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Cultural, cognition and human action

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  • Gifford Jr., Adam

Abstract

To understand culture and cultural evolution we must abandon the atomized and anonymous social environment of neoclassical economics. Culture is a product and a cause of the socialized nature of human action. Examination of the phylogenetic and ontogenetic neural mechanisms that make socialization and culture possible reveals: the ways that culture conserves cognitive resources and makes human interaction possible; and the reason that human culture--but not that of are closest relatives the chimpanzees--is capable of rapid evolution. Understanding the deep cognitive nature of culture explains the sometimes pathological outcomes of cultural evolution and how pathologies may be avoided.

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  • Gifford Jr., Adam, 2009. "Cultural, cognition and human action," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 13-24, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:soceco:v:38:y:2009:i:1:p:13-24
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Cordes, Christian, 2009. "Changing your role models: Social learning and the Engel curve," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 38(6), pages 957-965, December.
    2. J. C. Ryan & S. Mellish & B. R. Busque & C. A. Litchfield, 2019. "Enhancing the impact of conservation marketing using psychology: a research agenda," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 9(4), pages 442-448, December.
    3. Gifford, Adam, 2013. "Sociality, trust, kinship and cultural evolution," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 218-227.

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