Cultural Evolution of the Structure of Human Groups

Jordan, Fiona M.; Schaik, Carel P. van; François, Pierre; Gintis, Herbert; Haun, Daniel B. M.; Hruschka, D. H.; Janssen, M. A.; Kitts, J. A.; Lehmann, Liza; Mathew, S.; Richerson, Peter J.; Turchin, Peter; Wiessner, Polly

doi:10.7551/mitpress/9780262019750.003.0006

Cited by 17 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…By reconstructing the pattern of historical change in these societies, our analyses represent an important step toward understanding the bedrock of human society-one that transformed the selective landscape for Neolithic humans (Shennan, 2011) and paved the way for the evolution of cooperation, inequality, and large-scale society (Jordan et al, 2013). According to Sanderson (2007) "establishment of the sequence in and of itself explains nothing, of course, but it certainly provides a solid basis on which the construction of explanations of process can be built."…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The bedrock upon which our understanding of the evolution of human cooperation and the transformation to large-scale societies must be grounded, land tenure norms provide a key to understanding other important aspects of human social evolution (Jordan et al, 2013). Land tenure norms are a prime example of niche construction (O'Brien & Laland, 2012;Shennan, 2011) as their evolution has shaped the nature of inequality and intergenerational transfers, restructuring the selective pressures facing early cultivators (Gibson & Gurmu, 2011;Kushnick, 2010;Voland & Dunbar, 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The sequential evolution of land tenure norms

Kushnick

Gray

Jordan

2014

Evolution and Human Behavior

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a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f oLand tenure norms are fundamental to our understanding of the evolution of human cooperation and the emergence of inequality in large-scale societies. A prime example of niche construction, their emergence transformed the selective pressures facing early cultivators. We use phylogenetic methods to reconstruct the evolutionary trajectories of land tenure norms in 97 Austronesian societies. We defined land tenure norms as the primary means by which people use, possess, and redistribute land. Based on existing ethnographic accounts, we coded each society as having one of the following primary land tenure norms: none (N), group (G), kin-group (K), and individual (I). Our analyses of phylogenetic and geographic signal suggest that vertical transmission patterned land tenure norms to a greater degree than horizontal transmission. We assessed the relative strength of plausible models of land tenure evolution using maximum likelihood analyses with lexical and time-scaled trees. Surprisingly, they revealed strong support for a model that allows sequential gains and losses along the pathway N-I-G-K. Our probabilistic reconstruction of ancestral states decisively rejected the claim that Proto-Malayo-Polynesian society was marked by G or K. Our results demonstrate the power of "virtual archaeology" for revealing the dynamics of social evolution.Crown

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The sequential evolution of land tenure norms

Kushnick

Gray

Jordan

2014

Evolution and Human Behavior

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“…So the question becomes whether, in the long run, collaborative groups are able to avert the parasitism of such individual exploiters [44]. Some authors argue that despite cooperators losing to defectors within groups, the frequency of cooperators may still globally increase because although selfish members win within groups, groups of cooperators beat groups of selfish members [45].…”

Section: Group Size and Cooperationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Encultured Primate: Thresholds and Transitions in Hominin Cultural Evolution

Buskes

2019

Philosophies

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This article tries to shed light on the mystery of human culture. Human beings are the only extant species with cumulative, evolving cultures. Many animal species do have cultural traditions in the form of socially transmitted practices but they typically lack cumulative culture. Why is that? This discrepancy between humans and animals is even more puzzling if one realizes that culture seems highly advantageous. Thanks to their accumulated knowledge and techniques our early ancestors were able to leave their cradle in Africa and swarm out across the planet, thereby adjusting themselves to a whole range of new environments. Without culture this would have been impossible. So we may ask once again: if cumulative culture is so useful, why don’t other animals have it? In order to explain this mystery I won’t appeal to the major transitions in human evolution—like walking upright, crafting stone tools and controlling fire, etc.,—because that would be question begging. Instead I try to unearth the mechanisms that caused those evolutionary turning points to occur in the first place. It seems that unlike other animals, humans are predisposed to efficiently acquire, store and transmit cultural information in such ways that our cultures can genuinely evolve.

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“…Paralelamente, a evolução da cooperação humana também parece ter "comissionado" pela enganação tática interna aos intercâmbios sociaisna qual um indivíduo estrategicamente altera a percepção de outro na busca de seu próprio benefício (MCNALLY, BROWN, JACKSON, 2012;MCNALLY, JACKSON, 2013). Da mesma forma, a sociabilidade em larga escala foi facilitada pelas mesmas predisposições comportamentais que permitiram o desenvolvimento do gregarismo em pequena escala (JORDAN, et al, 2013).…”

Section: As Funções Dos Rituais No Comportamento Social Dos Gruposunclassified

Breve Estudo Interdisciplinar Acerca Da Evolução, Ontogenia E Cognição Do Comportamento Ritual

Silva

Santos

2018

CSOnline

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Resumo: Esse estudo argumenta que apesar da capacidade de realizar atividades rituais ser uma pré-disposição psicológica humana, tal tipo de prática é um registro comportamental culturalmente herdado por nossa espécie. A partir dessa perspectiva, buscaremos realizar uma análise das estruturas e funções psicossociais dos rituais, tratando-as como selecionadas por (e transmitidas por meio de) processos de desenvolvimento cultural. Dessa forma, nosso primeiro objetivo será descrever as funções sociais dos rituais conforme sua ação interna aos grupos humanos. Com isso, buscaremos demonstrar que o comportamento ritual auxilia na resolução de problemas adaptativos associados com a manutenção dos agrupamentos sociais. Nesse contexto, tentaremos prover um relato psicológico de como a estrutura ritual pode ter, com o tempo, auxiliado na transmissão de aspectos culturais e, em seguida, analisaremos estudos que apontam para a realização de práticas rituais como motivadas por ameaças de exclusão social e perda de status ante aos componentes de um grupo. Em conclusão, na parte final desse estudo, realizaremos uma breve análise psicossocial da ontogenia da cognição ritual.Abstract: This study argues that although the capacity to engage in ritual is psychologically prepared, rituals are a culturally inherited, behavioral trademark of our species. We believe that the structures and functions of rituals have been selected for and transmitted through processes of cultural evolution. Therefore, our first objective will be to describe the social functions of ritual within human groups. We propose that ritual aids in solving the adaptive problems associated with group living. With that in consideration, we will try to provide a psychological account of how the structure of ritual facilitates cultural transmission over time. Next, we will examine evidence that the threat of social exclusion and loss of status motivates engagement in ritual activity. Finally, in the concluding section, we will provide a psychological account of the ontogeny of ritual cognition

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Cultural Evolution of the Structure of Human Groups

Cited by 17 publications

References 0 publications

The sequential evolution of land tenure norms

The sequential evolution of land tenure norms

The Encultured Primate: Thresholds and Transitions in Hominin Cultural Evolution

Breve Estudo Interdisciplinar Acerca Da Evolução, Ontogenia E Cognição Do Comportamento Ritual

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