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Chittar CR, Jang H, Samuni L, Lewis J, Honing H, van Loon EE, Janmaat KRL. Music production and its role in coalition signaling during foraging contexts in a hunter-gatherer society. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1218394. [PMID: 38022909 PMCID: PMC10646562 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1218394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Music is a cultural activity universally present in all human societies. Several hypotheses have been formulated to understand the possible origins of music and the reasons for its emergence. Here, we test two hypotheses: (1) the coalition signaling hypothesis which posits that music could have emerged as a tool to signal cooperative intent and signal strength of alliances and (2) music as a strategy to deter potential predators. In addition, we further explore the link between tactile cues and the propensity of mothers to sing toward infants. For this, we investigated the singing behaviors of hunter-gatherer mothers during daily foraging trips among the Mbendjele BaYaka in the Republic of the Congo. Although singing is a significant component of their daily activities, such as when walking in the forest or collecting food sources, studies on human music production in hunter-gatherer societies are mostly conducted during their ritual ceremonies. In this study, we collected foraging and singing behavioral data of mothers by using focal follows of five BaYaka women during their foraging trips in the forest. In accordance with our predictions for the coalition signaling hypothesis, women were more likely to sing when present in large groups, especially when group members were less familiar. However, predictions of the predation deterrence hypothesis were not supported as the interaction between group size and distance from the village did not have a significant effect on the likelihood of singing. The latter may be due to limited variation in predation risk in the foraging areas, because of the intense bush meat trade, and hence, future studies should include foraging areas with higher densities of wild animals. Lastly, we found that mothers were more likely to sing when they were carrying infants compared to when infants were close, but carried by others, supporting the prediction that touch plays an important prerequisite role in musical interaction between the mother and child. Our study provides important insight into the role of music as a tool in displaying the intent between or within groups to strengthen potentially conflict-free alliances during joint foraging activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chirag Rajendra Chittar
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Haneul Jang
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Liran Samuni
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Cooperative Evolution Lab, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jerome Lewis
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Henkjan Honing
- Music Cognition Group, Institute for Logic, Language and Computation, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - E. Emiel van Loon
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Karline R. L. Janmaat
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
- ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Boyette AH, Lew-Levy S, Jang H, Kandza V. Social ties in the Congo Basin: insights into tropical forest adaptation from BaYaka and their neighbours. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200490. [PMID: 35249385 PMCID: PMC8899623 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Investigating past and present human adaptation to the Congo Basin tropical forest can shed light on how climate and ecosystem variability have shaped human evolution. Here, we first review and synthesize genetic, palaeoclimatological, linguistic and historical data on the peopling of the Congo Basin. While forest fragmentation led to the increased genetic and geographical divergence of forest foragers, these groups maintained long-distance connectivity. The eventual expansion of Bantu speakers into the Congo Basin provided new opportunities for forging inter-group links, as evidenced by linguistic shifts and historical accounts. Building from our ethnographic work in the northern Republic of the Congo, we show how these inter-group links between forest forager communities as well as trade relationships with neighbouring farmers facilitate adaptation to ecoregions through knowledge exchange. While researchers tend to emphasize forager-farmer interactions that began in the Iron Age, we argue that foragers' cultivation of relational wealth with groups across the region played a major role in the initial occupation of the Congo Basin and, consequently, in cultural evolution among the ancestors of contemporary peoples. This article is part of the theme issue 'Tropical forests in the deep human past'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam H. Boyette
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sheina Lew-Levy
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Haneul Jang
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Vidrige Kandza
