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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Towards a unified science of cultural evolution.

We suggest that human culture exhibits key Darwinian evolutionary properties, and argue that the structure of a science of cultural evolution should share fundamental features with the structure of the science of biological evolution. This latter claim is tested by outlining the methods and approaches employed by the principal subdisciplines of evolutionary biology and assessing whether there is an existing or potential corresponding approach to the study of cultural evolution. Existing approaches within anthropology and archaeology demonstrate a good match with the macroevolutionary methods of systematics, paleobiology, and biogeography, whereas mathematical models derived from population genetics have been successfully developed to study cultural microevolution. Much potential exists for experimental simulations and field studies of cultural microevolution, where there are opportunities to borrow further methods and hypotheses from biology. Potential also exists for the cultural equivalent of molecular genetics in "social cognitive neuroscience," although many fundamental issues have yet to be resolved. It is argued that studying culture within a unifying evolutionary framework has the potential to integrate a number of separate disciplines within the social sciences.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

At the boundary between biological and cultural evolution: the origin of surname distributions.

Surnames and non-recombining alleles are inherited from a single parent in a highly similar way. A simple birth-death model with mutations can accurately describe this process. Exponentially growing and constant populations are investigated, and we study how different compositions of the founder populations can be observed in present-day diversity distributions. We analyse different quantities in the statistically stationary state, both through analytic and numerical methods. Our results compare favourably to field data for family sizes in several countries. We discuss the relationship between the distribution of surnames and the genetic diversity of a population.

Biological Evolution↗
PubMed2002

Personal observations on the cultural evolution in academic surgery.

BACKGROUND: The changing environment in academic medical centers has had a major effect on the recruitment and the demographic characteristics of leadership positions in academic surgery. Categorization of "cultures" from the business model has been extrapolated into the academic surgical model. METHODS: The types of cultures in organizations according to Cameron and Quinnn at a school of management can be classified into four: clan culture, adhocracy culture, hierarchy, and market-driven culture. In addition, academic surgical chairmen were surveyed in 1981 and also 20 years later, 2001, by the author. This was done in an effort to determine whether there is a difference in the type of person being attracted to such positions and if there is demographic difference in academic chairmen over the two decades. RESULTS: The organizational profile of academic departments in 1980 is perceived to be more clan and adhocracy in type and less hierarchical and market driven. That has reversed itself dramatically two decades later with much of the energy of a department and structure based on hierarchy and the market. Also, in terms of the chairman, the mean age at the time of appointment in 1981 was 44 years and the mean age at time of appointment in 2001 was 49 years. In 1981 the years in grade was 9.4 years and in 201 it is 7.1 years. The new chairman is now older and will not serve as long as his/her predecessor. CONCLUSIONS: There clearly has been a cultural evolution in academic surgery over the past two decades. The chairman has different priorities than chairmen 20 years ago. The success of an academic department will depend upon the adaptation to this cultural evolution and the understanding of the chairman as to what the job really is.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2004

A phylogenetic approach to cultural evolution.

There has been a rapid increase in the use of phylogenetic methods to study the evolution of languages and culture. Languages fit a tree model of evolution well, at least in their basic vocabulary, challenging the view that blending, or admixture among neighbouring groups, was predominant in cultural history. Here, we argue that we can use language trees to test hypotheses about not only cultural history and diversification, but also bio-cultural adaptation. Phylogenetic comparative methods take account of the non-independence of cultures (Galton's problem), which can cause spurious statistical associations in comparative analyses. Advances in phylogenetic methods offer new possibilities for the analysis of cultural evolution, including estimating the rate of evolution and the direction of coevolutionary change of traits on the tree. They also enable phylogenetic uncertainty to be incorporated into the analyses, so that one does not have to treat phylogenetic trees as if they were known without error.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Public information: from nosy neighbors to cultural evolution.

Psychologists, economists, and advertising moguls have long known that human decision-making is strongly influenced by the behavior of others. A rapidly accumulating body of evidence suggests that the same is true in animals. Individuals can use information arising from cues inadvertently produced by the behavior of other individuals with similar requirements. Many of these cues provide public information about the quality of alternatives. The use of public information is taxonomically widespread and can enhance fitness. Public information can lead to cultural evolution, which we suggest may then affect biological evolution.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Research on disclosure of HIV status: cultural evolution finds an ally in science.

This editorial responds to Mason et al.'s (1995) "Culturally Sanctioned Secrets: Latino Men's Nondisclosure of HIV Infection to Family, Friends, and Lovers." Culture is an evolving dynamic phenomenon shaped by society, psychology, and history. Historically, familism and simpatía have been Hispanic cultural assets. As times change, however, values and behaviors that served a culture for generations may become liabilities unless they evolve to fit the changing world of the culture. In the case of Hispanic gay men, the desire to protect family members is a barrier to disclosure of HIV status. Mason et al.'s study points to areas in which cultural development is needed. Science and culture thus become allies, with science pointing the way to needed directions for adaptive cultural evolution.

Acculturation↗
PubMed2004

Perspective: is human cultural evolution Darwinian? Evidence reviewed from the perspective of the Origin of Species.

The claim that human culture evolves through the differential adoption of cultural variants, in a manner analogous to the evolution of biological species, has been greeted with much resistance and confusion. Here we demonstrate that as compelling a case can now be made that cultural evolution has key Darwinian properties, as Darwin himself presented for biological evolution in The Origin of Species. Culture is shown to exhibit variation, competition, inheritance, and the accumulation of successive cultural modifications over time. Adaptation, convergence, and the loss or change of function can also be identified in culture. Just as Darwin knew nothing of genes or particulate inheritance, a case for Darwinian cultural evolution can be made irrespective of whether unitary cultural replicators exist or whether cultural transmission mechanisms are well understood.

Adaptation, Biological↗