OBJECTIVES Cultural variability (CV) is introduced as an overlooked dimension of cultural identity development pertaining to emphasizing and de-emphasizing the influence of a single cultural identity (i.e., cultural influence [CI]) on daily interactions and behaviors. The Cultural IDentity Influence Measure (CIDIM) is introduced as a novel measure of CI and CV, and hypothesis-driven validation ...

In recent years, far from arguing that evolutionary approaches to our own species permit us to describe the fundamental character of human nature, a prominent group of cultural evolutionary theorists has instead argued that the very idea of 'human nature' is one we should reject. It makes no sense, they argue, to speak of human nature in opposition to human culture. The very same sceptical argu...

The World Bank, in its operational Policy 4.10, uses the term “indigenous peoples” to refer to a distinct, vulnerable, social and cultural group possessing the following characteristics in varying degrees: (a) Self-identification as members of a distinct indigenous cultural group and recognition of this identity by others; (b) collective attachment to geographically distinct habitats or ancestr...

We develop a model of cultural transmission where television plays a role in socialization. We study the coverage of different cultural traits by a profit maximizing TV industry and the resulting cultural dynamics. Our model predicts that cultural extinction is more likely in a competitive than in a monopolistic TV industry. A monopolist covers both traits but grants more coverage to the most p...