TY  - JOUR
AU  - Porčić, Marko
AU  - Radinović, Mihailo
AU  - Branković, Marija
AU  - Jovanić, Aleksandra
PY  - 2023
UR  - http://rifdt.instifdt.bg.ac.rs/123456789/3718
AB  - Understanding the nature of copying errors in the cultural transmission of material culture is highly relevant for students of cultural evolution, especially in the field of evolutionary archaeology. In this paper, we set up a classic transmission chain experiment, which involves making clay anthropomorphic figurines, to explore the nature of the copying error related to the production of 3D objects. The experiment consists of four independent transmission chains, each with 10 participants. Three chains are non-expert chains, as they consist of students of archaeology and psychology with no formal training in arts. The fourth is an expert chain consisting of art students. Our results show that the copying error predictably differs between the experts and the non-experts – it is lower in the expert chain. However, in both groups, the error is higher than predicted by the models that assume that the copying error is only due to imperfections in the perception of linear dimensions. Taken together, these two results suggest that, in addition to the error in perception, the error in the execution contributes significantly to the overall error, as predicted by the recently formulated object-mediated transmission model (Crema et al., 2023). The results of our experiment also show that the errors are often biased rather than random, suggesting that the transmission process involves the transformations anticipated by the cultural attraction theory.
PB  - Elsevier
T2  - Journal of Archaeological Science
T1  - Chinese whispers in clay: Copying error and cultural attraction in the experimental transmission chain of anthropomorphic figurines
VL  - 162
DO  - 10.1016/j.jas.2023.105914
ER  - 

@article{
author = "Porčić, Marko and Radinović, Mihailo and Branković, Marija and Jovanić, Aleksandra",
year = "2023",
abstract = "Understanding the nature of copying errors in the cultural transmission of material culture is highly relevant for students of cultural evolution, especially in the field of evolutionary archaeology. In this paper, we set up a classic transmission chain experiment, which involves making clay anthropomorphic figurines, to explore the nature of the copying error related to the production of 3D objects. The experiment consists of four independent transmission chains, each with 10 participants. Three chains are non-expert chains, as they consist of students of archaeology and psychology with no formal training in arts. The fourth is an expert chain consisting of art students. Our results show that the copying error predictably differs between the experts and the non-experts – it is lower in the expert chain. However, in both groups, the error is higher than predicted by the models that assume that the copying error is only due to imperfections in the perception of linear dimensions. Taken together, these two results suggest that, in addition to the error in perception, the error in the execution contributes significantly to the overall error, as predicted by the recently formulated object-mediated transmission model (Crema et al., 2023). The results of our experiment also show that the errors are often biased rather than random, suggesting that the transmission process involves the transformations anticipated by the cultural attraction theory.",
publisher = "Elsevier",
journal = "Journal of Archaeological Science",
title = "Chinese whispers in clay: Copying error and cultural attraction in the experimental transmission chain of anthropomorphic figurines",
volume = "162",
doi = "10.1016/j.jas.2023.105914"
}

Porčić, M., Radinović, M., Branković, M.,& Jovanić, A.. (2023). Chinese whispers in clay: Copying error and cultural attraction in the experimental transmission chain of anthropomorphic figurines. in Journal of Archaeological Science
Elsevier., 162.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2023.105914

Porčić M, Radinović M, Branković M, Jovanić A. Chinese whispers in clay: Copying error and cultural attraction in the experimental transmission chain of anthropomorphic figurines. in Journal of Archaeological Science. 2023;162.
doi:10.1016/j.jas.2023.105914 .

Porčić, Marko, Radinović, Mihailo, Branković, Marija, Jovanić, Aleksandra, "Chinese whispers in clay: Copying error and cultural attraction in the experimental transmission chain of anthropomorphic figurines" in Journal of Archaeological Science, 162 (2023),
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2023.105914 . .