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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Bowie A, Zhou W, Tan J, White P, Stoinski T, Su Y, Hare B. Motivating children's cooperation to conserve forests. Conserv Biol 2022; 36. [PMID: 35435284 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Forests are essential common-pool resources. Understanding children's and adolescents' motivations for conservation is critical to improving conservation education. In 2 experiments, we investigated 1086 school-aged children and adolescents (6-16 years old) from China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the United States. testING participants in groups, we assessed their motivation for conservation based on collective-risk common-pool goods games in which they are threatened with losing their endowment unless the group donation exceeds a threshold needed to maintain the forest.eExtrinsic motivations, rather than intrinsic , tended to lead to successful cooperation to maintain a forest. Certainty of losing individual payoffs significantly boosted successful cooperative conservation efforts across cultures (success rates were 90.63 % and 74.19% in the 2 risk-extrinsic conditions and 43.75% in the control condition). In U.S. participants, 2 extrinsic incentives, priming discussions of the value of forests and delay of payoffs as punishment , also increased success of cooperative conservation (success rates were 97.22% and 76.92% in the 2 extrinsic-incentive conditions and 29.19% and 30.77% in the 2 control conditions). Conservation simulations, like those we used, may allow educators to encourage forest protection by leading groups to experience successful cooperation and the extrinsic incentives needed to motivate forest conservation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleah Bowie
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Wen Zhou
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jingzhi Tan
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Philip White
- Department of Statistics, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | | | - Yanjie Su
- Peking University, School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Beijing, China
| | - Brian Hare
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Most studies to date have focused on the negative aspects of anxiety. Anxiety, however, is an evolved emotional response that can provide protection in the face of risk. Pandemics are characterized by increased mortality risk coupled with future uncertainties, which both cause heightened anxiety. Here, we examine the factors associated with anxiety levels and risk avoidance behaviours during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked how individual time perspectives (future-oriented consideration and attention to present moment experience) affect anxiety in uncertain times, and whether anxiety reduces mortality risk by promoting risk avoidance behaviour. METHODOLOGY We conducted an online survey in the UK (N = 1088) and Turkey (N = 3935) and measured participants' generalized and pandemic-related anxiety levels, future-oriented consideration, mindfulness, intolerance of uncertainty, risk perception and risk avoidance behaviours. RESULTS We found that people less tolerant of uncertainties had higher levels of pandemic anxiety. Those with higher pandemic anxiety exhibited risk avoidance behaviours more frequently. Mindfulness and increased financial satisfaction reduced pandemic anxiety. People in Turkey reported higher levels of generalized and pandemic anxiety and greater engagement in risk avoidance behaviours than people in the UK. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Our study shows an elevated anxiety response can help mitigate infection risk during pandemics and emphasizes the importance of the underlying situation in understanding whether an anxiety response is adaptive or pathological. Maintaining a healthy level of anxiety can promote engagement in protective behaviours. Therapies addressing anxiety can focus on increasing tolerance to future uncertainties. LAY SUMMARY Anxiety is an emotional response triggered in the anticipation of a possible threat. We found that intolerance of uncertainty strongly predicted anxiety and that people with elevated anxiety levels engaged in protective behaviours more frequently during the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that anxiety can help mitigate mortality risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gul Deniz Salali
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London WC1H 0BW, UK
| | - Mete Sefa Uysal
- Psychology Department, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Turkey.,Department of Social Psychology, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Abi Bevan
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London WC1H 0BW, UK
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Knight JK, Salali GD, Sikka G, Derkx I, Keestra SM, Chaudhary N. Quantifying patterns of alcohol consumption and its effects on health and wellbeing among BaYaka hunter-gatherers: A mixed-methods cross-sectional study. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0258384. [PMID: 34705859 PMCID: PMC8550590 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ethnographers frequently allude to alcoholism and related harms in Indigenous hunter-gatherer communities, but very few studies have quantified patterns of alcohol consumption or its health and social impacts. We present a case study of the Mbendjele BaYaka, a Congolese population undergoing socioeconomic transition. 