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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 25, 2026

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization

Published on: April 19, 2017

Teaching in hunter-gatherer infancy.

Barry S Hewlett¹, Casey J Roulette¹

¹Department of Anthropology , Washington State University , Vancouver, WA, USA.

Royal Society Open Science

|February 25, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Teaching is a universal human behavior, even in hunter-gatherer societies. This study found evidence of natural pedagogy and other teaching forms among Aka infants, transmitting diverse skills and knowledge.

Keywords:

hunter–gatherers social learning teaching

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Area of Science:

Anthropology
Developmental Psychology
Evolutionary Biology

Background:

A debate exists regarding whether teaching is innate and universal or a recent cultural construct.
Some research suggests teaching is rare in small-scale societies, while other fields posit it as fundamental to human culture.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the existence and nature of infant teaching in hunter-gatherer cultures.
To determine if natural pedagogy, a cognitive theory of teaching, is present in non-Western, small-scale societies.
To identify the skills, frequency, and participants involved in infant teaching among the Aka.

Main Methods:

Analysis of videotaped interactions involving Aka hunter-gatherer infants.
Observation focused on late infancy, a period associated with the emergence of natural pedagogy.
Evaluation of teaching behaviors and learning processes.

Main Results:

Evidence of multiple forms of teaching, including natural pedagogy, was observed in Aka infants.
Teaching was found to facilitate the acquisition of various skills and knowledge.
The study confirmed the presence of teaching in a small-scale hunter-gatherer context.

Conclusions:

Infant teaching is not exclusive to Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, Democratic (WEIRD) societies.
Teaching, including natural pedagogy, is a significant aspect of early development across diverse cultures.
The findings support the universality of teaching as a key human adaptation.