United Kingdom

**Abstract:**

Robust capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.) are one of the few primates that customarily use tools in the wild. However, there is a broad variation across populations. While some use various tools, including different raw materials, to solve problems or enhance behaviours, others use few or no tools. The Serra da Capivara National Park bearded capuchin population is, so far, the most prolific population regarding tool use, followed by the monkeys of the newly described Ubajara National Park. In contrast, other Brazilian populations of the same species (S. libidinosus), such as the ones in Chapada dos Veadeiros and Fazenda Boa Vista, appear to have a smaller tool-use repertoire. Ecological factors appear to influence the kind of resources capuchins can explore, and the available material they can use as tools. However, social learning and cultural factors are needed to explain some observed differences. Even when the ecological factors have some influence, the cultural influence can be present. Genetic variance needs to be better investigated, but preliminary data shows that 250 ky separates the two most prolific tool-using populations, suggesting the genetic influence is low. Grants: National Geographic Society NGS‐64133R‐19, São Paulo Research Foundation 2018/01292-9.

**Speaker&#39;s social media:**

@tfalotico

Cultural Evolution Society Conference 2024

Tool use cultures by wild capuchin monkeys in Brazil

probe tool

nutcracking

capuchin

tool use

culture

**Abstract:**

Robust capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.) are one of the few primates that customarily use tools in the wild. However, there is a broad variation across populations. While some use various tools, including different raw materials, to solve problems or enhance behaviours, others use few or no tools. The Serra da Capivara National Park bearded capuchin population is, so far, the most prolific population regarding tool use, followed by the monkeys of the newly described Ubajara National Park. In contrast, other Brazilian populations of the same species (S. libidinosus), such as the ones in Chapada dos Veadeiros and Fazenda Boa Vista, appear to have a smaller tool-use repertoire. Ecological factors appear to influence the kind of resources capuchins can explore, and the available material they can use as tools. However, social learning and cultural factors are needed to explain some observed differences. Even when the ecological factors have some influence, the cultural influence can be present. Genetic variance needs to be better investigated, but preliminary data shows that 250 ky separates the two most prolific tool-using populations, suggesting the genetic influence is low. Grants: National Geographic Society NGS‐64133R‐19, São Paulo Research Foundation 2018/01292-9.

**Speaker's social media:**

@tfalotico

poster

Welcome to the Cultural Evolution Society (CES) Conference 2024, which was a hybrid conference held at Durham University (UK). The conference was hosted in Durham by the Durham Cultural Evolution Research Centre (DCERC) with administrative assistance from the CES Transformation Fund team.

**For more information about the CES Conference, please visit the [CES Website Home Page](https://ces2024.webspace.durham.ac.uk/).**

#### Durham Cultural Evolution Research Centre (DCERC) 
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
**Interdisciplinary study of cultural change and diversity**

We are a highly interdisciplinary group of researchers using evolutionary models to study cultural change and diversity.  We apply cultural evolutionary methods to a wide variety of topics including cognition, innovation, social learning, technology, art, music, narrative, religion, sociality, language and communication. We have a growing interest in applying cultural evolutionary theory to current societal challenges such as understanding the spread of prosocial health behaviours and health conspiracies.<br>
**[Discover More](https://www.durham.ac.uk/research/institutes-and-centres/cultural-evolution/)**

#### CES 2024 [Code of Conduct](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BDJcgi95_jDy7VOEu72wfSR83D5JtHSc/view?usp=sharing)

If you feel at any time you have been the victim of harassment or inappropriate behavior that contradicts our code of conduct, you may use the following form to report the incident. 

**[CES 2024 Code of Conduct Report Form](https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=i9hQcmhLKUW-RNWaLYpvlGWUgzc9C8FMnit5-H2U3oZURUpYRjI5TFM3RUhaRzVDT1o5UEs3M1oxUy4u)**

<br><br>



To access the site please register [**here**](https://ces2024.webspace.durham.ac.uk/registration-information/). 

Registration Is Required

The field of cultural evolution is growing in size and scope; its theories, methods and applications - both academic and applied - are getting ever more robust. Do join us in what promises to be an exciting exchange of ideas and a celebration of our field.

