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Does cultural group selection explain the evolution of pet-keeping?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2016

Harold Herzog
Harold Herzog*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC 28723. herzog@email.wcu.edu http://paws.wcu.edu/herzog/
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Abstract

Pet-keeping is highly variable across cultures in both frequency and form. Cultural group selection offers a plausible explanation for the development and spread of this uniquely human phenomenon in that pet-keeping involves an inheritance system, socially transmitted norms and preferences, substantial between-group variation, and (albeit indirectly) intergroup competition.

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Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 39 , 2016 , e41
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Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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