Abstract
The
article reviews the field of animal social learning and culture,
covering how and why it is studied in both captive and wild animals, by
researchers with often differing agendas. Our increasing understanding
of the adaptive value of social learning and culture is discussed as
well as the new avenues for research this opens. The interdisciplinary
nature of the field is emphasized, which, among other areas, influences
theories regarding modularity in the brain, the evolution of social
intelligence, and animal conservation and welfare.
Keywords
- Animal culture;
- Cultural intelligence;
- Culture;
- Imitation;
- Innovation;
- Learning;
- Primates;
- Social intelligence;
- Social learning
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