83 adults answered questions about their frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption, underwent biometric measurements and reported whether they were currently experiencing a cough or diarrhoea; 56 participated in structured interviews about their experiences with alcohol. Based on WHO standards, we found 44.3% of the full sample, and 51.5% of drinkers (excluding abstainers), had a hazardous volume of alcohol consumption; and 35.1% of the full sample, and 40.9% of drinkers, engaged in heavy episodic drinking; consumption habits varied with sex and age. Total weekly consumption was a positive predictor of blood pressure and the likelihood of experiencing diarrhoea; associations with other biometric variables were not statistically significant. Interview responses indicated numerous other economic, mental and physical health harms of alcohol use, the prevalence of which demonstrate some variability between forest camps and permanent village settlements. These include high rates of drinking during pregnancy and breastfeeding (~40%); frequent alcohol-induced violence; and considerable exchange of foraged foods and engagement in exploitative labour activities to acquire alcohol or repay associated debts. Our findings demonstrate the prevalence of hazardous alcohol consumption among transitioning hunter-gatherers is higher than other segments of the Congolese population and indicate negative impacts on health and wellbeing, highlighting an urgent need for targeted public health interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica K. Knight
- Department of Archaeology, Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Gul Deniz Salali
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gaurav Sikka
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Inez Derkx
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Sarai M. Keestra
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Nikhil Chaudhary
- Department of Archaeology, Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Pika S, Klein H, Bunel S, Baas P, Théleste E, Deschner T. Des chimpanzés sauvages (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) exploitent des tortues (Kinixys erosa) via une technique percussive. primatologie 2020. [DOI: 10.4000/primatologie.8467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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Salali GD, Dyble M, Chaudhary N, Sikka G, Derkx I, Keestra SM, Smith D, Thompson J, Vinicius L, Migliano AB. Global WEIRDing: transitions in wild plant knowledge and treatment preferences in Congo hunter-gatherers. Evol Hum Sci 2020; 2:e24. [PMID: 37588372 PMCID: PMC10427474 DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2020.26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cultures around the world are converging as populations become more connected. On the one hand this increased connectedness can promote the recombination of existing cultural practices to generate new ones, but on the other it may lead to the replacement of traditional practices and global WEIRDing. Here we examine the process and causes of changes in cultural traits concerning wild plant knowledge in Mbendjele BaYaka hunter-gatherers from Congo. Our results show that the BaYaka who were born in town reported knowing and using fewer plants than the BaYaka who were born in forest camps. Plant uses lost in the town-born BaYaka related to medicine. Unlike the forest-born participants, the town-born BaYaka preferred Western medicine over traditional practices, suggesting that the observed decline of plant knowledge and use is the result of replacement of cultural practices with the new products of cumulative culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gul Deniz Salali
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, LondonWC1H 0BW, UK
| | - Mark Dyble
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, LondonWC1H 0BW, UK
| | - Nikhil Chaudhary
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, LondonWC1H 0BW, UK
- Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QH, UK
| | - Gaurav Sikka
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, LondonWC1H 0BW, UK
| | - Inez Derkx
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, LondonWC1H 0BW, UK
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Sarai M. Keestra
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, LondonWC1H 0BW, UK
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, DurhamDH1 3LE, UK
| | - Daniel Smith
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, LondonWC1H 0BW, UK
- Bristol Medical School: Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, BristolBS8 2BN, UK
| | - James Thompson
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, LondonWC1H 0BW, UK
| | - Lucio Vinicius
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, LondonWC1H 0BW, UK
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Bamberg Migliano
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, LondonWC1H 0BW, UK
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057Zürich, Switzerland
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Abstract
