Context-dependent model-based biases in cultural transmission: Children’s imitation is affected by model age over model knowledgeable state

Wood, L.; Kendal, R.; Flynn, E.

Abstract

Many animals, including humans, acquire information through social learning. Although such information can be acquired easily, its potential unreliability means it should not be used indiscriminately. Cultural ‘transmission biases’ may allow individuals to weigh their reliance on social information according to a model's characteristics. In one of the first studies to juxtapose two model-based biases, we investigated whether the age and knowledge state of a model affected the fidelity of children's copying. Eighty-five 5-year-old children watched a video demonstration of either an adult or child, who had professed either knowledge or ignorance regarding a tool-use task, extracting a reward from that task using both causally relevant and irrelevant actions. Relevant actions were imitated faithfully by children regardless of the model's characteristics, but children who observed an adult reproduced more irrelevant actions than those who observed a child. The professed knowledge state of the model showed a weaker effect on imitation of irrelevant actions. Overall, children favored the use of a ‘copy adults’ bias over a ‘copy task-knowledgeable individual’ bias, even though the latter could potentially have provided more reliable information. The use of such social learning strategies has significant implications for understanding the phenomenon of imitation of irrelevant actions (overimitation), instances of maladaptive information cascades, and cumulative culture.

Citation

Wood, L., Kendal, R., & Flynn, E. (2012). Context-dependent model-based biases in cultural transmission: Children’s imitation is affected by model age over model knowledgeable state. Evolution and Human Behavior, 33(4), 387-394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2011.11.010

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 17, 2011
• Online Publication Date: Mar 8, 2012
• Publication Date: Jul 1, 2012
• Deposit Date: Feb 27, 2012
• Journal: Evolution and Human Behavior
• Print ISSN: 1090-5138
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 33
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 387-394
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2011.11.010
• Keywords: Imitation, Transmission biases, Social learning strategies, Model characteristics, Knowledge state.
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1481034