Experimental evidence for scale-induced category convergence across populations.

ABSTRACT: Individuals vary widely in how they categorize novel and ambiguous phenomena. This individual variation has led influential theories in cognitive and social science to suggest that communication in large social groups introduces path dependence in category formation, which is expected to lead separate populations toward divergent cultural trajectories. Yet, anthropological data indicates that large, independent societies consistently arrive at highly similar category systems across a range of topics. How is it possible for diverse populations, consisting of individuals with significant variation in how they categorize the world, to independently construct similar category systems? Here, we investigate this puzzle experimentally by creating an online "Grouping Game" in which we observe how

SUBMITTER: Guilbeault D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7804416 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature