title: Group-level traits emerge.
abstract: Most commentators supported the thesis of the target article, though there were also those who were less fully persuaded. I will begin with a response to the most critical commentaries. First, I will justify an evolutionary perspective that includes group organization and nongenetic inheritance. Next, I will discuss the concept of emergence. Following that, I will transition to an exploration of ideas and concerns brought up by some of the more supportive commentators. This will include a discussion of different types of groups; the psychology of group-level traits; the uses and limitations of an institutional perspective; the link between transmission, adaptation, and selection; current and future methodologies; and the variety of fields that may benefit from a group-level traits perspective.
authors.forename: Paul E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Smaldino
mesh_terms: D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003468:Cultural Evolution; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D012641:Selection, Genetic