**Abstract:**

Among the growing interest in the potential role that social learning processes play in the cultural evolution of prosocial traits, empirical evidence shows that intergroup competition can spread prosocial behaviors and beliefs across the group (e.g., Francois et al. 2018). Social learning based on payoff-biased imitation is another candidate mechanism of intergroup competition that can spread prosocial norms even when there is no conflict of interest between groups. However, research to date has not empirically examined the potential role of payoff-biased imitation.
We conducted two laboratory experiments in which two groups faced a collective action problem, and manipulated the opportunity for the less successful group to observe the other one. Thus, we examined whether even costly prosocial behaviors can be imitated and spread within an unsuccessful group. We showed that the opportunity to observe a successful group increases cooperation rate at the 1st round and initially boosts prosociality (i.e., reciprocity), but this effect gradually decreases during the within-group process, which results in no significant difference in the overall cooperation rate. Further research is necessary to understand the roles of another possible pathway for the spread of human-specific prosocial norms.

**Speaker's social media:**



Empirical evidence for the impact of payoff-biased imitation of other group members on the spread of cooperation

**Abstract:**

Current global emergencies like economic crises, pandemics, environmental perils, and armed conflicts have brought uncertainty to the forefront as a key concept for understanding human behavior. However, uncertainty is an inherent property of most environmental and social challenges the human species has faced in its evolution. Nevertheless, research conceptualizations of uncertainty vary greatly, and its complexity poses theoretical and methodological challenges. Several cultural-evolutionary approaches argue that the capacity of beliefs and behavioral patterns to saturate the needs arising from cognitive and emotional processing of uncertainty positively affects the social dissemination of these beliefs and behavioral patterns (e.g. religion, conspiracy theories, social conservatism). To address the inner complexity of such hypotheses, we argue that uncertainty must be theoretically and methodologically approached at various levels (as an epistemic situation, as a psychological state, and as a socio-cultural construct). Uncertainty must also be operationalized in interaction but independently from concepts of threat and costs. We will combine ethnographic research, surveys, interviews, and experiments across multiple sites to pursue these scientific goals. Finally, by mapping and analyzing coping strategies in different contexts, we seek to identify more vs. less successful coping mechanisms that may have practical applications.

**Speaker's social media:**

@Peter_Mano_
@BahnaVladimir
@Danija_Jerot

Dealing with uncertainty: strategies and contexts

**Abstract:**

Recent years have seen renewed interest in the role of religious systems as drivers of the evolution of cooperation in human societies. One suggestion is that cultural traditions of ancestor worship might have evolved as “descendant-leaving strategies” of ancestors by encouraging increased altruism particularly between distant kin. Specifically, ancestors might have been able to establish parental manipulation of kin recognition and perceived relatedness as a traditional behaviour via a mechanism of cultural transmission exploiting social learning biases, thereby maximising their long-term inclusive fitness. Here, a demographically explicit, mathematical model has been developed to quantify the resulting increase in altruism and concomitant “ancestor-descendant conflict”, and to determine the evolutionary feasibility of cultural norms promoting altruism among co-descendants. The analysis reveals that such norms could indeed drive an overall increase in altruism with potential for conflict and that they can be favoured by natural selection under a range of conditions, with the inclusive-fitness costs of enacting an inappropriately high level of altruism being offset by inclusive-fitness benefits derived from the facilitation of kin recognition. These findings reaffirm that cultural institutions can generate adaptive behaviours by providing extrasomatically stored, fitness relevant information and promote an increase in cooperation not expected via genetic selection.

**Speaker's social media:**



Kin selection favours religious traditions: Ancestor worship as a cultural descendant-leaving strategy

**Abstract:**

Context: Cultural evolution models have suggested that different ‘roles’ can emerge within populations that start with small differences in behaviour or abilities between groups. Human populations are commonly structured according to gender, which means that any processes that encourage gender stereotyping are likely to influence gender segregation and patterns of cultural transmission. Here, we consider the role of gender-based microaggressions in perpetuating and reinforcing gender stereotypes. Purpose: This study investigated the association between endorsement of gender stereotypes and women’s evaluations of microaggressions. Methods: Participants (N=280 women, aged 18-39 years, UK-based) were recruited online and completed i) the Sexist Microaggression Experience and Stress Scale (Sexist MESS), ii) Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI) and iii) Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Results: The frequency of experiencing microaggressions was negatively correlated with endorsement of gender stereotypes and mental wellbeing, including when controlling for financial instability (i.e., participants who reported experiencing higher frequencies of microaggressions scored lower on sexist attitudes). Implications: These findings provide insights into the psychological processes that underpin power dynamics and gender segregation. Gender stereotype endorsement is likely to impact an individual’s willingness to self-segregate into gendered groups. Our future research will investigate the relationship between gender stereotypes and gender-biased cultural transmission.

