22 October - Francis Steen UCLA Communication Studies Cognitive and Social Dimensions of Collective Entertainment     Collective forms of entertainment provide a shared experience for people who otherwise do not know each other. In this talk, I argue that collective entertainment enlists a complex suite of evolved cognitive mechanisms whose biological function is learning and self-construction.  These adaptations, I suggest, make it possible for collective forms of entertainment to provide a reliable basis for commercial enterprise, as well as to play an important role in formulating and communicating a normative framework for social interactions.