Collaborative Research: The relative roles of ecology, evolution, and experience in solving novel problems

合作研究：生态学、进化论和经验在解决新问题中的相对作用

基本信息

批准号：
2127375
负责人：
Sarah Brosnan
金额：
$ 18.72万
依托单位：
Georgia State University Research Foundation, Inc.
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2022
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2022-01-01 至 2024-12-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2127375&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Collaborative Research relative roles ecology

项目摘要

Innovation and learning are fundamental human traits, but they are thought to be costly to evolve due to the cognitive capacities necessary to support them. This research project tests hypotheses relevant to understanding the context in which social learning emerges to uncover the selective pressures driving innovation, behavioral flexibility, and a propensity to learn from others. Specifically, this project investigates how ecological and social factors influence social transmission of information in primates with differing baseline use of social learning. The project provides much-needed field-based research opportunities for underrepresented and lower-income students. The project also improves research partnerships that build capacity at minority-serving institutions, and disseminates findings broadly to academic and non-academic audiences.The study investigates social learning among non-human primates that share many features with humans, including large brains relative to body size, extensive cooperation, innovative social conventions, and refined foraging skills. These characteristics make them excellent candidates for studying the factors that influence the emergence of innovation and social learning. This research investigates how evolutionary pressures, ecological need, and social experience influence problem-solving and social learning strategies in two closely-related species that differ in tool use and social traditions that may impact their propensity to innovate and learn from others. The project will compare a) problem solving, b) behavioral flexibility, and c) social learning strategies across these populations. This research will highlight the impacts of cognitive differences, ecological necessity, and previous experiences on individuals’ ability to solve novel problems and transmit that knowledge to others.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

创新和学习是人类的基本特征，但由于支持它们所需的认知能力，人们认为它们的发展是昂贵的。该研究项目测试假设与理解社会学习的背景相关，以揭示推动创新，行为灵活性以及向他人学习的承诺的选择性压力。具体而言，该项目研究了生态和社会因素如何影响灵长类动物中信息的社会传播，而社会学习的基线使用不同。该项目为代表性不足和低收入的学生提供了急需的基于现场的研究机会。该项目还改善了在少数派服务机构建立能力的研究合作伙伴关系，并将发现广泛地传播给学术和非学术受众。该研究调查了非人类灵长类动物之间的社会学习，这些灵长类动物与人类有许多特征，包括大脑相对于体型，广泛的合作，创新的社会惯例和精致的觅食技能。这些特征使它们成为研究影响创新和社会学习出现的因素的出色候选人。这项研究调查了两个紧密相关的物种的进化压力，生态需求和社会经验如何影响解决问题和社会学习策略，这些物种在工具使用和社会传统上有所不同，这可能会影响他们对创新和向他人学习的承诺。该项目将比较a）解决问题，b）行为灵活性以及c）这些人群中的社会学习策略。这项研究将突出认知差异，生态必要的以及以前的经验对个人解决新问题并将这些知识传递给他人的能力的影响。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响评估标准来评估值得支持。