**Speaker's social media:**

Twitter: @jxinew
Bluesky: @jinwenxie

Cultural transmission and gender stereotypes: the relationship between sexist attitudes and perceived experiences of microaggressions in women

**Abstract:**

Despite the acknowledged prevalence of culture within non-human primate societies, research has predominantly focused on material or social traditions, neglecting the potential cultural shaping of individual interactions and its implications for group-level social dynamics (Kaufhold & van Leeuwen, 2019; van de Waal, 2019). While some studies have identified intraspecific variation in group-level social structure (e.g. van Leeuwen et al., 2018; Kerjean et al., 2023), limitations in sample size and comparability have hindered conclusive understanding. Addressing this gap, we investigated the sociality of eight groups of captive rhesus macaques with comparable demographics and housing conditions. Employing behavioral observations and experimental measures, including cofeeding tolerance plots, we assessed their group-level sociality with social network analysis. Our findings reveal group-specific patterns in affiliative and agonistic interactions, social network structures, and cofeeding tolerance, indicating a cultural influence on these behaviors. We propose that commonplace interactions such as grooming are, at least partially, culturally shaped among macaques, giving rise to distinct "social cultures" within groups. This study underscores the pervasive role of culture across behavioral domains in non-human primates.

**Speaker's social media:**

Twitter: @eythancousin

Cultural influences on social behavior in captive rhesus macaques: a comparative study

**Abstract:**

The ManyManys is an unprecedented mega-network of multi-disciplinary and international researchers that aims to overcome challenges in comparative cognition by collaboratively developing and applying innovative methods to measure and compare behaviour across animal taxa. It was created to tackle the growing concerns across disciplines about the detrimental effects of conducting studies in siloed laboratories, with small sample sizes, and underpowered designs, on the reproducibility, replicability, and robustness of research findings. In comparative cognition, the ramifications of these effects are particularly pronounced because, in addition to the above-mentioned problems, this field relies heavily on generalizing research findings across taxa, which usually is based on limited species coverage. The ManyManys network provides the framework and the collaborative platform for conducting large-scale high-impact research projects. Its overarching objective is to increase sample size and diversity, enhance task design and striking a balance between cross-species standardization and species-fair design, further theoretical advances, and improve welfare and conservation efforts, as well as foster best research practices advancing the standards of the big team science (Alessandroni et al., 2024).

**Speaker's social media:**

@TheManyManys

The ManyManys: presenting a new multi-disciplinary Big Team Science network to advance research in comparative cognition

**Abstract:**

This project introduces the structure and initial sample for a working database of animal culture, drawing upon calls to include animal behavioral variation in conservation strategies. Research has shown how socially transmitted information may shift behaviors such as foraging strategies, migration patterns, and use of available ecological ranges, in turn increasing resilience or vulnerability to environmental disturbances (Brakes et al. 2021; Tobias & Pigot 2019; Whitehead et al. 2023). However, there is still disagreement on what constitutes cultural behavior in nonhuman animals and how considerations of culture might be most effectively applied to conservation efforts (Carvalho et al. 2022). The database structure includes occurrence data on different animal populations worldwide with metadata on sources including sites and time periods sampled, whether and why the behaviors have been classified as cultural, which domains they fall under (communication, foraging, migration, habitat alteration, etc.), possible ecological drivers, and phylogenetic distribution of these behaviors across an initial sample of taxa. Eventually, it aims to provide an open-access framework synthesizing available data on animal cultures with existing ecological trait databases. Ideally, this will help indicate potential overlaps or mismatches with metrics prioritized in conservation and allow updates with data from future field research.

