Distribution of a Chimpanzee Social Custom Is Explained by Matrilineal Relationship Rather Than Conformity

Wrangham, Richard W.; Koops, Kathelijne; Machanda, Zarin; Worthington, Steven; Bernard, Andrew B.; Brazeau, Nicholas F.; Donovan, Ronan; Rosen, Jeremiah; Wilke, Claudia; Otali, Emily; Muller, Martin N.

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2016.09.005

Cited by 50 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Previous studies of intergenerational transmission in primates have focused on polygynandrous species that live in large groups, and their findings suggest an important role of matrilines and female bonds in the transmission of social behavior [de Waal, 1996;Maestripieri, 2003;Maestripieri et al, 2007;Wrangham et al, 2016]. We discovered that intergenerational transmission of social behavior also occurs in a monogamous primate and that there is a strong paternal influence on this transmission.…”

Section: Intergenerational Transmission Of Allogroomingmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…In East African chimpanzees (P. troglodytes), grooming styles are consistent within matrilines [Wrangham et al, 2016], despite the fact that they exhibit male philopatry and gregariousness [Goodall, 1986]. These chimpanzees retain the grooming styles of their mothers rather than conforming to other styles in the community [Wrangham et al, 2016]. In species with biparental care of offspring, paternal grooming may be equivalent to or greater than maternal grooming (e.g., S. fuscicollis [Goldizen, 1989]; Aotus azarae [Rotundo et al, 2005]; Callicebus oenanthe [DeLuycker, 2014]).…”

Section: Intergenerational Transmission Of Allogroomingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although there is heritable variation in female social contact and aggression in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) [Maestripieri, 2003], grooming has a stronger environmental influence [Schino et al, 2004;Maestripieri et al, 2007]. In East African chimpanzees (P. troglodytes), grooming styles are consistent within matrilines [Wrangham et al, 2016], despite the fact that they exhibit male philopatry and gregariousness [Goodall, 1986]. These chimpanzees retain the grooming styles of their mothers rather than conforming to other styles in the community [Wrangham et al, 2016].…”

Section: Intergenerational Transmission Of Allogroomingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Allogrooming in Male-Female Pairs of Captive Owl Monkeys (Aotus nancymaae)

Wolovich¹,

Tapanes²,

Evans³

2018

IJFP

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Owl monkeys (Aotus spp.) are socially monogamous, yet allogrooming is reported to be rare. Because Aotus are nocturnal and arboreal, allogrooming is difficult to observe in natural settings. We observed 21 male-female pairs of captive Aotus nancymaae during 2 nonconsecutive study periods in order to describe the details of allogrooming between mates (partner grooming). We found that grooming bouts are brief and consist of tugging the hair or skin with flexed fingers and/or the mouth. Males groomed females most often, and their rates of partner grooming were negatively related to age. Partner grooming occurred regardless of mating behavior. Camera trap data revealed that the rate of partner grooming (1.50 bouts/h) is greater than that recorded from our direct observations in the early evenings (0.51 bouts/h, in 2013; 0.37 bouts/h in 2003) given that most bouts occurred later in the night. A positive relationship between the rates of the parents' partner grooming and those of their offspring later in life suggests intergenerational transmission. This relationship is influenced by the fathers' rates of partner grooming. We conclude that allogrooming in Aotus is a normal part of their behavioral repertoire that likely serves social functions similar to those in other pair-bonded primates.

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Section: Intergenerational Transmission Of Allogroomingmentioning

confidence: 61%

Section: Intergenerational Transmission Of Allogroomingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Intergenerational Transmission Of Allogroomingmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Allogrooming in Male-Female Pairs of Captive Owl Monkeys (Aotus nancymaae)

Wolovich¹,

Tapanes²,

Evans³

2018

IJFP

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“…While males were successfully used as models in Price, Lambeth, Schapiro, and Whiten (), the study used video demonstrations and observers were not always from the same group as the model, and were therefore unaware of their rank. Wrangham et al () found that in a community of chimpanzees where multiple grooming techniques were in use, individuals tended to converge on the method primarily used by their matriline, potentially hinting at a sex bias in chimpanzee social learning. However, the only systematically documented example of an incipient tradition diffusing through a wild chimpanzee community originated in a male chimpanzee (Hobaiter et al, ), indicating that males can also make effective models.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Socially transmitted diffusion of a novel behavior from subordinate chimpanzees

