United Kingdom

**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&#39;s social media:**



Cultural Evolution Society Conference 2024

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

cooperation

music

language

**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:**



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:**

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

The emergence of conventions of leadership attribution

**Abstract:**

Motherhood involves a range of decisions deeply influenced by cultural and societal norms. Among these decisions, infant feeding practices are often subject to intense moral scrutiny, impacting women's choices and societal perceptions. However, despite extensive research on the health benefits of breastfeeding, the underlying drivers and implications of moralisation remain underexplored. A fieldwork initiative in rural southern Poland will be conducted using surveys and vignettes to examine the cultural beliefs, social norms, and individual experiences shaping moralistic behaviour related to maternal choices, including infant feeding, and their social transmission. Preliminary data from a pilot study, which will be conducted by June 2024, will be presented, showing the distribution of feeding practices and their perception at the family and peer levels. The exploration of the moralisation of maternal choices will enrich the field by offering valuable insights into social attitudes and cultural dynamics surrounding motherhood. This research advances understanding of how cultural contexts influence moral judgments and infant feeding behaviours. Moreover, understanding the moral complexities of infant feeding can contribute to a more inclusive and supportive approach to maternal health, grounded in cultural sensitivity and respect for individual choices.

**Speaker's social media:**

Twitter: @joanna_zyrek

Moralisation of maternal infant feeding choices

**Abstract:**

Enquist et al. (2023) suggested that human cumulative cultural evolution was enabled by enhanced abilities to process and remember sequential information, leading to cultural and cognitive achievements unprecedented in other animals. This hypothesis mainly rests on results of sequence discrimination learning tasks, showing that unlike for humans, learning to discriminate between sequences is difficult for non-human animals, requiring them hundreds, often thousands of trials. It is unclear whether animals’ difficulty in these tasks reflect difficulties with remembering sequences per se or is mainly due to the arbitrary ordering of the sequence items, thus underestimating their sequencing abilities. To disentangle these effects, we investigate sequence discrimination learning with a physical task in which we contrast an “arbitrary” condition with one in which we use causal relations between stimuli to indicate which sequence yields a reward, aiming to facilitate encoding of sequential information. We present results from zoo-housed primates (23 squirrel and 24 capuchin monkeys, 13 chimpanzees), 77 human adults and 239 children (3-11 years) in an “AB vs BA, BB, AA” task, providing the first sequence discrimination study with chimpanzees and children, demonstrating that a lack of meaningful relations between sequence stimuli impedes learning in humans and potentially also great apes. 

**Speaker's social media:**



Sequence discrimination learning is facilitated by causal-logical framing in humans and chimpanzees 


**Abstract:**



**Speaker's social media:**

Twitter: @RachKendal
Bluesky: @rachkendal.bsky.social

Applying CE to Public Health Products 

**Abstract:**



**Speaker's social media:**



Transmission biases influencing parents’ infant feeding knowledge and behaviour: preliminary results of a scoping review

**Abstract:**



**Speaker's social media:**

@sazzum95

Coding Movement: A Novel Method

**Abstract:**

Geometric engravings are among the earliest candidates for symbolic and aesthetic expression in human evolution. The oldest known example is an intriguing set of parallel lines and zig-zags etched into a freshwater mussel shell found in Java, dated to ~500,000 years ago, while there are numerous more recent examples from all over the world, featuring common re-occurring motifs including parallel lines, zig-zags and grids. However, the role of deliberate human action in many purported palaeolithic engravings remains controversial. For example, while the discoverers of geometric markings in the Rising Star cave system argue that they were created deliberately by Homo naledi, critics argue that they are the result of natural weathering processes. Other examples of apparently deliberate engravings may be in fact a by-product of more utilitarian actions such as butchery. Ambiguous cases of palaeolithic engravings are currently challenging to resolve as there is no standardised framework for estimating the probability that particular line configurations are the result of intentional, natural or incidental processes. Here we outline a simple Bayesian probabilistic framework to address this issue and apply it to a set of test cases. To estimate the probability of intentional creation, we measure geometric properties of test cases and compare them to those of a diverse sample of Palaeolithic and Holocene engravings whose intentional origin is not in doubt. To estimate the probability of natural origin, we compare geometric properties of test cases with those of an appropriate sample of natural formations. Finally, to estimate the probability of incidental origin, we compare geometric properties of test cases with those of simulated random line configurations. Data collection and methodological refinements are still ongoing; we will present preliminary findings for discussion and feedback at the CES conference. 

**Speaker's social media:**



Detecting signals of intentionality in palaeolithic engravings: a probabilistic approach

**Abstract:**

"Humans’ ability to create and use tools is one of our species’ defining characteristics and has irreversibly altered our social and ecological environments. All human
societies create and use tools, and no other species does so with the complexity and diversity of humans. Yet, paradoxically, it is well-established that western children are remarkably poor at simple tool innovation challenges, such as reshaping pipecleaners to retrieve-out-of reach rewards (widely known as the hook task). Studies have further shown that children in non-western populations perform worse than western ones with some small-scale societies performing at floor. We suggest that the practice of taking western designed and validated cognitive measures and transporting them to non-western populations is flawed and can lead to erroneous and damaging conclusions.

In this ESRC funded project, we will develop, for the first time, culturally fair measures of tool innovation for 4-12-year-old children in four geographically and culturally diverse populations; urban Western children (UK), two small-scale subsistence societies (Congo) and a rural Indigenous population (Malaysia). We will do so by taking a bottom-up approach to developing culturally grounded tool innovation measures, using ethnographic data alongside cycles of feedback from community members and protocol refinement to ensure maximal validity. 

**Speaker's social media:**

@bruce_rawlings

Developing a culturally fair framework for measuring the development of tool innovation across cultures​

**Abstract:**

Cultural practices perceived to be adaptive – from clearing land for food production to medical innovations – can disseminate quickly through human populations. However, these same practices often have unintended maladaptive effects. A particularly  onsequential effect is the emergence of diseases. In numerous instances, a cultural change is followed by the appearance of a new pathogen. Here, we develop mathematical models to analyse the population processes through which cultural evolution precipitates  he emergence of a new disease. We find that when a risk-bearing cultural practice spreads, emergence can be an unavoidable cost even if a safer alternative practice eventually evolves from the original. Social learning and a fitness advantage associated with the  volving practice drive early disease emergence but the two factors have distinct effects on the time to mutation of the pathogen and significant stochastic variation is observed. For example, a disease can take longer to emerge in a population that adopts the risk- earing practice quickly than in a population that is slow to transition. Extending the model to explore the effects of an alternative practice evolving from the original, we find a non-monotonic relationship between relative risk of the two practices and the median time to disease emergence. Our findings contribute to understanding how cultural evolution can shape pathogen evolution and highlight the unpredictability of disease emergence. 

**Speaker's social media:**

@jeremykendal.bsky.social

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

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