Theoretical and Methodological Approaches to Ecological Changes, Social Behaviour and Human Intergroup Tolerance 300,000 to 30,000 BP
Abstract
Archaeological evidence suggests that important shifts were taking place in the character of human social behaviours 300,000 to 30,000 years ago. New artefact types
appear and are disseminated with greater frequency. Transfers of both raw materials
and finished artefacts take place over increasing distances, implying larger scales of
regional mobility and more frequent and friendlier interactions between different
communities. Whilst these changes occur during a period of increasing environmental
variability, the relationship between ecological changes and transformations in social
behaviours is elusive. Here, we explore a possible theoretical approach and methodology for understanding how ecological contexts can influence selection pressures acting
on intergroup social behaviours. We focus on the relative advantages and disadvantages
of intergroup tolerance in different ecological contexts using agent-based modelling
(ABM). We assess the relative costs and benefits of different ‘tolerance’ levels in
between-group interactions on survival and resource exploitation in different environments. The results enable us to infer a potential relationship between ecological
changes and proposed changes in between-group behavioural dynamics. We conclude
that increasingly harsh environments may have driven changes in hormonal and
emotional responses in humans leading to increasing intergroup tolerance, i.e. transformations in social behaviour associated with ‘self-domestication’.
Keywords Modern human behaviour ,Tolerance . Social connectivity . Agent-based
model . Environmental change . Palaeolithic . Self-domestication
