Emulation, imitation, over-imitation and the scope of culture for child and chimpanzee
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23345895 |
|---|---|
| Authors | A Whiten (0000-0003-2426-5890, University of St Andrews, corresponding author), Nicola Mcguigan (0000-0003-1658-6897, Heriot-Watt University), Sarah Marshall‐pescini (0000-0002-5944-4701, University of St Andrews), Sarah Marshall-Pescini (University of St Andrews), Lydia M Hopper (0000-0001-5953-3264, University of St Andrews) |
| Year | 2009 |
| Volume | 364 |
| Issue | 1528 |
| Pages | 2417-2428 |
| Publication date | 2009-08-27 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0962-8436 • E-ISSN: 1471-2970 |
| Publisher | The Royal Society (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1098/rstb.2009.0069 |
| PMID | 19620112 |
| PMCID | PMC2865074 |
| OpenAlex | W2061167950 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 102 |
| References cited | 55 |
We describe our recent studies of imitation and cultural transmission in chimpanzees and children, which question late twentieth-century characterizations of children as imitators, but chimpanzees as emulators. As emulation entails learning only about the results of others' actions, it has been thought to curtail any capacity to sustain cultures. Recent chimpanzee diffusion experiments have by contrast documented a significant capacity for copying local behavioural traditions. Additionally, in recent ‘ghost’ experiments with no model visible, chimpanzees failed to replicate the object movements on which emulation is supposed to focus. We conclude that chimpanzees rely more on imitation and have greater cultural capacities than previously acknowledged. However, we also find that they selectively apply a range of social learning processes that include emulation. Recent studies demonstrating surprisingly unselective ‘over-imitation’ in children suggest that children's propensity to imitate has been underestimated too. We discuss the implications of these developments for the nature of social learning and culture in the two species. Finally, our new experiments directly address cumulative cultural learning. Initial results demonstrate a relative conservatism and conformity in chimpanzees' learning, contrasting with cumulative cultural learning in young children. This difference may contribute much to the contrast in these species' capacities for cultural evolution.
Biology · Cognitive psychology · Conformity · Contrast (vision) · Copying · Cultural learning · Cultural transmission in animals · Emulation · Evolutionary biology · Experiential learning · Imitation · Object (grammar) · Observational learning · Social learning · Sociocultural evolution · Sociology · Action Observation and Synchronization · Artificial Intelligence · Child and Animal Learning Development · Computer Science · Primate Behavior and Ecology · Psychology · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 102 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 6 |
| Citation span | 2009 - 2026 (18) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | Yes |
| Citation types | Neutral: 83 |