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Chimpanzees socially learn non-instrumental behaviour from conspecifics.

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Title: Chimpanzees socially learn non-instrumental behaviour from conspecifics.
Authors: van Leeuwen, Edwin J.C. (AUTHOR), Bryon, Emile (AUTHOR), Rogers, Alex (AUTHOR), Balaran, Aurore (AUTHOR), Motsch, Peggy (AUTHOR), Brooker, Jake S. (AUTHOR)
Source: Behaviour. 2025, Vol. 162 Issue 6-8, p459-476. 18p.
Subjects: Chimpanzees, Social learning, Social evolution, Operant behavior, Social norms, Cultural transmission, Animal social behavior
Abstract: Studying animal culture has been insightful for understanding the complexities of knowledge transmission and tracing human culture's evolutionary origins. Most studies in this field have focused on material culture — behaviours that involve the use of tools and objects in ways that provide clear practical benefits to the individuals. We have previously documented a tool-use tradition without discernible function in which chimpanzees replicated the practice of inserting blades of grass in their ears from one persistent inventor. Now, over a decade later, we have observed an unrelated group of chimpanzees at the same African sanctuary, where five out of eight individuals began wearing grass in their ears and six out of eight from their rectums within a short period of time. Neither of these behaviours were observed in any of the seven other sanctuary groups (N = 136), except for two males in the original grass-in-ear group. Network-based diffusion analyses revealed a strong signature of social transmission for both variants. We conclude that chimpanzees adopted non-instrumental behaviours from each other and discuss how the study of social traditions without clear adaptive function could advance the field of comparative cultural evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Behaviour is the property of Brill Academic Publishers and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Chimpanzees socially learn non-instrumental behaviour from conspecifics.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22van Leeuwen%2C+Edwin J%2EC%2E%22">van Leeuwen, Edwin J.C.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Bryon%2C+Emile%22">Bryon, Emile</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rogers%2C+Alex%22">Rogers, Alex</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Balaran%2C+Aurore%22">Balaran, Aurore</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Motsch%2C+Peggy%22">Motsch, Peggy</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Brooker%2C+Jake S%2E%22">Brooker, Jake S.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Behaviour%22">Behaviour</searchLink>. 2025, Vol. 162 Issue 6-8, p459-476. 18p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Chimpanzees%22">Chimpanzees</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+learning%22">Social learning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+evolution%22">Social evolution</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Operant+behavior%22">Operant behavior</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+norms%22">Social norms</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cultural+transmission%22">Cultural transmission</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Animal+social+behavior%22">Animal social behavior</searchLink>
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  Data: Studying animal culture has been insightful for understanding the complexities of knowledge transmission and tracing human culture's evolutionary origins. Most studies in this field have focused on material culture — behaviours that involve the use of tools and objects in ways that provide clear practical benefits to the individuals. We have previously documented a tool-use tradition without discernible function in which chimpanzees replicated the practice of inserting blades of grass in their ears from one persistent inventor. Now, over a decade later, we have observed an unrelated group of chimpanzees at the same African sanctuary, where five out of eight individuals began wearing grass in their ears and six out of eight from their rectums within a short period of time. Neither of these behaviours were observed in any of the seven other sanctuary groups (N = 136), except for two males in the original grass-in-ear group. Network-based diffusion analyses revealed a strong signature of social transmission for both variants. We conclude that chimpanzees adopted non-instrumental behaviours from each other and discuss how the study of social traditions without clear adaptive function could advance the field of comparative cultural evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Behaviour is the property of Brill Academic Publishers and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1163/1568539X-bja10313
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      – SubjectFull: Animal social behavior
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              Text: 2025
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