Table of Contents

Preface Dorothy Fragaszy and Susan Perry; 1. Towards a biology of traditions Dorothy Fragaszy and Susan Perry; 2. What the models say about social learning Kevin N. Laland and Jeremy R. Kendal; 3. Relative brain size and the distribution of innovation and social learning across the non-human primates Simon M. Reader; 4. Social learning about food in birds Louis Lefebvre and Julie Bouchard; 5. The cue reliability approach to social transmission: designing tests for adaptive traditions Gwen Dewar; 6. 'Traditional' foraging behaviors of Brown and Black rats (Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus) Bennett G. Galef Jr.; 7. Food for thought: social learning and feeding behavior in Capuchin monkeys: insights from the laboratory Elisabetta Visalberghi and Elsa Addessi; 8. Traditions in mammalian and avian vocal communication Vincent M. Janik and Peter J. B. Slater; 9. Like mother, like calf: the ontogeny of foraging traditions in wild Indian Ocean Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) Janet Mann and Brooke Sargeant; 10. Biological and ecological foundations of primate behavioral tradition Michael A. Huffman and Satoshi Hirata; 11. Local traditions in orangutans and chimpanzees: social learning and social tolerance Carel P. van Schaik; 12. Developmental perspectives on Great Ape tradition Anne E. Russon; 13. Skilled foraging actions by Brown Capuchins in Suriname: are these socially supported and transmitted behaviors? Sue Boinski, Robert P. Quatrone, Karen Sughrue, Lara Selvaggi, MaLinda Henry, Claudia M. Stickler and Lisa M. Rose; 14. Traditions in wild White-faced Capuchin monkeys Susan Perry, Melissa Panger, Lisa Rose, Mary Baker, Julie Gros-Louis, Katherine Jack, Katherine C. MacKinnon, Joseph Manson, Linda Fedigan and Kendra Pyle; 15. Conclusions and research agendas Susan Perry; Further reading; Index.

Promotional Information

Biology of Traditions explores socially maintained traditions in a broad range of non-human animals.

About the Author

Dorothy M. Fragaszy is a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Georgia and Chair of the Biopsychology program. Susan Perry is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Head of the research group for Cultural Phylogeny at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

Reviews

From the hardback review: '... essential reading ...' Animal Behaviour From the hardback review: '... a valuable addition to the library of any primatologist with an interest in social learning.' Primate Eye From the hardback review: 'I think this volume is worth reading in order to be familiar with various studies of tradition and social learning, especially those of capuchin monkeys. Readers of this book will find a very wide range of interests regarding tradition or culture in animals that could even bridge various existing research domains.' Primates From the hardback review: '... a rich and comprehensive volume, grounded in traditional ethology, that offers a timely complement to a library of volumes on social learning in animals. Fragaszy and Perry have assembled interesting and provocative contributions from some of the leading researchers in the field of social learning ... we heartily recommend this book ... much of the material in this book, and especially the first and last chapters, would be of value to any researcher working in the field.' Blackwell Verlag