title: The Evolution of Individual and Cultural Variation in Social Learning.
abstract: It is often assumed in experiments and models that social learning abilities - how often individuals copy others, plus who and how they copy - are species-typical. Yet there is accruing evidence for systematic individual variation in social learning within species. Here we review evidence for this individual variation, placing it within a continuum of increasing phenotypic plasticity, from genetically polymorphic personality traits, to developmental plasticity via cues such as maternal stress, to the individual learning of social learning, and finally the social learning of social learning. The latter, possibly restricted to humans, can generate stable between-group cultural variation in social learning. More research is needed to understand the extent, causes, and consequences of this individual and cultural variation.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Tremough, Penryn TR10 9EZ, UK. Electronic address: a.mesoudi@exeter.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mesoudi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Tremough, Penryn TR10 9EZ, UK.
authors.forename: Sasha R X
authors.initials: SRX
authors.lastname: Dall
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Tremough, Penryn TR10 9EZ, UK.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thornton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003468:Cultural Evolution; D006801:Humans; D000067570:Social Learning
keywords: cultural evolution; individual differences; personality; phenotypic plasticity; social information use; social learning