Conserving and Managing Animals That Learn Socially and Share Cultures

Whitehead, Hal, Learning & Behavior

Socially learned behavior can be a crucial factor in how animals interact with their environment and, thus, in conservation and management. For species in which social learning and culture are important determinants of behavior, several factors complicate conservation and management. These include the rapid spread of novel behavior through social learning, the inhibition of adaptive behavior because of cultural conformism, the evolution of maladaptive behavior, and the development of culturally isolated but sometimes sympatric groups. These factors can affect habitat suitability, movements, how animals react to anthropogenic effects, and genetic structures. Social learning and culture may …

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Publication information: Article title: Conserving and Managing Animals That Learn Socially and Share Cultures. Contributors: Whitehead, Hal - Author. Journal title: Learning & Behavior. Volume: 38. Issue: 3 Publication date: August 2010. Page number: 329+. © Psychonomic Society, Inc. Feb 2009. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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