The refinement paradox and cumulative cultural evolution: collective improvement in knowledge favors conformity, blind copying and hyper-credulity
Elena Miu, Luke E. Rendell, Sam Bowles, Rob Boyd, Daniel Cownden, Magnus Enquist, Kimmo Eriksson, Marcus W. Feldman, Timothy Lillicrap, Richard L. McElreath, Stuart Murray, James Ounsley, Kevin N. Laland
The paper uses a computer tournament to show that refining knowledge can be advantageous initially but leads to conformity and blind copying in complex cultures.
PLoS Computational Biology · Sep 26, 2024Peer-reviewedEvolutionary Biology