**Speaker's social media:**

Bluesky: @incertaesedis.bsky.social
Twitter: @incertaesedis42

A pilot database of animal cultures

**Abstract:**

Waiata (song) and kōrero (speech) have played crucial complementary roles amongst the Indigenous Māori people of Aotearoa (New Zealand) in fostering connections (Sheehan, 2017).
The social bonding hypothesis proposes that musicality evolved to facilitate cooperation in groups beyond what is possible with spoken language (Savage et al., 2021). However, there is limited cross-cultural research directly comparing the social bonding effects of song and speech. Our predominantly Māori research team aims to overcome this by comparing rhythmic and socio-cultural aspects of sung and spoken te reo Māori (the Māori language). We aim to recruit 20 participants by September, who will be recorded performing waiata and speaking. Rhythm, synchrony, and cooperation will be measured using acoustic analysis (Ozaki et al. 2024), anonymous ratings, and behavioral economics games (Savage et al., 2020). Our primary hypothesis is that the degree of cooperation should correlate with the degree of rhythmic synchronisation. The findings from this study (part of a larger, global research project spanning dozens of countries) should provide insight into how Māori and other populations use song and speech for social bonding. In a world where Western voices are typically prioritised, we hope our research will contribute to elevating voices of Indigenous populations. 

References
Ozaki, Y., et al. (2024 [provisionally accepted]). Globally, songs and instrumental melodies are slower, higher, and use more stable pitches than speech: A Registered Report. Science Advances. doi:10.1126/sciadv.adm9797.

Sheehan, M. (2017). Contemporary popular waiata provide a place of belonging. MAI Journal, doi:10.20507/MAIJournal.2017.6.2.13

Savage, P. E. et al. Rhythm, synchrony, and cooperation [Stage 1 Registered Report]. PsyArXiv preprint (2020) doi:10.31234/osf.io/46bd9

Savage, P. E., et al. (2021). Music as a coevolved system for social bonding. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, doi:10.1017/S0140525X20000333

**Speaker's social media:**



How do song and speech influence social bonding among Indigenous Māori populations in Aotearoa New Zealand?

**Abstract:**

The group of scientific ideas that claim that the presence of an item or a trait in a system can be explained by the effects it has on the performance or the maintenance of the containing system, generally known as functionalism, is prone to circular argumentation, backward causation, and other logical fallacies. While in evolutionary biology these risks are approached with care, the research of cultural evolution is mostly unaware of these fallacies. I will pinpoint three possible fallacies that lie hidden in the research of cultural evolution:  1. conflation or failure to distinguish between two different concepts of function. Function as the effect of a trait on its selective history vs. function as the causal role that the trait occupies in the system. The problem is that evidence of the latter does not in by itself imply the earlier. 2. The relationship between culture and humans (both individuals and groups) seen through the analogy of 'society as a (super)organism' is suggestive; evaluating the adequacy of this analogy requires evidence beyond the analysis of function 3. Adaptionist approaches to culture by strict focus on the search for functions are often insensitive to the possibility of survivorship bias.

**Speaker's social media:**

@BahnaVladimir

Mind the trap of functionalism

**Abstract:**

The establishment of a leader-follower dynamic (i.e., a sequential disclosure of decisions between individuals) can easily lead to the solution of coordination problems by creating a shared focal point between individuals (i.e., the decision of the leader). However, the establishment of the order in this sequence also creates a coordination problem in which individuals must decide who will be the leader. Usually, conventions provide stable solutions to coordination problems (e.g., which side of the road to drive) due to a within-group shared history of interactions under specific conditions. These conventions are defined as arbitrary, perceived regularities of behaviors maintained by individuals’ expectations and preferences. The emergence and stability of these regularities are often investigated through computational models. Therefore, in this study, we use an agent-based computational model to investigate the minimal conditions for the emergence and stability of arbitrary conventions of leadership attribution. In our model, agents’ dyadic interactions corresponded to evolved dispositions in decision-making processes as proposed by distinct evolutionary theories of leadership. Therefore, we expect that by defining under which conditions agents’ decisions lead to arbitrary attribution of leadership, we can contribute to the understanding of how leadership attribution can become conventionalized and eventually institutionalized.

**Speaker's social media:**

@guilhermehlmsilva.bsky.social

Tool use cultures by wild capuchin monkeys in Brazil

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