A statistical mechanics approach to cultural evolution of structured behavior in non-human primates: From disorder to tetris-like structures

¹ Centre for Experimental Social Sciences (CESS), University of Santiago of Chile Av. L. B. O'Higgins 3363, Santiago, Chile
² Departamento de Informática y Computación, Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana Av. José Pedro Alessandri 1242, Santiago, Chile
³ Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Santiago of Chile - Av. L. B. O'Higgins 3363, Santiago, Chile
⁴ Faculty of Management and Economics, University of Santiago of Chile - Av. L. B. O'Higgins 3363, Santiago, Chile

^(a) E-mail: javier.vera.z@usach.cl (corresponding author)

Received: 4 July 2022
Accepted: 2 November 2022

Abstract

This paper explores a statistical mechanics approach to cultural evolution of structured behavior in non-human primates. Previous works on cultural evolution have proposed Iterated Learning procedures, in which the behavioral output of one individual becomes the target behavior for the next individual in the chain. Within this line of research, previous work has suggested that even in non-human primates this paradigm shows that cultural transmission can lead to the progressive emergence of tetris-like structures. Our simulations are based on several interrelated statistical mechanics measurements, which quantify the way structures become closer to each other and the tendency to put activated cells together (understood by means of a number of measures and an energy-like function). With these tools, we suggested the hypothesis that the appearance of tetris-like structures might be an indirect consequence of the energy-like minimization. From this, it is plausible to think that the preference of the participants for tetris-like structures is strongly related to some kind of minimization towards simplicity in cognition.