Modeling the Evolution of Gene-Culture Divergence

TL;DR

This paper introduces a comprehensive model for simulating gene-culture co-evolution in agents, incorporating genetic and cultural inheritance with distinct information stores, and demonstrating divergence in evolutionary trajectories.

Contribution

The model uniquely integrates genetic and cultural evolution at multiple adaptation levels, improving upon previous models to simulate gene-culture divergence.

Findings

Model supports divergent gene-culture co-evolution

Distinct information stores for genome and memome

Enhances understanding of multi-level evolutionary processes

Abstract

We present a model for evolving agents using both genetic and cultural inheritance mechanisms. Within each agent our model maintains two distinct information stores we call the genome and the memome. Processes of adaptation are modeled as evolutionary processes at each level of adaptation (phylogenetic, ontogenetic, sociogenetic). We review relevant competing models and we show how our model improves on previous attempts to model genetic and cultural evolutionary processes. In particular we argue our model can achieve divergent gene-culture co-evolution.