Which pair correctly matches the concept to its focus?

Which pair correctly matches the concept to its focus?

• A. Methodological equivalence – genetic inheritance
• B. Methodological equivalence – same language across cultures
• C. Cumulative cultural evolution – accumulation of skills and knowledge across generations
• D. Cumulative cultural evolution – ecological factors only

Answer: (C)

Cumulative cultural evolution is about how culture accumulates and becomes more complex over generations as people learn from and build on what others did. The best match links this concept to the accumulation of skills and knowledge across generations, which is exactly what cumulative culture describes—you see improvements and new practices arising because each generation can refine, modify, and add to what came before through social learning, teaching, and imitation. The other options miss that core idea: methodological equivalence is about ensuring research methods are comparable across cultures and isn’t about inheritance or language; genetic inheritance is a biological mechanism, not a process of cultural accumulation; and focusing on ecological factors only narrows the concept to environment, ignoring how transmission and cumulative refinement drive cultural change across generations.

Cumulative cultural evolution is about how culture accumulates and becomes more complex over generations as people learn from and build on what others did. The best match links this concept to the accumulation of skills and knowledge across generations, which is exactly what cumulative culture describes—you see improvements and new practices arising because each generation can refine, modify, and add to what came before through social learning, teaching, and imitation. The other options miss that core idea: methodological equivalence is about ensuring research methods are comparable across cultures and isn’t about inheritance or language; genetic inheritance is a biological mechanism, not a process of cultural accumulation; and focusing on ecological factors only narrows the concept to environment, ignoring how transmission and cumulative refinement drive cultural change across generations.