Greg Detre
19 June, 2001
Prof. Marian Dawkins
Animal behaviour VIII
social learning = cultural transmission
very broad definition � almost includes any comunicationt
learning through flexibility without wasting time or dangerous situations
categorising types of social learning is unimportant
it�s all about flexible vicarious learning
difference between imitation and teaching � teacher deliberately changes behaviour (at cost)
implication of Ricci/Nina that the mother never makes that slow deliberate � grip normally
mother chicken tidbitting call, drop the food in front of chicks, only makes the call with chicks around
is that teaching or just an innate behaviour with chicks???
is that teaching like Boesch???
chicken modified behaviour when chicsk were not watching � Nicholl + Pope
I would class that as teaching because �/span> change in observer behaviour adaptively
but Boesch would say that the chimp mother�s teaching wasn't innate
does it matter if it�s innate, even if just appropriate?
no real difference between if-then and representation at a connectionist level
maybe Boesch is saying that the chimp has consciousness rather than just more complex neural representation???
great tit milk bottles � may just be stimulus enhancement
vocal learning is imitation � parrots etc.
if you let captives back to the wild they can't function � social learning is crucial to most animals
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Moties � founder effect
can you use local learning rule with a half-organised structure???
what�s the founder effect???
you shouldn't require that teaching be �conscious� or deliberate, nor should it matter whether it�s innate, right???
is imitation really hard cognitively???
it�s like self-recognition � if the mark is in a new place on their body, that requires a proper map
imitaiton � requires imitating a new action first time
may not be as cognitively demanding as claimed, at least not in these examples
perhaps there are different levels of teaching???
what�s �stimulus enhancement�???
ravens might not realise that they look like other birds
what about Loulis(???) learning signing from other chimp???
were the chimps signing to him, or to each other???
he�d realise that signing �/span> reward, even if humans don't sign back
did the chimps teach him, or did he just pick it up???
evolution � complexity � snakes lost legs, wings, cavefish eyes
all niches filled up �maybe eat other animals
complexity of NS???
domestic animals may have become stupider?
on islands with no predators, species � tamer
explanation of any trends at all in evolution
competing both with other species and with conspecifics
there�s so many little things, so many chances, e.g. placental mammals didn't evolve in Australia, but wolves/mice/rabbits convergent evolution
Haldane calculations 999 vs 1000 � very few genes, big advantages
founder effect
how much of a role does chance play???
human evolution � distorted reproductive success
was over resources if population explosion
continental inter-breeding might rescue us - variation
is language that important in consciousness??? if so, can there be two distinct linguistic and non-linguistics types of consciousness, or do they blend???
animals vs computer consciousness
animal rights