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Human cumulative culture: a comparative perspective

Dean, L.; Vale, G.L.; Laland, K.N.; Flynn, E.G.; Kendal, R.L.

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Authors

L. Dean

G.L. Vale

K.N. Laland

E.G. Flynn



Abstract

Many animals exhibit social learning and behavioural traditions, but human culture exhibits unparalleled complexity and diversity, and is unambiguously cumulative in character. These similarities and differences have spawned a debate over whether animal traditions and human culture are reliant on homologous or analogous psychological processes. Human cumulative culture combines high-fidelity transmission of cultural knowledge with beneficial modifications to generate a ‘ratcheting’ in technological complexity, leading to the development of traits far more complex than one individual could invent alone. Claims have been made for cumulative culture in several species of animals, including chimpanzees, orang-utans and New Caledonian crows, but these remain contentious. Whilst initial work on the topic of cumulative culture was largely theoretical, employing mathematical methods developed by population biologists, in recent years researchers from a wide range of disciplines, including psychology, biology, economics, biological anthropology, linguistics and archaeology, have turned their attention to the experimental investigation of cumulative culture. We review this literature, highlighting advances made in understanding the underlying process of cumulative culture and emphasizing areas of agreement and disagreement amongst investigators in separate fields.

Citation

Dean, L., Vale, G., Laland, K., Flynn, E., & Kendal, R. (2014). Human cumulative culture: a comparative perspective. Biological Reviews, 89(2), 284-301. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12053

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jul 30, 2013
Online Publication Date Sep 2, 2013
Publication Date May 1, 2014
Deposit Date Jul 10, 2013
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Biological Reviews
Print ISSN 1464-7931
Electronic ISSN 1469-185X
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 89
Issue 2
Pages 284-301
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12053
Keywords Cumulative culture, Cultural evolution, Ratcheting, Social learning, Animal traditions.

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Copyright Statement
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Dean, L. G., Vale, G. L., Laland, K. N., Flynn, E. and Kendal, R. L. (2014), Human cumulative culture: a comparative perspective. Biological Reviews, 89 (2): 284–301, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/brv.12053. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.





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