Predicting the Learning Diffusion and Inheritance of Behavioural Innovations in Animal Populations.

这项研究的目的是增加我们对新知识和技能通过复制（“社会学习”）在动物（包括人类）之间转移的过程的理解。对于人类来说，模仿和传授被认为是知识传播的最重要的过程。然而，在其他动物中，几乎没有证据表明教学发生，但尽管如此，缺乏经验的年轻个体从更有知识的其他人那里获得线索，例如，捕食者的身份或如何最好地处理食物。这种社会学习可以产生执行特定行为模式的“传统”，例如，吃特定的食物，或采取特定的路径。因此，动物的行为可能因种群而异，这不仅是因为它们拥有不同的基因，或暴露于不同的环境资源，而且还因为它们从更有经验的种群成员那里学到了不同的习惯。研究动物行为的研究人员面临的一个挑战是识别这些“传统”，并找出新的行为和技能（“创新”）如何在种群中传播。该研究计划将使用数学和统计学来确定动物何时通过社会学习获得其行为，以及新行为如何通过动物种群的社会学习传播。这些数学预测将通过对鸟类的实验室实验以及对黑猩猩和海豚行为的分析来检验。所产生的信息将对各种研究人员有用，包括生物学家，心理学家和经济学家。

The aim of this research is to increase our understanding of the processes by which new knowledge and skills is transferred between animals, including humans, through copying ('social learning'). For human beings, imitation and teaching are thought to be the most important processes by which knowledge spreads. However, in other animals there is little evidence that teaching occurs but nonetheless inexperienced and young individuals pick up clues from more knowledgeable others concerning, for instance, the identity of predators or how best to process foods. This social learning can generate 'traditions' for performing particular behaviour patterns, for instance, eating specific foods, or taking particular pathways. As a consequence, the behaviour of animals may vary from one population to the next, not just because they possess different genes, or are exposed to different environmental resources, but also because they have learned different habits from more experienced members of their population. A challenge for researchers studying animal behaviour is to identify these 'traditions' and to work out how novel behaviour and skills ('innovations') spread through populations. This research programme will use mathematics and statistics to try to determine when animals acquire their behaviour through social learning, and how novel behaviours spread through social learning in animal populations. These mathematical predictions will be tested with laboratory experiments with birds and through analyses of chimpanzee and dolphin behaviour. The information generated will be useful to a variety of researchers, including biologists, psychologists and economists.