
Sociocognitive Underpinnings: Evaluate, Compare,
and Imitate
A very simple sociocognitive theory underlies the Adaptive Culture Model
and particle swarms. We theorize that the process of cultural adaptation
comprises a high-level component, seen in the formation of patterns
across individuals and the ability to solve problems, and a low-level com-
ponent, the actual and probably universal behaviors of individuals,
which can be summarized in terms of three principles (Kennedy, 1998):
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Evaluate
■
Compare
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Imitate
Evaluate
The tendency to evaluate stimuli—to rate them as positive or negative,
attractive or repulsive—is perhaps the most ubiquitous behavioral ...