Culture (L3)

Question 1

4 major differences bw human and non human culture

Answer 1

1. cumulative or not
2. transmission of mech
3. contents of culture
4. extensive use of symbols

Question 2

explain non/human culture difference 1. cumulative

Answer 2

human culture= constantly in flux, building with each gen

Question 3

explain non/human culture difference 2. transmission of mechanisms

Answer 3

elaborate forms (e.g. formal education, Internet, books) & unique levels of imitative fidelity (e.g. ‘overimitation’- children immitating others that have no efficient function at all)

Question 4

explain non/human culture difference 3. connects of culture

Answer 4

social domain, spleen language, relgiion

Question 5

explain non/human culture difference 4. symbols

Answer 5

social norms everyone must adhere to, makes more effective

Question 6

what is raw material of organic vs cultural evolution

Answer 6

organ- mutation (random, deleterious)

cultural- innovation (directed, rarely deleterious)

Question 7

how is organic evolution spread

Answer 7

differential rs

Question 8

how is cultural evolution spread

Answer 8

adoption

Question 9

define human culture

Answer 9

information (knowledge, ideas, beliefs and values) that is socially transmitted

Question 10

explain culture gene co evolution (dual inheritance htoery(

Answer 10

cultural influences affecting genetic selection

though are independent, but interacting

Question 11

importance of culture gene co evolution during holocene

Answer 11

1. colonisation of new region through cultural inventions (reduce NS of original traits, e.g. clothing)
2. adaption to new conditions by evolving novel traits

Question 12

2 types of social learning transmissions

Answer 12

context

content

Question 13

explain content bias

Answer 13

individuals preferentially select cultural variant (simple selection)

Question 14

explain guided variation

Answer 14

adopt cultural trait and transform it (transform)

Question 15

what is transmission chain studies related to

Answer 15

content bias

• Certain kinds of information are preferentially transmitted

Question 16

2 types of context bias

Answer 16

payoff

conformist (freq dependance)

Question 17

explain payoff bias

Answer 17

Imitate successful or prestigious individuals (e.g. celebrity endorsement + advertising)

Question 18

explain conformist bias

Answer 18

Imitate the most frequent behaviour

Question 19

two benefits of conformist bias

Answer 19

Informational
• allows an individual to (rapidly) acquire local adaptation by tapping into the ‘wisdom of the crowd’
• Example: Someone drinking a drink bc everyone else is so appears safe

Social/normative
• allows the individual to be like the others in its new group
• Example: drinking a drink bc it would be culturally insensititve not to (expected to drink it)

Question 20

define maladatipons

Answer 20

accept beliefs and adopt behaviours that are not fitness enhancing

Question 21

examples of maladaptions

Answer 21

heroine use, extreme sports

Question 22

explain convergent cultural evolution

Answer 22

• Patterns of innovation and spread show certain predictability
o eg. domestication of plants and animals & emergence of states in different parts of the world