The mechanisms of selection, assimilation and transmission at work in cultural accumulation need to include evaluative processes for detecting informational lacunae and repair mechanisms. Novelty, interest, learnability of alternative concepts and practices need to be permanently monitored at the individual and at the group level. It is proposed that the evaluative mechanisms that control cultural accumulation are themselves subject to cultural evolution. This article outlines a plausible sequence of evolutionary steps from curiosity-based exploration to inquisitive communication and to collective epistemic deliberation. Procedural metacognition, based on affective monitoring, regulates curiosity and early forms of inquisitive communication. Explicit metacognition, based on transmitted concepts, rules and practices regulates collective epistemic deliberation. It successively expands across cultures the epistemic sensitivity to a range of distinct norms such as evidentiality, consistency, explanatory power and consensuality.

文化积累中起作用的选择、同化和传播机制需要包括检测信息漏洞和修复机制的评估过程。替代概念和实践的新颖性、兴趣、可学习性需要在个人和群体层面进行永久监控。有人提出，控制文化积累的评价机制本身是受文化演变的影响的。本文概述了从基于好奇心的探索到好奇的交流和集体认知审议的一系列进化步骤。基于情感监测的程序性元认知调节好奇心和好奇沟通的早期形式。显式元认知，基于传递的概念，规则和实践规范集体认知审议。它不断地跨文化扩展对一系列不同规范的认知敏感性，例如证据性、一致性、解释力和共识性。