Does integration into commercial markets lead people to work longer hours? Does this mean that people in more subsistence-oriented societies work less compared to those in more market-integrated societies? Despite their venerable status in both anthropology and economic history, these questions have been difficult to address due to a dearth of appropriate data. Here, we tackle the issue by combining high-quality time allocation datasets from 8 small-scale populations around the world (45,019 observations of 863 adults) with similar aggregate data from 14 industrialized (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries. Both within and across societies, we find evidence of a positive correlation between work time and market engagement for men, although not for women. Shifting to fully commercial labor is associated with an increase in men's work from around 45 h per week to 55 h, on average; women's work remains at nearly 55 h per week across the spectrum. These results inform us about the socioeconomic determinants of time allocation across a wider range of human societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahul Bhui
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138;
- Department of Economics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | | | - Joseph Henrich
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON M5G 1Z8, Canada
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Salali GD, Chaudhary N, Bouer J, Thompson J, Vinicius L, Migliano AB. Development of social learning and play in BaYaka hunter-gatherers of Congo. Sci Rep 2019; 9:11080. [PMID: 31367002 PMCID: PMC6668464 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-47515-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
High-fidelity transmission of information through imitation and teaching has been proposed as necessary for cumulative cultural evolution. Yet, it is unclear when and for which knowledge domains children employ different social learning processes. This paper explores the development of social learning processes and play in BaYaka hunter-gatherer children by analysing video recordings and time budgets of children from early infancy to adolescence. From infancy to early childhood, hunter-gatherer children learn mainly by imitating and observing others’ activities. From early childhood, learning occurs mainly in playgroups and through practice. Throughout childhood boys engage in play more often than girls whereas girls start foraging wild plants from early childhood and spend more time in domestic activities and childcare. Sex differences in play reflect the emergence of sexual division of labour and the play-work transition occurring earlier for girls. Consistent with theoretical models, teaching occurs for skills/knowledge that cannot be transmitted with high fidelity through other social learning processes such as the acquisition of abstract information e.g. social norms. Whereas, observational and imitative learning occur for the transmission of visually transparent skills such as tool use, foraging, and cooking. These results suggest that coevolutionary relationships between human sociality, language and teaching have likely been fundamental in the emergence of human cumulative culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gul Deniz Salali
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, WC1H 0BW, United Kingdom.
| | - Nikhil Chaudhary
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, WC1H 0BW, United Kingdom.,Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QH, United Kingdom
| | - Jairo Bouer
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, WC1H 0BW, United Kingdom
| | - James Thompson
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, WC1H 0BW, United Kingdom
| | - Lucio Vinicius
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, WC1H 0BW, United Kingdom.,Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Bamberg Migliano
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, WC1H 0BW, United Kingdom.,Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland
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Pika S, Klein H, Bunel S, Baas P, Théleste E, Deschner T. Wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) exploit tortoises (Kinixys erosa) via percussive technology. Sci Rep 2019; 9:7661. [PMID: 31123270 PMCID: PMC6533303 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43301-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), one of humankinds' closest living relatives, are known to hunt and consume the meat of various animal taxa. Although some researchers have presented indirect evidence that chimpanzees may also prey on tortoises, until now, direct observations of this behaviour did not exist. Here, we provide systematic descriptions of the first observations of chimpanzee predation on tortoises (Kinixys erosa). We made these unprecedented observations on newly habituated chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) of the Rekambo community, living in the Loango National Park, Gabon. The behaviour qualified as customary, that is occurring in most or all adult males, involved a distinct smashing technique, and resulted frequently in food sharing with other group members. Our observations shed new light on the hitherto little understood percussive technology of chimpanzees, and expand our current knowledge on chimpanzees' dietary and predatory repertoires with respect to reptiles. We also report a case of food storage and discuss it in the context of future-oriented cognition. Our findings suggest the need for more nuanced interpretations of chimpanzees' cognitive skills in combination with an in-depth understanding of their unique socio-ecological niches. They further emphasize the importance of nonhuman primate field observations to inform theories of hominin evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Pika
- University of Osnabrück, Institute of Cognitive Science, Comparative BioCognition, Artilleriestrasse 34, 49076, Osnabrück, Germany.
