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Assessment of Social Transmission of Food Preferences Behaviors
Published on: January 25, 2018
Insights from social transmission of information in rodents
Marie H Monfils1, Laura A Agee1
1Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.
Abstract:
Direct exposure to stimuli in their environment is not the only way that animals learn about important information. Individuals can infer fear from a social context through observation. Like humans, rats are very social animals, and may learn to infer information about their environment through their interactions with conspecifics. Here, we first review different models for social transmission of information in rodents. Second, we examine different modes of communication that are important to social learning. Then, we cover the different proximate factors that are thought to modulate the social transmission of information. Next, we identify social and environmental conditions that impact social learning, and finally, we conclude by revisiting social transmission through the lens of the Tinbergen framework.
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