NDLI: Skill mastery inhibits adoption of observed alternative solutions among chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Hrubesch, Christine Preuschoft, Signe Schaik, Carel
Copyright Year	2008
Abstract	Geographic variation in socially transmitted skills and signals, similar to human culture, has been well documented for great apes. The rules governing the adoption of novel behaviours, however, are still largely unknown. We conducted an innovation-and-transmission experiment with two groups of chimpanzees living at hopE Primate Sanctuary Gänserndorf, Austria, presenting a board on which food had to be manoeuvred around obstacles to be acquired. Most chimpanzees used sticks to acquire the food, but five adults independently invented a novel technique, rattling, which was subsequently tested by almost all group members. However, individuals who had become proficient with sticks were reluctant to switch to rattling, despite it being more efficient. Similarly, after rattling was prevented, rattle specialists kept trying to rattle and made no attempt to use the stick technique, despite their knowledge about its existence. We conclude that innovators stimulate others to experiment with the solutions they display, but that chimpanzees are nevertheless conservative; mastery of a skill inhibits further exploration, and hence adoption of alternative techniques even if these are more efficient. Consequently, conformity among group members should not be expected in great apes when individuals develop proficiency at different techniques. Conservatism thus joins conformity as a mechanism to bring about cultural uniformity and stability.
Starting Page	209
Ending Page	216
Page Count	8
File Format	PDF
ISSN	14359448
Journal	Animal Cognition
Volume Number	12
Issue Number	2
e-ISSN	14359456
Language	English
Publisher	Springer-Verlag
Publisher Date	2008-09-03
Publisher Place	Berlin, Heidelberg
Access Restriction	Subscribed
Subject Keyword	Innovation Culture Conservatism Chimpanzee Two-action puzzle Zoology Behavioural Sciences Human Physiology Evolutionary Biology
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Experimental and Cognitive Psychology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

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