Learning Strategies and Cultural Evolution during the Palaeolithic, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2015 Replacement of Neanderthals by Modern Humans Series

Alex Mesoudi is Reader in Anthropology at Durham University, UK.  He conducts research into human cultural evolution and social learning. He uses a combination of lab experiments and theoretical models to explore the individual-level processes – who copies what, from whom and when – that underlie broad patterns of cultural change. He has authored over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and one previous book entitled “Cultural Evolution: How Darwinian Theory Can Explain Human Culture and Synthesize the Social Sciences” (University of Chicago Press, 2011).

Kenichi Aoki is Visiting Professor at Meiji University and Emeritus Professor at the University of Tokyo. He currently conducts theoretical research on cultural evolution and on the genetic evolution of learning strategies. He has also authored theoretical articles on group selection, gene-culture coevolution and mate choice. He is coeditor of two volumes focusing on the Neanderthal-modern human problem, “Neanderthals and Modern Humans in Western Asia” (Plenum Press, 1998) and “Dynamics of Learning in  Neanderthals and Modern Humans Volume 1 Cultural Perspectives” (Springer 2013).

Explains how Palaeolithic cultures evolved

Suggests how cultural differences between hominin species contributed to replacement

Presents novel approaches and findings in a form accessible to advanced graduate students

Integrates concepts and methods from multiple traditional disciplines, including anthropology, archaeology, population biology and experimental psychology