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Social learning is central to innovation, in primates and beyond

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 December 2007

Corina J. Logan  and
John W. Pepper
Corina J. Logan
Affiliation:
Ecosystem Services Section, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Olympia, WA 98504-7016; itsme@CorinaLogan.comhttp://www.CorinaLogan.com
John W. Pepper
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721. jpepper1@email.arizona.eduhttp://eebweb.arizona.edu/Faculty/Bios/pepper.html
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Abstract

Much of the importance of innovation stems from its capacity to spread via social learning, affecting multiple individuals, thus generating evolutionary and ecological consequences. We advocate a broader taxonomic focus in the field of behavioral innovation, as well as the use of comparative field research, and discuss the unique conservation implications of animal innovations and traditions.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 30 , Issue 4 , August 2007 , pp. 416 - 417
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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