IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/nathum/v8y2024i5d10.1038_s41562-024-01836-5.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Chimpanzees use social information to acquire a skill they fail to innovate

Author

Listed:
  • Edwin J. C. Leeuwen

    (Utrecht University
    Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
    Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp)

  • Sarah E. DeTroy

    (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology)

  • Daniel B. M. Haun

    (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology)

  • Josep Call

    (University of St Andrews)

Abstract

Cumulative cultural evolution has been claimed to be a uniquely human phenomenon pivotal to the biological success of our species. One plausible condition for cumulative cultural evolution to emerge is individuals’ ability to use social learning to acquire know-how that they cannot easily innovate by themselves. It has been suggested that chimpanzees may be capable of such know-how social learning, but this assertion remains largely untested. Here we show that chimpanzees use social learning to acquire a skill that they failed to independently innovate. By teaching chimpanzees how to solve a sequential task (one chimpanzee in each of the two tested groups, n = 66) and using network-based diffusion analysis, we found that 14 naive chimpanzees learned to operate a puzzle box that they failed to operate during the preceding three months of exposure to all necessary materials. In conjunction, we present evidence for the hypothesis that social learning in chimpanzees is necessary and sufficient to acquire a new, complex skill after the initial innovation.

Suggested Citation

  • Edwin J. C. Leeuwen & Sarah E. DeTroy & Daniel B. M. Haun & Josep Call, 2024. "Chimpanzees use social information to acquire a skill they fail to innovate," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 8(5), pages 891-902, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nathum:v:8:y:2024:i:5:d:10.1038_s41562-024-01836-5
    DOI: 10.1038/s41562-024-01836-5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-024-01836-5
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41562-024-01836-5?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Christophe Boesch & Ammie K. Kalan & Roger Mundry & Mimi Arandjelovic & Simone Pika & Paula Dieguez & Emmanuel Ayuk Ayimisin & Amanda Barciela & Charlotte Coupland & Villard Ebot Egbe & Manasseh Eno-N, 2020. "Author Correction: Chimpanzee ethnography reveals unexpected cultural diversity," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 4(9), pages 984-984, September.
    2. Kathelijne Koops & Aly Gaspard Soumah & Kelly L. Leeuwen & Henry Didier Camara & Tetsuro Matsuzawa, 2022. "Field experiments find no evidence that chimpanzee nut cracking can be independently innovated," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 6(4), pages 487-494, April.
    3. Andrew Whiten & Victoria Horner & Frans B. M. de Waal, 2005. "Conformity to cultural norms of tool use in chimpanzees," Nature, Nature, vol. 437(7059), pages 737-740, September.
    4. Takao Sasaki & Dora Biro, 2017. "Cumulative culture can emerge from collective intelligence in animal groups," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-6, April.
    5. Christophe Boesch & Ammie K. Kalan & Roger Mundry & Mimi Arandjelovic & Simone Pika & Paula Dieguez & Emmanuel Ayuk Ayimisin & Amanda Barciela & Charlotte Coupland & Villard Ebot Egbe & Manasseh Eno-N, 2020. "Chimpanzee ethnography reveals unexpected cultural diversity," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 4(9), pages 910-916, September.
    6. Denwood, Matthew J., 2016. "runjags: An R Package Providing Interface Utilities, Model Templates, Parallel Computing Methods and Additional Distributions for MCMC Models in JAGS," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 71(i09).
    7. Maurício Cantor & Lauren G. Shoemaker & Reniel B. Cabral & César O. Flores & Melinda Varga & Hal Whitehead, 2015. "Multilevel animal societies can emerge from cultural transmission," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 6(1), pages 1-10, November.
    8. Ammie K. Kalan & Lars Kulik & Mimi Arandjelovic & Christophe Boesch & Fabian Haas & Paula Dieguez & Christopher D. Barratt & Ekwoge E. Abwe & Anthony Agbor & Samuel Angedakin & Floris Aubert & Emmanue, 2020. "Environmental variability supports chimpanzee behavioural diversity," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-10, December.
