A5041787344- Language and cultural evolution
- Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation
- Language, Metaphor, and Cognition
- Child and Animal Learning Development
- Misinformation and Its Impacts
- Cultural Differences and Values
- Hearing Impairment and Communication
- Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies
- Deception detection and forensic psychology
- Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection
- Social Media and Politics
- Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment
- Opinion Dynamics and Social Influence
- Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior
- Behavioral Health and Interventions
- Communication in Education and Healthcare
- Philosophy and History of Science
- Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies
- Speech and dialogue systems
- Forecasting Techniques and Applications
- Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
- Categorization, perception, and language
Curtin University
2023-2024
The University of Western Australia
2010-2024
New York University Press
2003
University of Alberta
1989
This paper contrasts two influential theoretical accounts of language change and evolution – Iterated Learning Social Coordination. The contrast is based on an experiment that compares drawings produced with Garrod et al’s (2007) ‘pictionary’ task those in version the same task. main finding does not lead to systematic simplification increased symbolicity graphical signs standard interactive A second leads less conceptual structural alignment between participants than observed for condition....
The extent to which larger populations enhance cumulative cultural evolution (CCE) is contentious. We report a large-scale experiment ( n = 543) that investigates the CCE of technology (paper planes and their flight distances) using transmission-chain design. Population size was manipulated such participants could learn from paper constructed by one, two, or four models prior generation. These social-learning conditions were compared with an asocial individual-learning condition in...
Given the potential negative impact reliance on misinformation can have, substantial effort has gone into understanding factors that influence belief and propagation. However, despite rise of social media often being cited as a fundamental driver exposure false beliefs, how people process platforms been under-investigated. This is partially due to lack adaptable ecologically valid testing paradigms, resulting in an over-reliance survey software questionnaire-based measures. To provide...
Intuition often guides our thinking effectively, but it can also lead to consequential reasoning errors, underpinning poor decisions and biased judgments. Little is known about how people globally self-correct such intuitive errors what enhances their correction. Defying prevailing models of reasoning, recent research suggests that spontaneously correct only a few during deliberation; however, enhancing error monitoring motivating further effort should increase Here, we study whether these...
Abstract Cultural evolutionary theory has identified a range of cognitive biases that guide human social learning. Naturalistic and experimental studies indicate transmission favoring negative positive information. To address these conflicting findings, the present study takes socially situated view information transmission, which predicts bias expression will depend on context. We report large‐scale experiment ( N = 425) manipulated context examined its effect contained in narrative text....
How language began is one of the oldest questions in science, but theories remain speculative due to a lack direct evidence. Here, we report two experiments that generate empirical evidence inform gesture-first and vocal-first origin; each, tested modern humans' ability communicate range meanings (995 distinct words) using either gesture or non-linguistic vocalization. Experiment 1 cross-cultural study, with signal Producers sampled from Australia ( n = 30, M age 32.63, s.d. 12.42) Vanuatu...
Abstract Human cognition and behavior are dominated by symbol use. This paper examines the social learning strategies that give rise to symbolic communication. Experiment 1 contrasts an individual‐level account, based on observational cognitive bias, with inter‐individual coordinative learning. Participants played a referential communication game in which they tried communicate range of recurring meanings partner drawing, but without using their conventional language. Individual‐level...
Despite robust evidence that misinformation continues to influence event-related reasoning after a clear retraction, for the continued of on person impressions is mixed. Across four experiments, we investigated impact person-related and its correction dynamic (moment-to-moment) impression formation. Participants formed an protagonist, “John”, based series behaviour descriptions, including was later retracted. Person were recorded presentation each description. As predicted, found strong...
To investigate impression formation, researchers tend to rely on statements that describe a person’s behavior (e.g., “Alex ridicules people behind their backs”). These are presented participants who then rate impressions of the person. However, corpus is costly generate, and pre-existing corpora may be outdated might not measure dimension(s) interest. The present study makes available normed 160 contemporary were rated 4 dimensions relevant formation: morality, competence, informativeness,...
