Information Transmission in Nonhuman Primates: From Communication to Social Learning

Abstract

Humans have the capacity to transmit information via language as well as through extensive social learning, giving rise to cumulative culture. How does information flow among nonhuman primates and what does this tell us about the origins of culture? This chapter reviews two main modes of information transmission, namely signaling about events in the environment and social learning. While nonhuman primates use others as sources of information, there is little evidence for active alteration of others' knowledge states or skills indicating that the latter is a derived trait of our own species.