The role of culture in the emergence of decision-making roles: An example using cultural algorithms

Cultural algorithms employ a basic set of knowledge sources, each related to knowledge observed in various animal species. These knowledge sources are then combined to direct the decisions of the individual agents in solving optimization problems. Here, the authors develop an algorithm based on an analogy to the marginal value theorem in foraging theory to guide the integration of these different knowledge sources to direct the agent population. The algorithm is applied to find the optimum in a dynamic environment composed of mobile resource cones. It is demonstrated that certain phases of problem solving emerge along with related individual roles during the solution process. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity, 2008 This article was submitted as an invited paper resulting from the “Understanding Complex Systems” conference held at the University of Illinois–Urbana Champaign, May 2005.