Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Emile-Argand 11, 2009 Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Proc Biol Sci. 2010 Jul 22;277(1691):2105-11. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2009.2260. Epub 2010 Mar 17.
Human behaviour is often based on social learning, a mechanism that has been documented also in a variety of other vertebrates. However, social learning as a means of problem-solving may be optimal only under specific conditions, and both theoretical work and laboratory experiments highlight the importance of a potential model's identity. Here we present the results from a social learning experiment on six wild vervet monkey groups, where models were either a dominant female or a dominant male. We presented 'artificial fruit' boxes that had doors on opposite, differently coloured ends for access to food. One option was blocked during the demonstration phase, creating consistent demonstrations of one possible solution. Following demonstrations we found a significantly higher participation rate and same-door manipulation in groups with female models compared to groups with male models. These differences appeared to be owing to selective attention of bystanders to female model behaviour rather than owing to female tolerance. Our results demonstrate the favoured role of dominant females as a source for 'directed' social learning in a species with female philopatry. Our findings imply that migration does not necessarily lead to an exchange of socially acquired information within populations, potentially causing highly localized traditions.
人类行为通常基于社会学习，这种机制在各种其他脊椎动物中也有记录。然而，作为一种解决问题的手段，社会学习可能只有在特定条件下才是最佳的，理论工作和实验室实验都强调了潜在模型身份的重要性。在这里，我们介绍了一项针对六个野生草原猴群的社会学习实验的结果，其中模型是占优势地位的雌性或雄性。我们展示了“人工水果”盒子，这些盒子的门位于相反的、颜色不同的两端，以便获取食物。在演示阶段，一个选项被封锁，形成了一种可能解决方案的一致演示。在演示之后，我们发现有雌性模型的群体的参与率和同门操纵明显高于有雄性模型的群体。这些差异似乎是由于旁观者对雌性模型行为的选择性关注，而不是由于雌性的宽容。我们的结果表明，在一个雌性亲缘关系的物种中，占优势地位的雌性作为“定向”社会学习的来源具有有利地位。我们的发现表明，迁移不一定会导致种群内部社会习得信息的交换，这可能导致高度本地化的传统。
