Signaling, Dyad Formation, and the Encrypted Nature of Group Cohesion

理查德·麦克雷思博士和托马斯·弗拉姆森博士将探索影响人类群体形成的机制，以及群体形成被谈判、维持和改革的方法，这是人类学使命的核心问题，从理论上探索人类社会和文化变异的原因、后果和复杂性。该项目将需要一项为期两年的研究，以在较大的社区内形成较小的合作小组，这一过程通常被称为“分类”。每个人的目标、欲望和能力各不相同，成功的合作往往取决于尊重这种差异的各种人。这项研究将主要在巴西东北部的一个农业社区进行，自1997年以来，社区成员和组成的变化导致了与亲属和非亲属关系的新分类。加州大学戴维斯分校将进行更多的行为实验，以进行跨文化比较。将讨论三个主要问题：(1)人们在群体中的知识、态度和个性有多大的差异？(2)人们如何产生和理解这种差异的信号？(3)人们如何利用这些信息在群体中进行分类？证据将来自数学建模、实验、参与者观察、时间分配研究、社会网络结构和言语互动的内容分析。人类学家很早就认识到所谓的种族标记在传达群体成员资格以改善合作结果方面的重要性，这是最近广泛的形式建模的重点。然而，考虑到社会生活的多变性，本地群体内部的分类面临着与群体之间不同的一系列问题，本研究将解决这一问题，评估对个体差异的适应。此外，本研究还考察了个体差异在文化产品生成中的重要性，强调了基于相似性的偏好在人际交往中的作用，并揭示了符号行为的潜在信号功能。该项目还将为国际合作和科学培训做出更广泛的贡献。将在巴西的多所大学促进与巴西学者的广泛互动，加强正在进行的协会，并引入新的合作机会。此外，还将向美国和巴西的学生提供研究培训和经验。最后，对社会分类和合作成果的研究对于设计地方和区域规模的保护和治理机构具有巨大的应用意义。

Dr. Richard McElreath and Dr. Thomas Flamson will explore the mechanisms that influence human group formation and the means through which group formation are negotiated, maintained, and reformed, a core question in anthropology's mission to theoretically explore the causes, consequences, and complexities of human social and cultural variability. The project will entail a two-year study of the formation of smaller cooperative groups within larger communities, a process often called "assortment." Individuals vary in their goals, desires, and abilities, and successful cooperation often depends upon assortment that respects this variation. This research will be primarily conducted in an agricultural community in Northeastern Brazil, where the changes in community membership and composition since 1997 have led to new assortment of relationships with both kin and non-kin. Additional behavioral experiments will be conducted at UC Davis, for cross-cultural comparison. Three primary questions will be addressed: (1) How much do people vary within groups, in knowledge, attitudes, and personality?; (2) How do people produce and understand signals of this variation?; and (3) How do people use this information to assort within groups? Evidence will come from mathematical modeling, experiments, participant observation, time allocation studies, social network structure, and content analysis of verbal interactions.Anthropologists have long recognized the importance of so-called "ethnic markers" in signaling group membership to improve cooperative outcomes, which has recently been the focus of extensive formal modeling. Given the fluid nature of social life, however, assortment within local groups confronts a different set of problems than that between groups, which this research will address, assessing adaptations to individual variation. Further, this work investigates the significance of individual differences in generating cultural products, emphasizing the role of similarity-based preferences in interpersonal association, and uncovering the underlying signaling functions of symbolic behaviors. This project will also make broader contributions to international collaboration and scientific training. Extensive interaction with Brazilian scholars will be facilitated at multiple universities in Brazil, strengthening ongoing associations and introducing new opportunities for collaboration. Research training and experience will also be provided to students, both in the US and in Brazil. Finally, the study of social assortment and cooperative outcomes has tremendous applied importance for the design of institutions for conservation and governance, at both local and regional scales.