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Identifying cases of social contagion using memetic isolation: comparison of the dynamics of a multisociety simulation with an ethnographic data set

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Identifying cases of social contagion using memetic isolation: comparison of the dynamics of a multisociety simulation with an ethnographic data set. / Gatherer, Derek.
In: Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, Vol. 5, No. 4, 10.2002.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Harvard

Gatherer, D 2002, 'Identifying cases of social contagion using memetic isolation: comparison of the dynamics of a multisociety simulation with an ethnographic data set', Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, vol. 5, no. 4. <http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/5/4/5.html>

APA

Gatherer, D. (2002). Identifying cases of social contagion using memetic isolation: comparison of the dynamics of a multisociety simulation with an ethnographic data set. Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, 5(4). http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/5/4/5.html

Vancouver

Gatherer D. Identifying cases of social contagion using memetic isolation: comparison of the dynamics of a multisociety simulation with an ethnographic data set. Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation. 2002 Oct;5(4).

Author

Gatherer, Derek. / Identifying cases of social contagion using memetic isolation : comparison of the dynamics of a multisociety simulation with an ethnographic data set. In: Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation. 2002 ; Vol. 5, No. 4.

Bibtex

@article{e08167f694574e398fab24352afb4f3b,
title = "Identifying cases of social contagion using memetic isolation: comparison of the dynamics of a multisociety simulation with an ethnographic data set",
abstract = "A simulation is presented of a grid of connected societies of reproducing agents. These agents are capable of horizontal and vertical transmission of non-genetic cultural traits (memes). This simulation exhibits the theoretically predicted effect that horizontally transmitted memes are less likely, overall, to be encountered in geographical isolation than strictly vertically transmitted ones. Furthermore, when horizontal memes are under cultural selection, and thus behave 'contagiously', their likelihood of geographical isolation is virtually eliminated. By contrast, natural selection has far weaker effects than cultural selection in reducing geographical isolation. Thus it should be possible to identify contagious memes by an examination of their geographical distribution. The degree of geographical isolation of 17 categories of postulated cultural traits in an ethnographic data set of 863 societies is then examined, and compared with the simulations, using z-tests. Using this method, the empirical data can be sorted into four broad categories, each with a different spectrum of probabilities of mode of transmission and contagion.",
keywords = "allomeme, Axelrod's cultural model, contagion, cultural evolution, cultural selection, cultural trait, evolutionary epidemiology of culture, meme, Murdockis Ethnographic Atlas, SIM, social interaction model, CULTURE, EVOLUTION, SELECTION, EUROPE, MODEL",
author = "Derek Gatherer",
year = "2002",
month = oct,
language = "English",
volume = "5",
journal = "Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation",
issn = "1460-7425",
publisher = "University of Surrey",
number = "4",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Identifying cases of social contagion using memetic isolation

T2 - comparison of the dynamics of a multisociety simulation with an ethnographic data set

AU - Gatherer, Derek

PY - 2002/10

Y1 - 2002/10

N2 - A simulation is presented of a grid of connected societies of reproducing agents. These agents are capable of horizontal and vertical transmission of non-genetic cultural traits (memes). This simulation exhibits the theoretically predicted effect that horizontally transmitted memes are less likely, overall, to be encountered in geographical isolation than strictly vertically transmitted ones. Furthermore, when horizontal memes are under cultural selection, and thus behave 'contagiously', their likelihood of geographical isolation is virtually eliminated. By contrast, natural selection has far weaker effects than cultural selection in reducing geographical isolation. Thus it should be possible to identify contagious memes by an examination of their geographical distribution. The degree of geographical isolation of 17 categories of postulated cultural traits in an ethnographic data set of 863 societies is then examined, and compared with the simulations, using z-tests. Using this method, the empirical data can be sorted into four broad categories, each with a different spectrum of probabilities of mode of transmission and contagion.

AB - A simulation is presented of a grid of connected societies of reproducing agents. These agents are capable of horizontal and vertical transmission of non-genetic cultural traits (memes). This simulation exhibits the theoretically predicted effect that horizontally transmitted memes are less likely, overall, to be encountered in geographical isolation than strictly vertically transmitted ones. Furthermore, when horizontal memes are under cultural selection, and thus behave 'contagiously', their likelihood of geographical isolation is virtually eliminated. By contrast, natural selection has far weaker effects than cultural selection in reducing geographical isolation. Thus it should be possible to identify contagious memes by an examination of their geographical distribution. The degree of geographical isolation of 17 categories of postulated cultural traits in an ethnographic data set of 863 societies is then examined, and compared with the simulations, using z-tests. Using this method, the empirical data can be sorted into four broad categories, each with a different spectrum of probabilities of mode of transmission and contagion.

KW - allomeme

KW - Axelrod's cultural model

KW - contagion

KW - cultural evolution

KW - cultural selection

KW - cultural trait

KW - evolutionary epidemiology of culture

KW - meme

KW - Murdockis Ethnographic Atlas

KW - SIM

KW - social interaction model

KW - CULTURE

KW - EVOLUTION

KW - SELECTION

KW - EUROPE

KW - MODEL

M3 - Journal article

VL - 5

JO - Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation

JF - Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation

SN - 1460-7425

IS - 4

ER -