Culture (L3) Flashcards
4 major differences bw human and non human culture
- cumulative or not
- transmission of mech
- contents of culture
- extensive use of symbols
explain non/human culture difference 1. cumulative
human culture= constantly in flux, building with each gen
explain non/human culture difference 2. transmission of mechanisms
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)
explain non/human culture difference 3. connects of culture
social domain, spleen language, relgiion
explain non/human culture difference 4. symbols
social norms everyone must adhere to, makes more effective
what is raw material of organic vs cultural evolution
organ- mutation (random, deleterious)
cultural- innovation (directed, rarely deleterious)
how is organic evolution spread
differential rs
how is cultural evolution spread
adoption
define human culture
information (knowledge, ideas, beliefs and values) that is socially transmitted
explain culture gene co evolution (dual inheritance htoery(
cultural influences affecting genetic selection
though are independent, but interacting
importance of culture gene co evolution during holocene
- colonisation of new region through cultural inventions (reduce NS of original traits, e.g. clothing)
- adaption to new conditions by evolving novel traits
2 types of social learning transmissions
context
content
explain content bias
individuals preferentially select cultural variant (simple selection)
explain guided variation
adopt cultural trait and transform it (transform)
what is transmission chain studies related to
content bias
• Certain kinds of information are preferentially transmitted
2 types of context bias
payoff
conformist (freq dependance)
explain payoff bias
Imitate successful or prestigious individuals (e.g. celebrity endorsement + advertising)
explain conformist bias
Imitate the most frequent behaviour
two benefits of conformist bias
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)
define maladatipons
accept beliefs and adopt behaviours that are not fitness enhancing
examples of maladaptions
heroine use, extreme sports
explain convergent cultural evolution
• Patterns of innovation and spread show certain predictability
o eg. domestication of plants and animals & emergence of states in different parts of the world