Abstract Recent research indicates that interpersonal communication is noisy, and people exhibit considerable insensitivity to problems in communication. Using a dyadic referential task, the goal of which accurate information transfer, this study examined extent interlocutors are sensitive use other‐initiated repairs (OIRs) address them. Participants were randomly assigned dyads ( N = 88 participants, or 44 dyads) tried communicate series recurring abstract geometric shapes partner across...
Abstract The distribution of cultural variants in a population is shaped by both neutral evolutionary dynamics and selection pressures. temporal social network connectivity, that is, the order which individuals interact with each other, has been largely unexplored. In this paper, we investigate how, fully connected network, connectivity dynamics, alone interaction different cognitive biases, affect evolution variants. Using agent‐based computer simulations, manipulate (early, mid, late...
Abstract The present study points to several potentially universal principles of human communication. Pairs participants, sampled from culturally and linguistically distinct societies (Western Japanese, N = 108: 16 Western–Western, 15 Japanese–Japanese 23 Western–Japanese dyads), played a dyadic communication game in which they tried communicate range experimenter‐specified items partner by drawing, but without speaking or using letters numbers. This paradigm forced participants create novel...
Naturalistic studies show that children can create language‐like communication systems in the absence of conventional language. However, experimental evidence is mixed. We address this discrepancy using an paradigm simulates naturalistic sign creation. Specifically, we tested if a sample 6‐ to 12‐year‐old (52 girls and 56 boys drawn from urban, predominantly white population Western Australia) comprehend novel gestural vocal signs. Experiment 1 children’s ability 2 Results signs, more...
Abstract Risk taking is more commonly shown by males than females and has a signalling function, serving to advertise one’s intrinsic quality prospective mates. Previous research established that male risk takers are judged as attractive for short-term flings long-term relationships, but the environmental socioeconomic context surrounding female preferences been overlooked. Using survey instrument, we examined across 1304 from 47 countries. We found physical be pronounced in with bisexual...
Human cognition and behaviour is dominated by symbol use. This paper examines the social learning strategies that give rise to symbolic communication. Experiment 1 contrasts an individual-level account, based on observational cognitive bias, with inter-individual coordinative learning. Participants played a referential communication game in which they tried communicate range of recurring meanings partner drawing, but without using their conventional language. Individual-level learning, via...
Given the negative impact reliance on misinformation can have individuals and society, substantial effort has gone into understanding factors that influence belief propagation. However, despite rise of social media often being cited as a fundamental driver exposure false beliefs, how people process (mis)information social-media platforms been under-investigated. This is partially due to lack adaptable ecologically valid testing paradigms, resulting in an overreliance survey software...
How can people achieve successful communication when using novel signs? Previous studies show that iconic signs (i.e. directly resemble their referent) enhance success. In this paper, we test if enculturated informed by interlocutors' shared culture) also Children, who have spent less time in linguistic community, cultural knowledge to inform sign innovation. A natural prediction is younger children's will be enculturated, more diverse and compared with older children adults. We examined...
Abstract Many cultural phenomena evolve through a Darwinian process whereby adaptive variants are selected and spread at the expense of competing variants. While evolutionary theory emphasises importance social learning to this process, experimental studies indicate that people’s dominant response is maintain their prior behaviour. In addition, while payoff-biased crucial evolution, learner behaviour not always guided by variant payoffs. Here, we use agent-based modelling investigate role...
Material artefacts evolve by cumulative cultural evolution (CCE), the accumulation of adaptive modifications over time. We present a large-scale experiment investigating CCE social artefact in transmission chains, each containing 8 adult human participants (N=408). The is what Wittgenstein calls ‘language game’, subset language used to perform particular activity; study game communicate route on map. Two learning conditions were compared: Observational Learning and Social Coordinative...
There is increasing pressure on social media companies to reduce the spread of misinformation their platforms. However, they would prefer not be arbiters truth as can subjective or otherwise hard determine. Instead, that users themselves show better discernment when deciding which information share. Here we allowing people share only those posts have indicated are true significantly improves sharing discernment, measured by difference in probability versus false information. Because it...