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When instrumental inference hides behind seemingly arbitrary conventions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 November 2022

Edgar Dubourg Open the ORCID record for Edgar Dubourg [Opens in a new window] ,
Léo Fitouchi  and
Nicolas Baumard
Edgar Dubourg
Affiliation:
Département d’études cognitives, Institut Jean Nicod, École normale supérieure-PSL, 75005 Paris, France edgar.dubourg@gmail.com leo.fitouchi@gmail.com nbaumard@gmail.com www.edgardubourg.fr https://sites.google.com/view/leofitouchi/home https://nicolasbaumards.org/
Léo Fitouchi
Affiliation:
Département d’études cognitives, Institut Jean Nicod, École normale supérieure-PSL, 75005 Paris, France edgar.dubourg@gmail.com leo.fitouchi@gmail.com nbaumard@gmail.com www.edgardubourg.fr https://sites.google.com/view/leofitouchi/home https://nicolasbaumards.org/
Nicolas Baumard
Affiliation:
Département d’études cognitives, Institut Jean Nicod, École normale supérieure-PSL, 75005 Paris, France edgar.dubourg@gmail.com leo.fitouchi@gmail.com nbaumard@gmail.com www.edgardubourg.fr https://sites.google.com/view/leofitouchi/home https://nicolasbaumards.org/
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Abstract

We review recent evidence that game rules, rules of etiquette, and supernatural beliefs, that the authors see as “ritualistic” conventions, are in fact shaped by instrumental inference. In line with such examples, we contend that cultural practices that may appear, from the outside, to be devoid of instrumental utility, could in fact be selectively acquired and preserved because of their perceived utility.

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Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 45 , 2022 , e256
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

*

Contributed equally to this paper.

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