Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the...

The Role of Culture

The Role of Culture

Culture plays a crucial role in shaping self-identity and influencing thought and behavior, a foundational interest within social psychology. The multicultural perspective recognizes that individuals do not exist in a vacuum; instead, their experiences, perceptions, and actions are deeply influenced by the intersecting dimensions of their cultural, ethnic, and social group affiliations.Cultural Influence on Self-Identity and Social PerceptionCultural frameworks inform how individuals define...

Cultural Influences on Personality

Cultural Influences on Personality

Individualist and collectivist cultures emphasize different core values, shaping personality in distinct ways. In individualist cultures, such as those in the United States, England, and Australia, people prioritize independence, competition, and personal achievement. These societies tend to promote self-focused traits, with individuals often reporting higher levels of self-esteem. In contrast, collectivist cultures, commonly found in regions like Asia, Africa, and South America, emphasize...

Self Within Cultural Contexts

Self Within Cultural Contexts

Cultural frameworks for understanding the self are often categorized into two broad orientations: individualism and collectivism. These paradigms influence how people define themselves, relate to others, and interpret their social worlds. Each orientation offers distinct perspectives on autonomy, responsibility, and the role of the individual within a community.Individualistic CulturesIn individualistic cultures like North America and Western Europe, identity is understood as autonomous and...

Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective

Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective

In a study where individuals posing as strangers offered compliments and proposed casual sex to students, the responses differed significantly based on gender. Not a single woman accepted the proposal, while 70% of the men agreed. This outcome provides a useful scenario to explore through the lens of evolutionary psychology and social learning theory, highlighting the diverse perspectives on human sexual behaviors.
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...

Close Relationships and Culture

Close Relationships and Culture

Culture shapes how people approach attraction, choose partners, and build long-term relationships. While some preferences in mate selection appear consistent across cultures, such as men valuing physical attractiveness and women emphasizing financial resources, cultural contexts influence how these preferences are expressed and prioritized. Marriage extends beyond romantic ideals in many societies and is deeply embedded in social, economic, and religious frameworks.The Role of Culture in Mate...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Long-term environmental unpredictability increases social information use in zebrafish.

Behavioral ecology : official journal of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology·2026

Same author

How search images limit competition: The role of attention in collective foraging.

Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983)·2025

Same author

The social origins of consciousness.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2025

Same author

Mechanisms of socially facilitated feeding in Zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Learning & behavior·2025

Same author

Mechanisms of social behaviour in the anti-social blind cavefish (<i>Astyanax mexicanus</i>).

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2025

Same author

Environmental Enrichment Increases Brain Volume in Snakes.

The Journal of comparative neurology·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 19, 2026

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli

Published on: August 18, 2023

Raising the bar on studying cultural evolution.

¹Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Canada. nmiller@wlu.ca.

Learning & Behavior

|November 4, 2017

Summary

Pigeons improve their homing routes across generations through social learning. This demonstrates that cumulative behavioral changes are not unique to humans, offering insights into cultural evolution mechanisms.

Area of Science:

Animal behavior
Evolutionary biology
Cognitive science

Background:

Understanding the evolution of complex behaviors is crucial.
Social learning plays a significant role in animal cognition.
Cumulative cultural evolution is primarily studied in humans.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if pigeons exhibit cumulative cultural evolution in homing behavior.
To determine if socially transmitted information can enhance navigational efficiency over generations.

Main Methods:

Researchers studied pairs of homing pigeons over multiple breeding cycles.
Naïve birds gradually replaced experienced individuals within pairs.
Homing route efficiency was measured and compared across generations.

Keywords:

Collective behavior Cumulative cultural evolution

More Related Videos

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning

Published on: November 2, 2012

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 19, 2026

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli

Published on: August 18, 2023

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning

Published on: November 2, 2012

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

Main Results:

Pigeon pairs demonstrated progressively more efficient homing routes over successive generations.
The observed improvements in navigation were attributed to socially transmitted behavioral modifications.
This suggests a mechanism for cultural transmission in non-human animals.

Conclusions:

Socially transmitted cumulative alterations in behavior are not exclusive to humans.
Pigeons provide a model system for studying the mechanisms of cultural evolution.
Findings challenge the view of cumulative culture as a uniquely human trait.