Research on Evolutionary Models of Human Learning Abililties

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: Replacement of Neanderthals by Homo sapiens: testing evolutionary models of learning
• Project/Area Number: 22101004
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Humanities and Social Sciences
• Research Institution: Meiji University (2013-2014); The University of Tokyo (2010-2012)
• Principal Investigator: AOKI Kenichi 明治大学, 公私立大学の部局等, 客員教授 (30150056)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): KIMURA Ryosuke 琉球大学, 医学研究科, 准教授 (00453712) ; KAWASAKI Kohkichi 同志社大学, 文化情報学部, 教授 (10150799) ; WAKANO Yuichiro 明治大学, 総合数理学部, 准教授 (10376551) ; KOBAYASHI Yutaka 高知工科大学, マネジメント学部, 准教授 (70517169)
• Project Period (FY): 2010-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 学習仮説 / 学習戦略進化 / 文化進化 / ゲノム多様性データ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Scientific Research on Innovative Areas “RNMH” had as its goal the explication of the extinction of Neanderthals and their replacement by modern humans in terms of a difference in the cultural levels of the two species (learning hypothesis). The cultural level attained by a society depends on cultural evolutionary processes. With this in mind, our research group conducted theoretical research on the determinants of cultural evolution and on the genetic evolution of learning strategies supportive of cultural evolution. The many fruits of our research have been published in referred international journals and in books, and have contributed significantly to advancing this rapidly growing field. In addition, we conducted exploratory studies in molecular anthropology with the aim of identifying genes that may have contributed to cognitive differences between the two species.

Free Research Field

集団生物学