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Subjective selection is a mechanistic and behaviorally integrative account of group-level selection, not a replacement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2026

Aecio Borba Open the ORCID record for Aecio Borba [Opens in a new window]  and
April M. Becker Open the ORCID record for April M. Becker [Opens in a new window]
Aecio Borba*
Affiliation:
Department of Behavior Analysis, University of North Texas, Denton, USA Aecio.Borba@unt.edu april.becker@unt.edu
April M. Becker
Affiliation:
Department of Behavior Analysis, University of North Texas, Denton, USA Aecio.Borba@unt.edu april.becker@unt.edu
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

We praise many aspects of this paper that bring forward previously underemphasized content. We would caution against presenting it as an alternative group-level selection. Indeed, subjective selection may serve to generate a mechanistic understanding of the underlying system upon which group selection operates. Such an approach would address the circularity in the supposition that subjective selection explains cultural patterns.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e289
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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