On the factors influencing great ape cultural behaviours

Neadle, Damien L. ORCID: 0000-0001-8559-436X (2020). On the factors influencing great ape cultural behaviours. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

From the strange pieces of material covering our feet to the shape of the hair on our head, culture pervades every aspect of the modern human condition. Our culture has changed more in the brief time in which our species, as we recognise it today, has existed than perhaps any of the flora or fauna that co-inhabit this planet of ours. However, the cultures of non-human animals (hereafter: animals) are, arguably, mostly stationary, the mechanisms underlying them and influencing the expression of them are highly debated in the comparative psychology, anthropology, biology and cultural evolutionary literature. This thesis sits at the intersection of these literatures and asks and attempts to answer some questions about the cultures of our closest extant relatives, the non-human great apes (henceforth: apes). For example, can ape cultures emerge without the inclusion of special variants of social learning? What are the social learning capacities of apes (do apes "ape")? Overall, what are the factors influencing ape cultures, and how do these compare to what we know of our own culture. In this thesis, I will build on already existing methodologies, e.g., the Latent Solutions methodology (Tennie & Hedwig, 2009), and apply them in novel ways. In doing so I will target some of the more controversial issues in the aforementioned fields and attempt, using controlled and consistent testing procedures, to add new understanding of culture and social learning in apes to the literature surrounding it.

Type of Work:	Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)
Award Type:	Doctorates > Ph.D.
Supervisor(s):	Supervisor(s) Email ORCID Tennie, Claudio claudio.tennie@uni-tuebingen.de UNSPECIFIED Chappell, Jackie j.m.chappell@bham.ac.uk UNSPECIFIED Beck, Sarah R. s.r.beck@bham.ac.uk UNSPECIFIED
Licence:	All rights reserved
College/Faculty:	Colleges (2008 onwards) > College of Life & Environmental Sciences
School or Department:	School of Psychology
Funders:	Economic and Social Research Council
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GN Anthropology Q Science > QL Zoology
URI:	http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/10017

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