The CEU Department of Cognitive Science cordially invites you to its talk by
Alex Thornton, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter
Date: Wednesday, June 8, 2016 - 17:00-18:30
Host: Gergely Csibra, Denis Tatone
Location: Department of Cognitive Science, CEU, Oktober 6 street 7, room 101.
Social learning and the Evolution of Culture
Throughout the animal kingdom, individuals can acquire valuable information by learning
from others. In some species, this social transmission of information can shape the
behaviour and skills not only of individuals, but of whole groups, leading to the
establishment of local cultural variants. In our own species, cultural traits themselves
evolve, permitting the incremental improvements in tools and technologies that have
allowed us to colonise the harshest environments on Earth and even explore beyond the
confines of our own planet. In this talk I will consider the ultimate and proximate
factors underpinning the biological origins of culture and its subsequent elaboration in
humans. Using examples from my research on meerkats, jackdaws and great tits I will begin
by consider how variation in the adaptive value of social information drives learning
mechanisms and strategies and the potential for group-level conformity. I will then
present data from experiments on humans, casting some doubt on the widely accepted notion
that the human capacity for cumulative culture rests on the evolution of high-fidelity
mechanisms of social learning.
See more at:
http://cognitivescience.ceu.edu/events/2016-06-08/departmental-colloquium-a…
We are looking forward to see you there!
Cognitive Science Events at CEU:
http://cognitivescience.ceu.edu/events
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