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1. Generalization and Maintenance

Author

Arnold-Saritepe, Angela M., Phillips, Katrina J., Taylor, Sarah Ann, Gomes-Ng, Stephanie, Lo, Maggie, Daly, Svetlana, and Matson, Johnny L., Series Editor

Published
2023
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15. D-PLACE: A Global Database of Cultural, Linguistic and Environmental Diversity

Author

Kirby, Kathryn R., primary, Gray, Russell D., additional, Greenhill, Simon J., additional, Jordan, Fiona M., additional, Gomes-Ng, Stephanie, additional, Bibiko, Hans-Jörg, additional, Blasi, Damián E., additional, Botero, Carlos A., additional, Bowern, Claire, additional, Ember, Carol R., additional, Leehr, Dan, additional, Low, Bobbi S., additional, McCarter, Joe, additional, Divale, William, additional, and Gavin, Michael C., additional

Published
2016
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16. Pulotu: Database of Austronesian supernatural beliefs and practices

Author

Watts, Joseph, Sheehan, Oliver, Greenhill, Simon, Gomes-Ng, Stephanie, Atkinson, Quentin D., Bulbulia, Joseph, Gray, Russell, Watts, Joseph, Sheehan, Oliver, Greenhill, Simon, Gomes-Ng, Stephanie, Atkinson, Quentin D., Bulbulia, Joseph, and Gray, Russell

Abstract

Scholars have debated naturalistic theories of religion for thousands of years, but only recently have scientists begun to test predictions empirically. Existing databases contain few variables on religion, and are subject to Galton's Problem because they do not sufficiently account for the non-independence of cultures or systematically differentiate the traditional states of cultures from their contemporary states. Here we present Pulotu: the first quantitative cross-cultural database purpose-built to test evolutionary hypotheses of supernatural beliefs and practices. The Pulotu database documents the remarkable diversity of the Austronesian family of cultures, which originated in Taiwan, spread west to Madagascar and east to Easter Island-a region covering over half the world's longitude. The focus of Austronesian beliefs range from localised ancestral spirits to powerful creator gods. A wide range of practices also exist, such as headhunting, elaborate tattooing, and the construction of impressive monuments. Pulotu is freely available, currently contains 116 cultures, and has 80 variables describing supernatural beliefs and practices, as well as social and physical environments. One major advantage of Pulotu is that it has separate sections on the traditional states of cultures, the post-contact history of cultures, and the contemporary states of cultures. A second major advantage is that cultures are linked to a language-based family tree, enabling the use phylogenetic methods, which can be used to address Galton's Problem by accounting for common ancestry, to infer deep prehistory, and to model patterns of trait evolution over time. We illustrate the power of phylogenetic methods by performing an ancestral state reconstruction on the Pulotu variable "headhunting", finding evidence that headhunting was practiced in proto-Austronesian culture. Quantitative cross-cultural databases explicitly linking cultures to a phylogeny have the potential to revolutionise the

Published
2015

18. Pigeons' (Columba livia) intertemporal choice in binary-choice and patch-leaving contexts.

Author

Gomes-Ng S, Gray Q, and Cowie S

Abstract

Typical approaches to study self-control present subjects with a simultaneous choice between a larger-later (LL) reinforcer and a smaller-sooner (SS) reinforcer. In contrast, in patch-leaving tasks, subjects choose between staying at a patch for an SS (or LL) reinforcer and leaving for an LL (or SS) reinforcer. Previous studies show that blue jays, monkeys, humans, and rats prefer the SS reinforcer in binary-choice tasks, whereas the same subjects prefer the LL reinforcer in equivalent patch-leaving tasks. The current study systematically replicated this research using pigeons. Six pigeons responded in a binary-choice task and in two patch-leaving tasks in which staying led to an LL (Patch-L) or SS (Patch-S) reinforcer. Across conditions, the SS reinforcer delay varied from 5 to 55 s; the LL reinforcer delay was always 60 s. In binary-choice conditions, subjects preferred the SS reinforcer. In Patch-L and Patch-S conditions, subjects preferred the LL and SS reinforcer, respectively, reflecting a bias to stay at the patch. This bias persisted when the stay response was more effortful and when the delays to both reinforcers were equal. This may reflect a species-specific win-stay bias and the differential consequences of staying (which led to a stimulus signaling food) versus leaving (which led to a stimulus never associated with food). Thus, we propose a conditioned-reinforcement account of intertemporal choice in patch-leaving contexts. We suggest several avenues for further investigations of the mechanisms underlying intertemporal choice in different contexts and question the economic equivalence of the operant and patch-leaving procedures. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Published
2024
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