explore the effect of cultural structure on the process of learning. Through simulations, we find that introducing this simple structure changes the cultural dynamics. Based on a basic filtering mechanism for parsing these relationships, more elaborate cultural filters emerge. In a mostly incompatible cultural domain of traits, these filters organise culture into mostly (but not fully) consistent and stable systems. Incompatible domains produce small homogeneous cultures, while more compatibility increases size, diversity, and group divergence. When individuals copy based on a trait's features (here, its compatibility relationships) they produce more homogeneous cultures than when they copy based on the agent carrying the cultural trait. We discuss the implications of considering cultural systems and filters in the dynamics of cultural change.

From individual cognition to populational culture

2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 245-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krist Vaesen
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Population Dynamic ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Dynamic Models ◽  
Cumulative Culture ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Full Explanation ◽  
Individual Cognition ◽  
Future Work

AbstractIn my response to the commentaries from a collection of esteemed researchers, I reassess and eventually find largely intact my claim that human tool use evidences higher social and non-social cognitive ability. Nonetheless, I concede that my examination of individual-level cognitive traits does not offer a full explanation of cumulative culture yet. For that, one needs to incorporate them into population-dynamic models of cultural evolution. I briefly describe my current and future work on this.

scholarly journals Integrated mechanistic and data-driven modelling for multivariate analysis of signalling pathways

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (9) ◽  
pp. 515-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Hua ◽  
Sampsa Hautaniemi ◽  
Rayka Yokoo ◽  
Douglas A Lauffenburger
Keyword(s):  
Decision Tree ◽  
Mathematical Models ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Signalling Pathways ◽  
Apoptotic Pathway ◽  
Tree Analysis ◽  
Modelling Framework ◽  
Novel Approach

Mathematical models of highly interconnected and multivariate signalling networks provide useful tools to understand these complex systems. However, effective approaches to extracting multivariate regulation information from these models are still lacking. In this study, we propose a data-driven modelling framework to analyse large-scale multivariate datasets generated from mathematical models. We used an ordinary differential equation based model for the Fas apoptotic pathway as an example. The first step in our approach was to cluster simulation outputs generated from models with varied protein initial concentrations. Subsequently, decision tree analysis was applied, in which we used protein concentrations to predict the simulation outcomes. Our results suggest that no single subset of proteins can determine the pathway behaviour. Instead, different subsets of proteins with different concentrations ranges can be important. We also used the resulting decision tree to identify the minimal number of perturbations needed to change pathway behaviours. In conclusion, our framework provides a novel approach to understand the multivariate dependencies among molecules in complex networks, and can potentially be used to identify combinatorial targets for therapeutic interventions.

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