"Which parameters are fixed (genetic) vs. variable (cultural)?"
Identifies behavioral invariants — constants across cultures and epochs. Acts as cognitive anthropologist, separating the fixed genetic floor (Theta_fixed) from culturally-modifiable overlays (Theta_variable). The key test for every proposed constant: does it hold across WEIRD and non-WEIRD populations, across historical periods, and across ecological contexts?
9 of 13 evolutionary constants (Theta_fixed) defined in Session 6, establishing the HYBRID model: Theta_total = Theta_fixed_floor + Theta_variable(culture, t).
Strongest finding: Spadaro et al. 2022 meta-analysis across 70 societies and 1,506 studies confirms 'very little cross-societal variation in impersonal cooperation' — alpha_recip ~ Normal(0.45, 0.08) is a genuine evolutionary constant.
theta_boundary fractal layers [5/15/50/150/500/1500] validated with scaling ratio ~3.0 robust across phone data, online networks, and face-to-face groups.
Gene-culture coevolution for behavioral traits takes >500 generations, meaning Theta_fixed is stable across the entire historical test suite.
Provides Theta_fixed — the evolutionary constants that form the genetic floor of behavioral parameters. Key constants: r_kin (kin selection, R²=0.94), alpha_recip (reciprocal altruism, Normal(0.45,0.08)), theta_boundary (group size fractal layers), gamma_status (status hierarchy dual D/P model), h2_behav (~0.49 heritability). These set the baseline on which cultural modulations operate.
See the full formula →Status hierarchy parameter (γ_status) has dominance/prestige channels defined but not yet wired into any drift equation — structural gap
Causal audit of evolutionary constants incomplete — formal pathways from fixed parameters to macro dynamics not yet fully specified
Resource scarcity parameter (ξ_scarcity) needs cross-cultural replication — current estimates based on Chinese university samples only