| | - Harmonie Klein
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sarah Bunel
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Pauline Baas
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Erwan Théleste
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
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Martín J, Brañas-Garza P, Espín AM, Gamella JF, Herrmann B. The appropriate response of Spanish Gitanos: short-run orientation beyond current socio-economic status. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2018.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Salali GD, Chaudhary N, Thompson J, Grace OM, van der Burgt XM, Dyble M, Page AE, Smith D, Lewis J, Mace R, Vinicius L, Migliano AB. Knowledge-Sharing Networks in Hunter-Gatherers and the Evolution of Cumulative Culture. Curr Biol 2016; 26:2516-2521. [PMID: 27618264 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2016] [Revised: 06/29/2016] [Accepted: 07/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Humans possess the unique ability for cumulative culture [1, 2]. It has been argued that hunter-gatherer's complex social structure [3-9] has facilitated the evolution of cumulative culture by allowing information exchange among large pools of individuals [10-13]. However, empirical evidence for the interaction between social structure and cultural transmission is scant [14]. Here we examine the reported co-occurrence of plant uses between individuals in dyads (which we define as their "shared knowledge" of plant uses) in BaYaka Pygmies from Congo. We studied reported uses of 33 plants of 219 individuals from four camps. We show that (1) plant uses by BaYaka fall into three main domains: medicinal, foraging, and social norms/beliefs; (2) most medicinal plants have known bioactive properties, and some are positively associated with children's BMI, suggesting that their use is adaptive; (3) knowledge of medicinal plants is mainly shared between spouses and biological and affinal kin; and (4) knowledge of plant uses associated with foraging and social norms is shared more widely among campmates, regardless of relatedness, and is important for camp-wide activities that require cooperation. Our results show the interdependence between social structure and knowledge sharing. We propose that long-term pair bonds, affinal kin recognition, exogamy, and multi-locality create ties between unrelated families, facilitating the transmission of medicinal knowledge and its fitness implications. Additionally, multi-family camps with low inter-relatedness between camp members provide a framework for the exchange of functional information related to cooperative activities beyond the family unit, such as foraging and regulation of social life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gul Deniz Salali
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London WC1H 0BW, UK.
| | - Nikhil Chaudhary
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London WC1H 0BW, UK
| | - James Thompson
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London WC1H 0BW, UK
| | | | | | - Mark Dyble
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London WC1H 0BW, UK
| | - Abigail E Page
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London WC1H 0BW, UK
| | - Daniel Smith
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London WC1H 0BW, UK
| | - Jerome Lewis
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London WC1H 0BW, UK
| | - Ruth Mace
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London WC1H 0BW, UK
| | - Lucio Vinicius
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London WC1H 0BW, UK
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Chaudhary N, Salali GD, Thompson J, Rey A, Gerbault P, Stevenson EG, Dyble M, E Page A, Smith D, Mace R, Vinicius L, Migliano AB. Competition for Cooperation: variability, benefits and heritability of relational wealth in hunter-gatherers. Sci Rep 2016; 6:29120. [PMID: 27404514 DOI: 10.1038/srep29120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2016] [Accepted: 06/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Many defining human characteristics including theory of mind, culture and language relate to our sociality, and facilitate the formation and maintenance of cooperative relationships. Therefore, deciphering the context in which our sociality evolved is invaluable in understanding what makes us unique as a species. Much work has emphasised group-level competition, such as warfare, in moulding human cooperation and sociality. However, competition and cooperation also occur within groups; and inter-individual differences in sociality have reported fitness implications in numerous non-human taxa. Here we investigate whether differential access to cooperation (relational wealth) is likely to lead to variation in fitness at the individual level among BaYaka hunter-gatherers. Using economic gift games we find that relational wealth: a) displays individual-level variation; b) provides advantages in buffering food risk, and is positively associated with body mass index (BMI) and female fertility; c) is partially heritable. These results highlight that individual-level processes may have been fundamental in the extension of human cooperation beyond small units of related individuals, and in shaping our sociality. Additionally, the findings offer insight in to trends related to human sociality found from research in other fields such as psychology and epidemiology.
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