▁individual ▁pass ively ▁receives ▁cult ur ally - trans m itted ▁material ▁from ▁the ▁group , ▁To oby ▁and ▁Cos m ides ▁( 1 9 8 9 ), ▁among ▁others , ▁argue ▁that : ▁" the ▁ps y che ▁evol ved ▁to ▁generate ▁adapt ive ▁rather ▁than ▁repet itive ▁behavior , ▁and ▁hence ▁crit ically ▁analy zes ▁the ▁behavior ▁of ▁those ▁surrounding ▁it ▁in ▁highly ▁struct ured ▁and ▁pattern ed ▁ways , ▁to ▁be ▁used ▁as ▁a ▁rich ▁( but ▁by ▁no ▁means ▁the ▁only ) ▁source ▁of ▁information ▁out ▁of ▁which ▁to ▁construct ▁a ▁' private ▁culture ' ▁or ▁individually ▁tail ored ▁adapt ive ▁system ; ▁in ▁consequence , ▁this ▁system ▁may ▁or ▁may ▁not ▁mirror ▁the ▁behavior ▁of ▁others ▁in ▁any ▁given ▁respect ." ▁( To oby ▁and ▁Cos m ides ▁ 1 9 8 9 ). ▁ ▁Ep ide mi ological ▁culture ▁The ▁Ep ide mi ology ▁of ▁representations , ▁or ▁cultural ▁ep ide mi ology , ▁is ▁a ▁broad ▁framework ▁for ▁understanding ▁cultural ▁phen omena ▁by ▁investig ating ▁the ▁distribution ▁of ▁mental ▁representations ▁in ▁and ▁through ▁populations . ▁The ▁theory ▁of ▁cultural ▁ep ide mi ology ▁was ▁largely ▁developed ▁by ▁Dan ▁S per ber ▁to ▁study ▁society ▁and ▁cult ures . ▁The ▁theory ▁has ▁imp lications ▁for ▁psych ology ▁and ▁anth rop ology . ▁M ental ▁representations ▁are ▁transferred ▁from ▁person ▁to ▁person ▁through ▁cogn itive ▁caus al ▁ch ains . ▁S per ber ▁( 2 0 0 1 ) ▁identified ▁three ▁different , ▁yet ▁inter related , ▁cogn