As an example, Gong, Minett and Wang (2010) studied the role of cultural transmission in language evolution. The computational simulation model used in the study simulated realistic language learning mechanisms in individuals. The model incorporated competition mechanisms, where some words are easier to learn and remember than others, as well as forgetting mechanisms, which simulate how individuals may forget the rules of a language while in the early stages of learning the language. These mechanisms enhance the degree of reality of the computational simulation model.

A model of various forms of cultural transmission (from Gong et al., 2010: 76)

The figure above shows the language acquisition framework adopted in the study. It models three different forms of cultural transmission: (a) horizontal transmission where members of the same generation communicate with one another, (b) vertical transmission where members of an older generation communicate with those of a biologically-related younger generation and (c) oblique transmission where members of an older generation and members of a non-biologically related younger generation communicate with one another.

The results of the study show that language can develop and be maintained in a community when there are sufficient inter- and intra-generational transmissions.

In another study, Yamauchi and Hashimoto (2010) investigated the influence of niche construction on language evolution through a genetic-algorithm-based computational simulation model. Niche construction is understood to be a process where the activities of individuals lead to a change in their environment.

A model of the genetic and cultural inheritance of language (from Yamauchi & Hashimoto, 2010: 277)

The figure above gives an illustration of the model. Individuals are born with universal grammar, an innate knowledge of language, which is inherited from the previous generation. The grammar of a language is then inherited via learning and is defined as I-language while the environment in which language learning and communication between individuals take place is called the E-language. The sociolinguistic environment is considered a niche-constructed environment as it is shaped by the linguistic innovations which take place during the evolution of a population.

The results show that natural selection favours individuals who are more adept at learning a language. Over time, as the population grows and evolves, a niche-constructed sociolinguistic environment in which individuals are adept at learning language is established. This leads to a decrease in the cost of language learning as genetic predisposition no longer plays as important a role in the acquisition of language. The importance of genes on language acquisition is then lessened over time.