Sehner Sandro, Willems Erik P, Vinicus Lucio, Migliano Andrea B, van Schaik Carel P, Burkart Judith M
Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE), University of Zurich, Affolternstrasse 56, CH-8050 Zurich, Switzerland.
PNAS Nexus. 2022 Sep 14;1(4):pgac168. doi: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac168. eCollection 2022 Sep.
Human hypercooperativity and the emergence of division of labor enables us to solve problems not only effectively within a group but also collectively. Collective problem-solving occurs when groups perform better than the additive performance of separate individuals. Currently, it is unknown whether this is unique to humans. To investigate the evolutionary origin of collective problem-solving and potential precursors, we propose a continuum of group effects on problem-solving, from simple to complex ones, eventually culminating in collective problem-solving. We tested captive common marmosets with a series of problem-solving tasks, either alone or in a group. To test whether the performance of a group was more than the sum of its parts, we compared real groups to virtual groups (pooled scores of animals tested alone). Marmosets in real groups were both more likely to solve problems than marmosets within the virtual groups and to do so faster. Although individuals within real groups approached the problem faster, a reduction in neophobia was not sufficient to explain the greater success. Success within real groups arose because animals showed higher perseverance, especially after a fellow group member had found the solution in complex tasks. These results are consistent with the idea that group problem-solving evolved alongside a continuum, with performance improving beyond baseline as societies move from social tolerance to opportunities for diffusion of information to active exchange of information. We suggest that increasing interdependence and the adoption of cooperative breeding pushed our ancestors up this scale.
人类的高度协同性以及分工的出现，使我们不仅能够在群体内部有效地解决问题，还能集体解决问题。当群体的表现优于个体单独表现之和时，就会出现集体解决问题的情况。目前尚不清楚这是否是人类独有的现象。为了探究集体解决问题的进化起源和潜在的前身，我们提出了一个从简单到复杂的群体对解决问题影响的连续体，最终以集体解决问题为顶点。我们用一系列解决问题的任务对圈养的普通狨猴进行了测试，它们要么单独完成，要么分组完成。为了测试一个群体的表现是否超过其各部分之和，我们将实际群体与虚拟群体（单独测试的动物的综合得分）进行了比较。实际群体中的狨猴比虚拟群体中的狨猴更有可能解决问题，而且解决得更快。虽然实际群体中的个体更快地接近问题，但新恐惧症的减少不足以解释更大的成功。实际群体中的成功源于动物表现出更高的毅力，尤其是在同组的一个成员在复杂任务中找到解决方案之后。这些结果与这样一种观点一致，即群体解决问题是沿着一个连续体进化的，随着社会从社会容忍发展到信息传播机会再到信息的积极交流，表现会超过基线水平。我们认为，日益增加的相互依存和合作繁殖的采用推动我们的祖先沿着这个尺度发展。
