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Recognizing Culture in Wild Primate Tool Use

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Evolution of Primate Social Cognition

Part of the book series: Interdisciplinary Evolution Research ((IDER,volume 5))

Abstract

Cultural differences between animal groups offer a means of tracing social relationships and cognition through time and across space. Where behaviours include tool use, we can observe the influence of available materials and role models on the development of tool-based activities. Here, we discuss the ways that we can study the social influence of tool-use behaviour in wild primates, focusing on two species that use durable stone tools: bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) and Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus). We concentrate on durable tools, as these provide an archaeologically recoverable record of activities. However, we also consider the influence of less durable tools when examining behavioural patterns in capuchins and chimpanzees. In order to study abstract concepts like culture and cognition, we identify socially learned behavioural diversity that is not influenced by environmental circumstances. This diversity, when compared among social units, allows us to detect cultural differences. Our bottom-up approach identifies some of the opportunities and challenges in studying social cognition through tool use in wild-ranging primates.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the European Research Council grant #283959 (Primate Archaeology) and São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) grant #2014/18364-1.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Michael Haslam

  2. Institute of Psychology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Tiago Falótico

  3. Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Lydia Luncz

Authors
  1. Michael Haslam
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  2. Tiago Falótico
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  3. Lydia Luncz
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Georg-August-University Goettingen, Lichtenberg-Kolleg, Göttingen, Germany

    Laura Desirèe Di Paolo

  2. Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienzà Università di Roma, Rome, Italy

    Fabio Di Vincenzo

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, MI, USA

    Francesca De Petrillo

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Haslam, M., Falótico, T., Luncz, L. (2018). Recognizing Culture in Wild Primate Tool Use. In: Di Paolo, L.D., Di Vincenzo, F., De Petrillo, F. (eds) Evolution of Primate Social Cognition. Interdisciplinary Evolution Research, vol 5. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93776-2_13

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