Robert Whallon

Agent-Based Modeling of Early Cultural Evolution

Our conceptual model of hunter-gatherer search methods, vector voting, was developed based on a decision-making model. A multi-agent simulation model (currently adopted to be viewed as a game) was developed based on this model. Experiments are performed using this model and the results are analyzed to explore the impact of decision-making methods and resource sharing methods on population survival. The results suggest the fixed order strategies outperform equalitarian strategies head to head.

Linking Ethnoarchaeological Interpretation and Archaeological Data

In this chapter we examine the extent to which archaeological techniques of spatial analysis produce satisfactory results when applied to an ethnographically recorded hunter-gatherer site, and we explore the degree to which useful results can be obtained after simulated disturbance of the site. We believe we have gained some insights into methods of spatial analysis and clarified our understanding of their strengths and limitations through this study. John Yellen’s (1977) ethnoarchaeological study of!Kung sites in Botswana was selected to provide the basis for this investigation. Yellen’s data were selected because we were curious to test the validity of our quantitative methods of spatial analysis with ethnoarchaeological data. His study provided a data set comparable to those from open-air sites of mobile hunter-gatherers on which such methods most commonly are applied archaeologically.

Altruism, selfishness, and survival: an agent-based model of sharing behavior

This paper investigates the extent to which a simple vector voting model is able to exploit the resources patterns in the environment. The cognitive limitations of the decision-makers on the performance of the system are investigated. It is shown that the allocation of the resultant resources to the decision-makers most responsible for making the decision is an important aspect of group survivability. Distribution in terms of decision-making success or status performs much better than the altruistic approach of equal distribution.