Experimental assessment of capacities for cumulative culture : review and evaluation of methods
Date
05/12/2019Author
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Abstract
In the current literature, there are few experimental tests of capacities for cumulative cultural evolution in nonhuman species. There are even fewer examples of such tests in young children. This limited evidence is noteworthy given widespread interest in the apparent distinctiveness of human cumulative culture, and the potentially significant theoretical implications of identifying related capacities in nonhumans or very young children. We evaluate experimental methods upon which claims of capacities for cumulative culture, or lack thereof, have been based. Although some of the established methods (those simulating generational succession) have the potential to identify positive evidence that fulfills widely accepted definitions of cumulative culture, the implementation of these methods entails significant logistical challenges. This is particularly true for testing populations that are difficult to access in large numbers, or those not amenable to experimental control. This presents problems for generating evidence that would be sufficient to support claims of capacities for cumulative culture, and these problems are magnified for establishing convincing negative evidence. We discuss alternative approaches to assessing capacities for cumulative culture, which circumvent logistical problems associated with experimental designs involving chains of learners. By inferring the outcome of repeated transmission from the input–output response patterns of individual subjects, sample size requirements can be massively reduced. Such methods could facilitate comparisons between populations, for example, different species, or children of a range of ages. We also detail limitations and challenges of this alternative approach, and discuss potential avenues for future research.
Citation
Caldwell , C A , Atkinson , M , Blakey , K H , Dunstone , J , Kean , D , Mackintosh , G , Renner , E & Wilks , C E H 2019 , ' Experimental assessment of capacities for cumulative culture : review and evaluation of methods ' , WIREs Cognitive Science , vol. 11 , no. 1 , e1516 . https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.1516
Publication
WIREs Cognitive Science
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1939-5078Type
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Rights
Copyright © 2019 The Authors. WIREs Cognitive Science published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Description
Funding information: H2020 European Research Council, Grant/Award Number: 648841 RATCHETCOGCollections
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