Lectures 16, 17, 18: Social Learning & Culture Introduction

1. Lectures 16, 17, 18: Social Learning & Culture Introduction Types and Mechanisms of Social Learning Tool Use Culture deWaal Japanese research Chimp Culture? Dolphin Culture? General thoughts?

2. Culture deWaal’s Theory Emory University (Georgia, USA)

3. The Ape and the Sushi Master: Cultural Reflections of a Primatologist

4. Culture deWaal’s Theory The Ape and the Sushi Master: Cultural Reflections of a Primatologist • sushi-making analogy (master and apprentice) • examples of culturally-transmitted behaviours • - ‘knowledge and habits acquired from others’ • - Japanese animal research…

5. Culture Japanese Research Japanese Research in Animal Cognition • primatology (Japanese Macaque) • techniques & theories • provisioning, naming • not as much human/animal dualism

6. Culture Japanese Research Imanishi (1940s, 1950s) - criticized Western views - animal culture If individuals learn from one another, the group’s behaviour might start to become different from other groups, creating a characteristic culture.

7. Koshima Island

9. Sweet Potato Washing (Imo)

12. Culture Japanese Research Japanese Research in Animal Cognition • Western criticism • now: adoption of concepts and approaches

13. Culture Chimpanzee Cultures? Whiten et al. (1999): Cultures in Chimpanzees (Nature) • variation in behaviour observed in wild

15. Culture Chimpanzee Cultures? Whiten et al. (1999): Cultures in Chimpanzees (Nature) • variation in behaviour observed in wild • - systematic analysis Andrew Whiten, University of Saint Andrews, UK

17. Culture Chimpanzee Cultures? • List of behaviours that might be cultural variants • characterized 65 candidates • Customary • Habitual • Present • Absent

20. Culture Chimpanzee Cultures? • Example: Ant Dipping • Tai Forest and Ivory Coast: short stick, directly to mouth • Gombe: long stick, swiping action (But nearby Mahale group doesn’t do it)

21. Culture Chimpanzee Cultures? • Criteria for ‘cultural’: • social learners; juveniles observe adults • ecology is not plausible explanation • genetic transmission is not plausible (differences in nearby communities)

22. Culture Chimpanzee Cultures? Horner, Whiten, Flynn, de Waal (2006): “Faithful replication of foraging techniques along cultural transmission chain by chimpanzees and children”

23. Culture Chimpanzee Cultures? Horner, Whiten, Flynn, de Waal (2006)

24. Culture Chimpanzee Cultures? Horner, Whiten, Flynn, de Waal (2006) Results: Chimps: High fidelity of transmission - even though without modeling, chimps would discover both options for opening “Chimpanzees have a capacity to sustain local traditions across multiple simulated generations”

25. Culture Dolphin Cultures?

27. Culture Dolphin Cultures? • sex based to females • only one male ever observed sponging

28. Culture Dolphin Cultures? Krutzen et al. (2005): Cultural Transmission of Tool Use in Bottlenose Dolphins • Not ecology • Transmitted through generations • matriline

29. Culture Dolphin Cultures? Krutzen et al. (2005): Cultural Transmission of Tool Use in Bottlenose Dolphins • Not ecology • Transmitted through generations • matriline • Not genetic transmission • would expect more spread • Show good emulation/imitation in captivity

30. Culture Whale Culture? Garland et al. (2011): Dynamic Horizontal Cultural Transmission of Humpback Whale Song at the Ocean Basin Scale

33. Culture Whale Culture? Garland et al. (2011): Dynamic Horizontal Cultural Transmission of Humpback Whale Song at the Ocean Basin Scale • -Social learning • -Not genetic transmission • spread across genetically diverse populations • Not ecology

34. So what can we conclude? • Inclusive definition of culture that reflects continuity between animals and humans? • yet human culture is different

36. Culture Human Cultures? Dean et al. (2012): Identification of the Social and Cognitive Processes Underlying Human Culture • Teaching, Language, Imitation, & Prosociality

37. Culture Human Cultures?

38. Culture Human Cultures? Dean et al. (2012): Identification of the Social and Cognitive Processes Underlying Human Culture • Teaching, Language, Imitation, & Prosociality

39. So what can we conclude? • Inclusive definition of culture that reflects continuity between animals and humans? • yet human culture is different • Arguments based on how we see ourselves: it’s a philosophical argument • deWaal: “the perception of animals as cultured is as much a philosophical stance as the denial of animal culture”