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Cited by 1,551Primate Behavior and EcologyChild and Animal Learning DevelopmentLanguage and cultural evolution

Social learning strategies

Open access
Laland, Kevin N.·2004·Learning & Behavior
DOI 10.3758/bf03196002
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Abstract

In most studies of social learning in animals, no attempt has been made to examine the nature of the strategy adopted by animals when they copy others. Researchers have expended considerable effort in exploring the psychological processes that underlie social learning and amassed extensive data banks recording purported social learning in the field, but the contexts under which animals copy others remain unexplored. Yet, theoretical models used to investigate the adaptive advantages of social learning lead to the conclusion that social learning cannot be indiscriminate and that individuals should adopt strategies that dictate the circumstances under which they copy others and from whom they learn. In this article, I discuss a number of possible strategies that are predicted by theoretical analyses, including copy when uncertain, copy the majority, and copy if better, and consider the empirical evidence in support of each, drawing from both the animal and human social learning literature. Reliance on social learning strategies may be organized hierarchically, their being employed by animals when unlearned and asocially learned strategies prove ineffective but before animals take recourse in innovation.

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  • People are strategic social learners-they are highly selective in deciding whom to learn from.

    “People are strategic social learners—they are highly selective in deciding whom to learn from (Hoppitt & Laland, 2013; Laland, 2004; Rendell et al., 2011).”

    From Stories in Action. (2022) · cites this paper as Laland, 2004

    The “Who” Strategies section says theoretical analyses predict that humans and other animals should be selective about whom they learn from. The claim presents this as an established, strong tendency in people, whereas the paper describes the evidence for social-learning strategies as largely circumstantial (Abstract). (LLM, conf=0.83)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Laland, K. N.
Affiliations
University of St Andrews (GB)
Corresponding author
Laland, Kevin N.
ORCID
Laland, Kevin N.
Venue
Learning & Behavior
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2004-02
Volume
32
Issue
1
Pages
4-14
ISSN
  • 1543-4494 (ISSN-L)
  • 1543-4508
DOI
10.3758/bf03196002
OpenAlex
W2103702476
Cited by
1,551
References
3
Citations by year
2026: 58 · 2025: 132 · 2024: 73 · 2023: 77 · 2022: 85 · 2021: 107 · 2020: 77 · 2019: 126 · 2018: 93 · 2017: 77 · 2016: 95 · 2015: 79 · 2014: 72 · 2013: 58 · 2012: 102
FWCI
1.88
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Learning & Behavior (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
  • Social Sciences › Cultural Studies › Language and cultural evolution
Keywords
social learning, social learning strategies, animal learning, imitation, innovation, hierarchical learning
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Animals, Animal Communication, Appetitive Behavior, Behavior, Animal, Humans, Imitative Behavior, Imprinting, Psychological, Learning, Columbidae, Psychological Theory, Social Environment, Social Facilitation, Songbirds

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