Collaborative Research: The relative roles of ecology, evolution, and experience in solving novel problems

创新和学习是人类的基本特征，但由于支持它们所必需的认知能力，它们被认为是昂贵的进化。本研究项目测试了与理解社会学习产生的背景有关的假设，以揭示驱动创新的选择压力、行为灵活性和向他人学习的倾向。具体而言，本项目研究了生态和社会因素如何影响具有不同社会学习基线使用的灵长类动物的信息社会传播。该项目为代表性不足和收入较低的学生提供了急需的实地研究机会。该项目还改善了研究伙伴关系，在为少数民族服务的机构中建立能力，并向学术和非学术受众广泛传播研究成果。这项研究调查了非人类灵长类动物的社会学习能力，这些灵长类动物与人类有许多共同的特征，包括相对于身体大小的更大的大脑、广泛的合作、创新的社会习俗和精细的觅食技巧。这些特点使他们成为研究影响创新和社会学习出现的因素的优秀候选人。本研究探讨了进化压力、生态需求和社会经验如何影响两个近亲物种的解决问题和社会学习策略，这两个物种在工具使用和社会传统上存在差异，可能会影响它们创新和向他人学习的倾向。该项目将比较a)解决问题的能力，b)行为灵活性，以及c)这些人群的社会学习策略。本研究将强调认知差异、生态必要性和以往经验对个体解决新问题和将知识传递给他人的能力的影响。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Innovation and learning are fundamental human traits, but they are thought to be costly to evolve due to the cognitive capacities necessary to support them. This research project tests hypotheses relevant to understanding the context in which social learning emerges to uncover the selective pressures driving innovation, behavioral flexibility, and a propensity to learn from others. Specifically, this project investigates how ecological and social factors influence social transmission of information in primates with differing baseline use of social learning. The project provides much-needed field-based research opportunities for underrepresented and lower-income students. The project also improves research partnerships that build capacity at minority-serving institutions, and disseminates findings broadly to academic and non-academic audiences.The study investigates social learning among non-human primates that share many features with humans, including large brains relative to body size, extensive cooperation, innovative social conventions, and refined foraging skills. These characteristics make them excellent candidates for studying the factors that influence the emergence of innovation and social learning. This research investigates how evolutionary pressures, ecological need, and social experience influence problem-solving and social learning strategies in two closely-related species that differ in tool use and social traditions that may impact their propensity to innovate and learn from others. The project will compare a) problem solving, b) behavioral flexibility, and c) social learning strategies across these populations. This research will highlight the impacts of cognitive differences, ecological necessity, and previous experiences on individuals’ ability to solve novel problems and transmit that knowledge to others.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.