Humans are fundamentally defined by our socially transmitted, often long-lived, sophisticated cultural traits. The nature of cultural transmission is the subject of ongoing debate: while some emphasize that it is a biased, transformational process, others point out that high-fidelity transmission is required to explain the quintessentially cumulative nature of human culture. This paper integrates both views into a model that has two main components: First, actions - observable motor-behavioural patterns - are inherited with high fidelity, or replicated, when they are copied, largely independently of their normal, effective or conventional function, by naive learners. Replicative action copying is the unbiased transmission process that ensures the continuity of cultural traditions. Second, mental culture - knowledge, skills, attitudes and values - is not inherited directly or faithfully, but instead emerges, or develops, during usage, when individuals learn the associations between actions and their contexts and outcomes. Mental cultural traits remain stable over generations to the extent that they are informed by similar (replicated) motor patterns unfolding in similar environments. The arguments in support of this model rest on clear distinctions between inheritance and usage; between public-behavioural and private-mental culture; and between selection for fidelity and selection for function.

中文翻译：

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文化传播中的复制和出现。

从根本上说，人类是由我们在社会上传播的，通常是长期存在的，复杂的文化特征所定义的。文化传播的性质是不断争论的主题：尽管有些人强调这是一个有偏见的，转型的过程，但另一些人指出，需要高保真传播来解释人类文化的典型累积性。本文将这两种观点整合到一个具有两个主要组成部分的模型中：首先，动作-可观察到的运动行为模式-高度保真地继承，或者在复制时被复制，很大程度上独立于它们的正常，有效或常规功能。天真的学习者。复制动作复制是无偏见的传播过程，可确保文化传统的连续性。第二，心理文化-知识，技能，态度和价值观-不是直接或忠实地继承，而是在个人学习动作与环境和结果之间的关联时出现或发展的。心理文化特征在几代人中保持稳定，其程度是由在相似环境中展现出的相似（复制）运动模式所提供的信息。支持该模型的论点取决于继承与用法之间的明确区别；在公共行为文化和私人心理文化之间；在保真选择和功能选择之间。心理文化特征在几代人中保持稳定，其程度是由在相似环境中展现出的相似（复制）运动模式所提供的信息。支持该模型的论点取决于继承与用法之间的明确区别。在公共行为文化和私人心理文化之间；在保真选择和功能选择之间。心理文化特征在几代人中保持稳定，其程度是由在相似环境中展现出的相似（复制）运动模式所提供的信息。支持该模型的论点取决于继承与用法之间的明确区别；在公共行为文化和私人心理文化之间；在保真选择和功能选择之间。