A computer simulation to investigate the association between gene-based gifting and pair-bonding in early hominins

Journal of Human Evolution
Ovi Chris Rouly

Abstract

This article describes simulation research based on the Hamiltonian theory of gene-based altruism. It investigates the origin of semipermanent breeding bonds during hominin evolution. The research framework is based on a biologically detailed, ecologically situated, multi-agent microsimulation of emergent sociality. The research question tested is whether semipermanent breeding bonds (an emergent homoplastic social construct) might emerge among primate-like agents as the consequence of a mutation capable of supporting involuntary prosocial behavior. The research protocol compared several, single independent-variable longitudinal studies wherein hundreds of generations of autonomous, initially promiscuous, biologically detailed, hominin-like artificial life software agents were born, allowed to forage, reproduce, and die during experimental intervals lasting several simulated millennia. The temporal setting of the experiment was roughly contemporaneous with, or slightly after the time of, the Pan-Homo split. The simulation investigated what would happen if, within a population, a single gene for prosocial behavior (the independent variable in the experiment) was either switched on or switched-off. The null hypothesis predicted t...Continue Reading

Citations

Oct 22, 2019·Journal of Human Evolution·Kristin N CrouseMichael L Wilson

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Software Mentioned

Social Agent
SOM
SeedGroup
Windows
HominidKit
Java Integrated Development Environment IDE
Scape
ALife
JGrasp
TrueRNG2

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