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Spread of arbitrary conventions among chimpanzees: a controlled experiment
Kristin E Bonnie1, Victoria Horner, Andrew Whiten
1Living Links, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA. kebonni@emory.edu
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|December 14, 2006
Summary
Wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) demonstrate the capacity for social learning of arbitrary conventions. This study shows chimpanzees can learn and transmit non-functional behaviors, expanding our understanding of ape culture.
Area of Science:
- Primate Behavior
- Cognitive Ethology
- Social Learning
Background:
- Wild chimpanzees exhibit diverse cultural traditions, primarily material or functional.
- Arbitrary conventions, lacking inherent meaning or utility, are less understood in non-human primates.
- Previous studies on arbitrary convention transmission often lacked ecological validity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the social transmission of arbitrary behavioral sequences in chimpanzee groups.
- To determine if chimpanzees can learn and adopt conventions without inherent functional value.
- To explore the mechanisms of cultural transmission in established chimpanzee communities.
Main Methods:
- Two established chimpanzee groups were 'seeded' with novel, arbitrary behavioral sequences leading to a reward.
- Researchers observed the spread and adoption of these seeded sequences within each group.
- The study focused on sequences with no pre-existing meaning or logical connection to the reward.
Main Results:
- Seeded behavioral sequences successfully spread within their respective chimpanzee groups.
- Many individuals unambiguously adopted the demonstrated sequences from group members.
- In one instance, a novel sequence was discovered but not socially learned by others.
Conclusions:
- Chimpanzees can acquire and transmit arbitrary behavioral conventions through social observation.
- This research provides evidence for the cultural transmission of non-functional habits in chimpanzees.
- Findings highlight the importance of social learning in the development of ape traditions beyond tool use.
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