Groups as units of functional analysis, individuals as proximate mechanisms

Whenever selection operates at a given level of a multitier hierarchy, units at that level should become the object of functional analysis, and units at lower levels should be studied as proximate mechanisms. This intuition already exists for the study of genes in individuals, when individuals are t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Behavioral and brain sciences 2014-06, Vol.37 (3), p.279-280
Main Author: Wilson, David Sloan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algorithms
Altruism
Cooperative Behavior
Cultural Change
Cultural Evolution
Evolution & development
Functionalism
Genes
Genotype & phenotype
Group Processes
Humans
Mutation
Organisms
Selection, Genetic
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Summary:Whenever selection operates at a given level of a multitier hierarchy, units at that level should become the object of functional analysis, and units at lower levels should be studied as proximate mechanisms. This intuition already exists for the study of genes in individuals, when individuals are the unit of selection. It is only beginning to be applied for the study of individuals in groups, when groups are the unit of selection. Smaldino's target article is an important step in this direction with an emphasis on human cultural evolution, but the same algorithm applies to all multilevel evolutionary processes.
ISSN:0140-525X
1469-1825
DOI:10.1017/S0140525X13003075