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Conformity to cultural norms of tool use in chimpanzees

Author

Listed:
  • Andrew Whiten

    (University of St Andrews)

  • Victoria Horner

    (University of St Andrews
    Emory University)

  • Frans B. M. de Waal

    (Emory University)

Abstract

In with the in-crowd Humans are not alone in wanting to fit in: chimpanzees also conform to the cultural norm. It is well known that chimpanzees sustain different local traditions of tool-use, but a new study shows that they conform to the group norms in an unexpectedly human-like way. By training one individual in each of two groups to use a tool to extract hidden food in different ways, various technologies were ‘seeded’ into social groups. These developed into stable subcultures during the two-month study. Some individuals stumbled on the alternative method, yet converged on the local group norm. Human conformity to local custom may have a much more ancient evolutionary ancestry than was assumed.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:437:y:2005:i:7059:d:10.1038_nature04047
    DOI: 10.1038/nature04047
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    Cited by:

    1. MacCoun Robert & Cook Philip J. & Muschkin Clara & Vigdor Jacob L, 2008. "Distinguishing Spurious and Real Peer Effects: Evidence from Artificial Societies, Small-Group Experiments, and Real Schoolyards," Review of Law & Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 4(3), pages 695-714, December.
    2. Rachel L Kendal & Jeremy R Kendal & Will Hoppitt & Kevin N Laland, 2009. "Identifying Social Learning in Animal Populations: A New ‘Option-Bias’ Method," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 4(8), pages 1-9, August.
    3. Benjamin Volland, 2012. "The vertical transmission of time use choices," Papers on Economics and Evolution 2012-05, Philipps University Marburg, Department of Geography.
    4. Hopkins, William D. & Li, Xiang & Roberts, Neil, 2019. "More intelligent chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) have larger brains and increased cortical thickness," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 18-24.
    5. Mason, Malia F. & Dyer, Rebecca & Norton, Michael I., 2009. "Neural mechanisms of social influence," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 110(2), pages 152-159, November.
    6. 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.
    7. Dominique Guillo & Nicolas Claidière, 2020. "Do guide dogs have culture? The case of indirect social learning," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 7(1), pages 1-9, December.
    8. 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.
    9. Monic Sun & Xiaoquan (Michael) Zhang & Feng Zhu, 2012. "To Belong or to Be Different? Evidence from a Large-Scale Field Experiment in China," Working Papers 12-15, NET Institute, revised Oct 2012.
    10. 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).

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