scholarly journals Testing the Variability Selection Hypothesis: The Adoption of Social Learning in Increasingly Variable Environments

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
James M. Borg ◽  
Alastair Channon
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Selection Hypothesis ◽  
Variable Environments

scholarly journals Dynamic social learning in temporally and spatially variable environments

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 200734
Author(s):  
Dominik Deffner ◽  
Vivien Kleinow ◽  
Richard McElreath
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
Adaptive Responses ◽  
Strategic Learning ◽  
Time Dynamics ◽  
Variable Environments ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
Group Members

Cultural evolution is partly driven by the strategies individuals use to learn behaviour from others. Previous experiments on strategic learning let groups of participants engage in repeated rounds of a learning task and analysed how choices are affected by individual payoffs and the choices of group members. While groups in such experiments are fixed, natural populations are dynamic, characterized by overlapping generations, frequent migrations and different levels of experience. We present a preregistered laboratory experiment with 237 mostly German participants including migration, differences in expertise and both spatial and temporal variation in optimal behaviour. We used simulation and multi-level computational learning models including time-varying parameters to investigate adaptive time dynamics in learning. Confirming theoretical predictions, individuals relied more on (conformist) social learning after spatial compared with temporal changes. After both types of change, they biased decisions towards more experienced group members. While rates of social learning rapidly declined in rounds following migration, individuals remained conformist to group-typical behaviour. These learning dynamics can be explained as adaptive responses to different informational environments. Summarizing, we provide empirical insights and introduce modelling tools that hopefully can be applied to dynamic social learning in other systems.

scholarly journals Copy-when-uncertain: bumblebees rely on social information when rewards are highly variable

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 20160188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Smolla ◽  
Sylvain Alem ◽  
Lars Chittka ◽  
Susanne Shultz
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Social Information ◽  
Information Use ◽  
Social Cues ◽  
Agent Based Model ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Variable Environments ◽  
Foraging Decisions

To understand the relative benefits of social and personal information use in foraging decisions, we developed an agent-based model of social learning that predicts social information should be more adaptive where resources are highly variable and personal information where resources vary little. We tested our predictions with bumblebees and found that foragers relied more on social information when resources were variable than when they were not. We then investigated whether socially salient cues are used preferentially over non-social ones in variable environments. Although bees clearly used social cues in highly variable environments, under the same conditions they did not use non-social cues. These results suggest that bumblebees use a ‘copy-when-uncertain’ strategy.

A cognitive approach to cumulative technological culture is useful and necessary but only if it also applies to other species

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thibaud Gruber
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Cognitive Approach ◽  
Technological Culture ◽  
Social Learning Processes

Abstract The debate on cumulative technological culture (CTC) is dominated by social-learning discussions, at the expense of other cognitive processes, leading to flawed circular arguments. I welcome the authors' approach to decouple CTC from social-learning processes without minimizing their impact. Yet, this model will only be informative to understand the evolution of CTC if tested in other cultural species.

Social-Learning Program (with Token Economy) for Adult Psychiatric Inpatients

1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon L. Paul ◽  
Paul Stuve ◽  
Anthony A. Menditto
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Psychiatric Inpatients ◽  
Token Economy ◽  
Learning Program
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