Bigger groups mean complex cultures
“There were some theoretical models to explain these phenomena but no one had done experiments,” says evolutionary biologist Maxime Derex of the University of Montpellier, France, who led the other study, published online today in Nature2.
Derex’s team asked 366 male students to play a virtual game in which they gained points — and eventually money — by building either an arrowhead or a fishing net. The nets offered greater rewards, but were also harder to make. The students watched video demonstrations of the two tasks in groups of 2, 4, 8 or 16, before attempting the tasks individually. Their arrows and nets were tested in simulations and scored. After each trial, they could see how other group members fared, and watch a step-by-step procedure for any one of the designs.
After 15 trials, the larger groups were more likely to still be making nets as well as arrows. They had also maintained the quality of the original net design, while improving on the arrows. In smaller groups, however, the arrows never improved, and the nets became simpler over time. When most players tried to copy the tools, they ended up with less effective versions, but larger groups were more likely to contain skilled artisans who equalled or improved on the initial designs. They provided templates for their teammates to duplicate, and boosted the group’s overall performance.
Ed Yong