Human Teaching and Cumulative Cultural Evolution
Human Teaching and Cumulative Cultural Evolution
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DOI：
10.1007/s13164-017-0346-3
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发表时间：
2018-12-01
影响因子：
2
通讯作者：
Atkinson, Mark
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Caldwell, Christine A.;Renner, Elizabeth;Atkinson, Mark
虽然教学行为的证据已被确定在一些非人类物种，人类教学似乎是独一无二的，在这两个范围内的情况下观察，并在其响应学习者的需求。类似地，文化进化在其他物种中也是可以观察到的，但人类的文化进化似乎是截然不同的。这引发了人们的猜测，即这些能力的进化起源可能存在因果关系。在这里，我们提供了一个对比的角度在人类教学和文化进化之间的关系的概述，并简要回顾以前的研究表明，累积的文化（这里的意思是文化进化的趋势，朝着改善功能）可以发生没有教学。然后，我们报告了一项新的实验研究的结果，在该研究中，我们调查了教学的好处可能取决于要获得的技能的复杂性。参与者被要求打不同复杂程度的结。在我们的教学条件下，与经验丰富的合作伙伴互动的机会有助于最复杂的结的传递，但不是简单的等价物，相对于单独暴露于完成的产品（仅最终状态条件），也相对于完成过程的信息（中间状态条件）。最后，我们考虑教学和人类文化进化之间的进化关系的各种帐户的可接受性。
Although evidence of teaching behaviour has been identified in some nonhuman species, human teaching appears to be unique in terms of both the breadth of contexts within which it is observed, and in its responsiveness to needs of the learner. Similarly, cultural evolution is observable in other species, but human cultural evolution appears strikingly distinct. This has led to speculation that the evolutionary origins of these capacities may be causally linked. Here we provide an overview of contrasting perspectives on the relationship between teaching and cultural evolution in humans, and briefly review previous research which suggests that cumulative culture (here meaning cultural evolution featuring a trend towards improving functionality) can occur without teaching. We then report the results of a novel experimental study in which we investigated how the benefits of teaching may depend on the complexity of the skill to be acquired. Participants were asked to tie knots of varying complexity. In our Teaching condition, opportunities to interact with an experienced partner aided transmission of the most complex knots, but not simpler equivalents, relative to exposure to completed products alone (End State Only condition), and also relative to information about the process of completion (Intermediate States condition). We conclude by considering the plausibility of various accounts of the evolutionary relationship between teaching and cultural evolution in humans.