Comparing the imitative skills of children and nonhuman apes
We propose a framework which breaks down the mechanisms of social learning into their four constituent elements: actions, results, goals, and context. We review what is known about the use of each of these elements in children’s and apes’ social learning, with special attention to possible differenc...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Société Francophone de Primatologie
2009-10-01
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| Series: | Revue de Primatologie |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/primatologie/263 |
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| author | Malinda Carpenter Josep Call |
| author_facet | Malinda Carpenter Josep Call |
| author_sort | Malinda Carpenter |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We propose a framework which breaks down the mechanisms of social learning into their four constituent elements: actions, results, goals, and context. We review what is known about the use of each of these elements in children’s and apes’ social learning, with special attention to possible differences among apes with different rearing histories. We conclude that, by 12 months of age, human infants use each of the four elements when interpreting and selectively copying others’ behavior. Apes, on the other hand, appear to focus solely on the results of demonstrations (although there is some suggestive evidence that enculturated apes may copy actions and goals more than other apes). Finally, we show how these (and other related) findings can be explained by uniquely human skills and motivations for shared intentionality. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7c3ae8c856314b1aac2ea0bc718e766a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2077-3757 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2009-10-01 |
| publisher | Société Francophone de Primatologie |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revue de Primatologie |
| spelling | doaj-art-7c3ae8c856314b1aac2ea0bc718e766a2025-01-30T10:01:41ZengSociété Francophone de PrimatologieRevue de Primatologie2077-37572009-10-01110.4000/primatologie.263Comparing the imitative skills of children and nonhuman apesMalinda CarpenterJosep CallWe propose a framework which breaks down the mechanisms of social learning into their four constituent elements: actions, results, goals, and context. We review what is known about the use of each of these elements in children’s and apes’ social learning, with special attention to possible differences among apes with different rearing histories. We conclude that, by 12 months of age, human infants use each of the four elements when interpreting and selectively copying others’ behavior. Apes, on the other hand, appear to focus solely on the results of demonstrations (although there is some suggestive evidence that enculturated apes may copy actions and goals more than other apes). Finally, we show how these (and other related) findings can be explained by uniquely human skills and motivations for shared intentionality.https://journals.openedition.org/primatologie/263imitationsocial learningapesenculturationemulationshared intentionality |
| spellingShingle | Malinda Carpenter Josep Call Comparing the imitative skills of children and nonhuman apes Revue de Primatologie imitation social learning apes enculturation emulation shared intentionality |
| title | Comparing the imitative skills of children and nonhuman apes |
| title_full | Comparing the imitative skills of children and nonhuman apes |
| title_fullStr | Comparing the imitative skills of children and nonhuman apes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparing the imitative skills of children and nonhuman apes |
| title_short | Comparing the imitative skills of children and nonhuman apes |
| title_sort | comparing the imitative skills of children and nonhuman apes |
| topic | imitation social learning apes enculturation emulation shared intentionality |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/primatologie/263 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT malindacarpenter comparingtheimitativeskillsofchildrenandnonhumanapes AT josepcall comparingtheimitativeskillsofchildrenandnonhumanapes |