Imitate or Innovate? Children’s Innovation is Influenced by the Efficacy of Observed Behaviour

Carr, K.; Kendal, R.L.; Flynn, E.G.

Abstract

This study investigated the age at which children judge it futile to imitate unreliable information, in the form of a visibly ineffective demonstrated solution, and deviate to produce novel solutions (‘innovations’). Children aged 4–9 years were presented with a novel puzzle box, the Multiple-Methods Box (MMB), which offered multiple innovation opportunities to extract a reward using different tools, access points and exits. 209 children were assigned to conditions in which eight social demonstrations of a reward retrieval method were provided; each condition differed incrementally in terms of the method’s efficacy (0%, 25%, 75%, and 100% success at extracting the reward). An additional 47 children were assigned to a no-demonstration control condition. Innovative reward extractions from the MMB increased with decreasing efficacy of the demonstrated method. However, imitation remained a widely used strategy irrespective of the efficacy of the method being reproduced (90% of children produced at least one imitative attempt, and imitated on an average of 4.9 out of 8 attempt trials). Children were more likely to innovate in relation to the tool than exit, even though the latter would have been more effective. Overall, innovation was rare: only 12.4% of children innovated by discovering at least one novel reward exit. Children’s prioritisation of social information is consistent with theories of cultural evolution indicating imitation is a prepotent response following observation of behaviour, and that innovation is a rarity; so much so, that even maladaptive behaviour is copied.

Citation

Carr, K., Kendal, R., & Flynn, E. (2015). Imitate or Innovate? Children’s Innovation is Influenced by the Efficacy of Observed Behaviour. Cognition, 142, 322-332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2015.05.005

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 6, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Jun 11, 2015
• Publication Date: Sep 1, 2015
• Deposit Date: May 7, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 12, 2015
• Journal: Cognition
• Print ISSN: 0010-0277
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 142
• Pages: 322-332
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2015.05.005
• Keywords: Innovation, Behaviour efficacy, Imitation, Selective social learning, Asocial learning, Trade-offs.
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1406044