Watson

Reamer²,

Mareno³

et al. 2017

American J Primatol

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Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) demonstrate much cultural diversity in the wild, yet a majority of novel behaviours do not become group-wide traditions. Since many such novel behaviours are introduced by low-ranking individuals, a bias toward copying dominant individuals (‘rank-bias’) has been proposed as an explanation for their limited diffusion. Previous experimental work showed that chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) preferentially copy dominant over low-rank models. We investigated whether low ranking individuals may nevertheless successfully seed a beneficial behaviour as a tradition if there are no ‘competing’ models. In each of four captive groups, either a single high-rank (HR, n=2) or a low-rank (LR, n=2) chimpanzee model was trained on one method of opening a two-action puzzle-box, before demonstrating the trained method in a group context. This was followed by eight hours of group-wide, open-access to the puzzle-box. Successful manipulations and observers of each manipulation were recorded. Barnard’s exact tests showed that individuals in the LR groups used the seeded method as their first-choice option at significantly above chance levels, whereas those in the HR groups did not. Furthermore, individuals in the LR condition used the seeded method on their first attempt significantly more often than those in the HR condition. A network-based diffusion analysis revealed that the best supported statistical models were those in which social transmission occurred only in groups with subordinate models. Finally, we report an innovation by a subordinate individual that built cumulatively on existing methods of opening the puzzle-box and was subsequently copied by a dominant observer. These findings illustrate that chimpanzees are motivated to copy rewarding novel behaviours that are demonstrated by subordinate individuals and that, in some cases, social transmission may be constrained by high-rank demonstrators.

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“…In other words, individuals may be eager to conform to other group members even in the case of arbitrary, culturally variable behaviors (e.g., eating pink instead of blue corn in vervet monekys: van de Waal et al, 2013, or specific tool use techniques in chimpanzees: Luncz and Boesch, 2014), but the group members who are performing the majority behavior appear to have no stake in whether others conform or not, let alone show signs of indignation or even punishment of nonconformers. This might also explain why conformity can also be absent in cultural behaviors, as for instance in high-arm grooming among chimpanzees (Wrangham et al, 2016).…”

Section: Social Norms Ii: Arbitrary Culturally Variable Contentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary Origins of Morality: Insights From Non-human Primates

2018

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The aim of this contribution is to explore the origins of moral behavior and its underlying moral preferences and intuitions from an evolutionary perspective. Such a perspective encompasses both the ultimate, adaptive function of morality in our own species, as well as the phylogenetic distribution of morality and its key elements across primates. First, with regard to the ultimate function, we argue that human moral preferences are best construed as adaptations to the affordances of the fundamentally interdependent hunter-gatherer lifestyle of our hominin ancestors. Second, with regard to the phylogenetic origin, we show that even though full-blown human morality is unique to humans, several of its key elements are not. Furthermore, a review of evidence from non-human primates regarding prosocial concern, conformity, and the potential presence of universal, biologically anchored and arbitrary cultural norms shows that these elements of morality are not distributed evenly across primate species. This suggests that they have evolved along separate evolutionary trajectories. In particular, the element of prosocial concern most likely evolved in the context of shared infant care, which can be found in humans and some New World monkeys. Strikingly, many if not all of the elements of morality found in non-human primates are only evident in individualistic or dyadic contexts, but not as third-party reactions by truly uninvolved bystanders. We discuss several potential explanations for the unique presence of a systematic third-party perspective in humans, but focus particularly on mentalizing ability and language. Whereas both play an important role in present day, full-blown human morality, it appears unlikely that they played a causal role for the original emergence of morality. Rather, we suggest that the most plausible scenario to date is that human morality emerged because our hominin ancestors, equipped on the one hand with large and powerful brains inherited from their ape-like ancestor, and on the other hand with strong prosocial concern as a result of cooperative breeding, could evolve into an ever more interdependent social niche.

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Distribution of a Chimpanzee Social Custom Is Explained by Matrilineal Relationship Rather Than Conformity

Cited by 50 publications

References 22 publications

Allogrooming in Male-Female Pairs of Captive Owl Monkeys (Aotus nancymaae)

Allogrooming in Male-Female Pairs of Captive Owl Monkeys (Aotus nancymaae)

Socially transmitted diffusion of a novel behavior from subordinate chimpanzees

Evolutionary Origins of Morality: Insights From Non-human Primates

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