The cultural evolution of human communication systems in different sized populations: usability trumps learnability.

This study examines the intergenerational transfer of human communication systems. It tests if human communication systems evolve to be easy to learn or easy to use (or both), and how population size affects learnability and usability. Using an experimental-semiotic task, we find that human communic...

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Autores principales:	Nicolas Fay, T Mark Ellison
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2013
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/40111badfeb846f6b1bd45aa7c159fbc
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:40111badfeb846f6b1bd45aa7c159fbc2021-11-18T08:59:30ZThe cultural evolution of human communication systems in different sized populations: usability trumps learnability.1932-620310.1371/journal.pone.0071781https://doaj.org/article/40111badfeb846f6b1bd45aa7c159fbc2013-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/23967243/pdf/?tool=EBIhttps://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203This study examines the intergenerational transfer of human communication systems. It tests if human communication systems evolve to be easy to learn or easy to use (or both), and how population size affects learnability and usability. Using an experimental-semiotic task, we find that human communication systems evolve to be easier to use (production efficiency and reproduction fidelity), but harder to learn (identification accuracy) for a second generation of naïve participants. Thus, usability trumps learnability. In addition, the communication systems that evolve in larger populations exhibit distinct advantages over those that evolve in smaller populations: the learnability loss (from the Initial signs) is more muted and the usability benefits are more pronounced. The usability benefits for human communication systems that evolve in a small and large population is explained through guided variation reducing sign complexity. The enhanced performance of the communication systems that evolve in larger populations is explained by the operation of a content bias acting on the larger pool of competing signs. The content bias selects for information-efficient iconic signs that aid learnability and enhance usability.Nicolas FayT Mark EllisonPublic Library of Science (PLoS)articleMedicineRScienceQENPLoS ONE, Vol 8, Iss 8, p e71781 (2013)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Nicolas Fay T Mark Ellison The cultural evolution of human communication systems in different sized populations: usability trumps learnability.
description	This study examines the intergenerational transfer of human communication systems. It tests if human communication systems evolve to be easy to learn or easy to use (or both), and how population size affects learnability and usability. Using an experimental-semiotic task, we find that human communication systems evolve to be easier to use (production efficiency and reproduction fidelity), but harder to learn (identification accuracy) for a second generation of naïve participants. Thus, usability trumps learnability. In addition, the communication systems that evolve in larger populations exhibit distinct advantages over those that evolve in smaller populations: the learnability loss (from the Initial signs) is more muted and the usability benefits are more pronounced. The usability benefits for human communication systems that evolve in a small and large population is explained through guided variation reducing sign complexity. The enhanced performance of the communication systems that evolve in larger populations is explained by the operation of a content bias acting on the larger pool of competing signs. The content bias selects for information-efficient iconic signs that aid learnability and enhance usability.
format	article
author	Nicolas Fay T Mark Ellison
author_facet	Nicolas Fay T Mark Ellison
author_sort	Nicolas Fay
title	The cultural evolution of human communication systems in different sized populations: usability trumps learnability.
title_short	The cultural evolution of human communication systems in different sized populations: usability trumps learnability.
title_full	The cultural evolution of human communication systems in different sized populations: usability trumps learnability.
title_fullStr	The cultural evolution of human communication systems in different sized populations: usability trumps learnability.
title_full_unstemmed	The cultural evolution of human communication systems in different sized populations: usability trumps learnability.
title_sort	cultural evolution of human communication systems in different sized populations: usability trumps learnability.
publisher	Public Library of Science (PLoS)
publishDate	2013
url	https://doaj.org/article/40111badfeb846f6b1bd45aa7c159fbc
work_keys_str_mv	AT nicolasfay theculturalevolutionofhumancommunicationsystemsindifferentsizedpopulationsusabilitytrumpslearnability AT tmarkellison theculturalevolutionofhumancommunicationsystemsindifferentsizedpopulationsusabilitytrumpslearnability AT nicolasfay culturalevolutionofhumancommunicationsystemsindifferentsizedpopulationsusabilitytrumpslearnability AT tmarkellison culturalevolutionofhumancommunicationsystemsindifferentsizedpopulationsusabilitytrumpslearnability
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The cultural evolution of human communication systems in different sized populations: usability trumps learnability.

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