    9. Lucy M. Aplin & Damien R. Farine & Julie Morand-Ferron & Andrew Cockburn & Alex Thornton & Ben C. Sheldon, 2015. "Experimentally induced innovations lead to persistent culture via conformity in wild birds," Nature, Nature, vol. 518(7540), pages 538-541, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Heather Williams & Andrew Scharf & Anna R. Ryba & D. Ryan Norris & Daniel J. Mennill & Amy E. M. Newman & Stéphanie M. Doucet & Julie C. Blackwood, 2022. "Cumulative cultural evolution and mechanisms for cultural selection in wild bird songs," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Thibaud Gruber & Lydia Luncz & Julia Mörchen & Caroline Schuppli & Rachel L. Kendal & Kimberley Hockings, 2019. "Cultural change in animals: a flexible behavioural adaptation to human disturbance," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(1), pages 1-9, December.
    3. Merkle, Edgar C. & Steyvers, Mark & Mellers, Barbara & Tetlock, Philip E., 2017. "A neglected dimension of good forecasting judgment: The questions we choose also matter," International Journal of Forecasting, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 817-832.
    4. Aghabazaz, Zeynab & Kazemi, Iraj, 2023. "Under-reported time-varying MINAR(1) process for modeling multivariate count series," Computational Statistics & Data Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    5. Guangbao Guo & Guoqi Qian & Lu Lin & Wei Shao, 2021. "Parallel inference for big data with the group Bayesian method," Metrika: International Journal for Theoretical and Applied Statistics, Springer, vol. 84(2), pages 225-243, February.
    6. Liberman, Uri & Ram, Yoav & Altenberg, Lee & Feldman, Marcus W., 2020. "The evolution of frequency-dependent cultural transmission," Theoretical Population Biology, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 69-81.
    7. Benjamin Volland, 2012. "The vertical transmission of time use choices," Papers on Economics and Evolution 2012-05, Philipps University Marburg, Department of Geography.
    8. R. Croston & C.L. Branch & D.Y. Kozlovsky & R. Dukas & V.V. Pravosudov, 2015. "Heritability and the evolution of cognitive traits," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 26(6), pages 1447-1459.
    9. Sukyoung Won & Hee Eun Lee & Young Shik Cho & Kijun Yang & Jeong Eun Park & Seung Jae Yang & Jeong Jae Wie, 2022. "Multimodal collective swimming of magnetically articulated modular nanocomposite robots," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    10. Cao, Wen-Rui & Huang, Qiu-Ru & Zhang, Nan & Liang, Hui-Juan & Xian, Ben-Song & Gan, Xiao-Fang & Xu, Dong Roman & Lai, Ying-Si, 2022. "Mapping the travel modes and acceptable travel time to primary healthcare institutions: A case study in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    11. Alexina J. Mason & Manuel Gomes & James Carpenter & Richard Grieve, 2021. "Flexible Bayesian longitudinal models for cost‐effectiveness analyses with informative missing data," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(12), pages 3138-3158, December.
    12. Jabed Tomal & Saeed Rahmati & Shirin Boroushaki & Lingling Jin & Ehsan Ahmed, 2021. "The Impact of COVID-19 on Students’ Marks: A Bayesian Hierarchical Modeling Approach," METRON, Springer;Sapienza Università di Roma, vol. 79(1), pages 57-91, April.
    13. Sarah Depaoli & James P. Clifton & Patrice R. Cobb, 2016. "Just Another Gibbs Sampler (JAGS)," Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, , vol. 41(6), pages 628-649, December.
    14. Kellie J. Archer & Anna Eames Seffernick & Shuai Sun & Yiran Zhang, 2022. "ordinalbayes: Fitting Ordinal Bayesian Regression Models to High-Dimensional Data Using R," Stats, MDPI, vol. 5(2), pages 1-14, April.
    15. Hayashi, Kohta & Iijima, Hayato, 2022. "Density estimation of non-independent unmarked animals from camera traps," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 472(C).
    16. Hunt, Richard A. & Lerner, Daniel A. & Ortiz-Hunt, Avery, 2022. "Lassie shrugged: The premise and importance of considering non-human entrepreneurial action," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 17(C).
    17. Markus Glatt & Roy Brouwer & Ivana Logar, 2019. "Combining Risk Attitudes in a Lottery Game and Flood Risk Protection Decisions in a Discrete Choice Experiment," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 74(4), pages 1533-1562, December.
    18. Alex Mesoudi, 2018. "Migration, acculturation, and the maintenance of between-group cultural variation," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(10), pages 1-23, October.
    19. Hippel, Svenja & Hoeppner, Sven, 2021. "Contracts as reference points: A replication," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    20. Steele, Fiona & Grundy, Emily, 2021. "Random effects dynamic panel models for unequally-spaced multivariate categorical repeated measures: an application to child-parent exchanges of support," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 106255, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:nathum:v:8:y:2024:i:5:d:10.1038_s41562-024-01836-5. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.