Cumulative culture can emerge from collective intelligence in animal groups
Studies of collective intelligence in animal groups typically overlook potential improvement through learning. Although knowledge accumulation is recognised as a major advantage of group living within the framework of Cumulative Cultural Evolution (CCE), the interplay between CCE and collective inte...
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| Format: | Journal article |
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Springer Nature
2017
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| _version_ | 1797076296217395200 |
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| author | Sasaki, T Biro, D |
| author_facet | Sasaki, T Biro, D |
| author_sort | Sasaki, T |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | Studies of collective intelligence in animal groups typically overlook potential improvement through learning. Although knowledge accumulation is recognised as a major advantage of group living within the framework of Cumulative Cultural Evolution (CCE), the interplay between CCE and collective intelligence has remained unexplored. Here, we use homing pigeons to investigate whether the repeated removal and replacement of individuals in experimental groups (a key method in testing for CCE) alters the groups’ solution efficiency over successive generations. Homing performance improves continuously over generations, and later-generation groups eventually outperform both solo individuals and fixed- membership groups. Homing routes are more similar in consecutive generations within the same chains than between chains, indicating cross-generational knowledge transfer. Our findings thus show that collective intelligence in animal groups can accumulate progressive modifications over time. Furthermore, our results satisfy the main criteria for CCE and suggest potential mechanisms for CCE that do not rely on complex cognition. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T00:02:05Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:7649e8f4-5ed6-4114-a536-3261e020f6df |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T00:02:05Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:7649e8f4-5ed6-4114-a536-3261e020f6df2022-03-26T20:15:01ZCumulative culture can emerge from collective intelligence in animal groupsJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:7649e8f4-5ed6-4114-a536-3261e020f6dfSymplectic Elements at OxfordSpringer Nature2017Sasaki, TBiro, DStudies of collective intelligence in animal groups typically overlook potential improvement through learning. Although knowledge accumulation is recognised as a major advantage of group living within the framework of Cumulative Cultural Evolution (CCE), the interplay between CCE and collective intelligence has remained unexplored. Here, we use homing pigeons to investigate whether the repeated removal and replacement of individuals in experimental groups (a key method in testing for CCE) alters the groups’ solution efficiency over successive generations. Homing performance improves continuously over generations, and later-generation groups eventually outperform both solo individuals and fixed- membership groups. Homing routes are more similar in consecutive generations within the same chains than between chains, indicating cross-generational knowledge transfer. Our findings thus show that collective intelligence in animal groups can accumulate progressive modifications over time. Furthermore, our results satisfy the main criteria for CCE and suggest potential mechanisms for CCE that do not rely on complex cognition. |
| spellingShingle | Sasaki, T Biro, D Cumulative culture can emerge from collective intelligence in animal groups |
| title | Cumulative culture can emerge from collective intelligence in animal groups |
| title_full | Cumulative culture can emerge from collective intelligence in animal groups |
| title_fullStr | Cumulative culture can emerge from collective intelligence in animal groups |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cumulative culture can emerge from collective intelligence in animal groups |
| title_short | Cumulative culture can emerge from collective intelligence in animal groups |
| title_sort | cumulative culture can emerge from collective intelligence in animal groups |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sasakit cumulativeculturecanemergefromcollectiveintelligenceinanimalgroups AT birod cumulativeculturecanemergefromcollectiveintelligenceinanimalgroups |