Culture: Social learning, cultural variation in primates

old_uid4984
titleCulture: Social learning, cultural variation in primates
start_date2008/06/02
schedule17h-19h
onlineno
summaryIt is known from the wild that many animals, especially our closest relatives, show cultural variation in behavior. That is, their behavior differs from group to group based on the transmission of knowledge, skills, or habits. We now speak of the up and coming field of "cultural primatology." But what is not known from the field is how primates learn form each other. This requires experimentation. The Living Links Center is the first to have demonstrated that primates learn habits from each other, and faithfully transmit knowledge. See: http://www.emory.edu/LIVING_LINKS/conform.html Whiten, A., Horner, V., & de Waal, F. B. M. (2005). Conformity to cultural norms of tool use in chimpanzees. Nature 437: 737-740.
responsiblesde Waal