Jove
Visualize
Contact Us

Related Experiment Videos

Social learning strategies.

Kevin N Laland1

  • 1Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution, School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland. knl1@st-andrews.ac.uk

Learning & Behavior
|May 27, 2004
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Global drivers of variation in cup nest size in passerine birds.

The Journal of animal ecology·2022
Same author

No evidence for individual recognition in threespine or ninespine sticklebacks (<i>Gasterosteus aculeatus</i> or <i>Pungitius pungitius</i>).

Royal Society open science·2020
Same author

Racism in academia, and why the 'little things' matter.

Nature·2020
Same author

The role of food transfers in wild golden lion tamarins (Leontopithecus rosalia): Support for the informational and nutritional hypothesis.

Primates; journal of primatology·2020
Same author

Flexible learning, rather than inveterate innovation or copying, drives cumulative knowledge gain.

Science advances·2020
Same author

Attentional coordination in demonstrator-observer dyads facilitates learning and predicts performance in a novel manual task.

Cognition·2020
Same journal

Correction: Quantifying nonmnemonic strategies in two-alternative forced-choice delayed matching and nonmatching-to-position tasks in mice (Mus musculus) using automated video tracking technologies.

Learning & behavior·2026
Same journal

Unconditional stimulus deflation is stimulus specific.

Learning & behavior·2026
Same journal

What is possible and what is worth: Higher levers afford more work and enhance the value of leisure.

Learning & behavior·2026
Same journal

Behavioral impact of adolescent social isolation stress: A multidimensional assessment in male NMRI mice.

Learning & behavior·2026
Same journal

Behavioral characteristics of rapid visual categorization learning in domestic chicks.

Learning & behavior·2026
Same journal

Operant conditioning through positive reinforcement in the ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata).

Learning & behavior·2026
See all related articles
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Animals employ specific strategies when learning from others, not indiscriminately copying. Research explores contexts and conditions influencing animal social learning strategies for adaptive advantages.

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Ecology
  • Animal Cognition
  • Evolutionary Psychology

Background:

  • Studies on animal social learning often overlook the specific strategies animals use when copying others.
  • While psychological processes of social learning are explored, the contextual factors influencing copying remain under-researched.
  • Theoretical models suggest that indiscriminate social learning is maladaptive; individuals should use context-dependent strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the nature of strategies animals adopt when engaging in social learning.
  • To discuss theoretically predicted social learning strategies such as 'copy when uncertain', 'copy the majority', and 'copy if better'.
  • To review empirical evidence supporting these strategies in both animal and human social learning.

Main Methods:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Review of theoretical models predicting social learning strategies.
  • Analysis of empirical evidence from animal behavior and human social learning literature.
  • Discussion of hierarchical organization of social learning strategy reliance.

Main Results:

  • Theoretical analyses predict specific strategies for social learning, including conditional copying based on uncertainty, majority influence, or individual success.
  • Empirical evidence from diverse species supports the existence and application of these distinct social learning strategies.
  • Social learning strategies may be employed hierarchically, as a fallback before resorting to individual innovation.

Conclusions:

  • Animals do not learn indiscriminately; they utilize specific, adaptive strategies when acquiring information from others.
  • Understanding these strategies is crucial for comprehending the evolution and adaptive significance of social learning.
  • Further research should focus on the contextual triggers and hierarchical deployment of these social learning mechanisms.