Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
The coevolution of innovation and technical intelligence in primates. / Navarrete Rodriguez, Ana Francisca; Reader, Simon M.; Street, Sally E.; Whalen, Andrew; Laland, Kevin N.
In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Vol. 371, No. 1690, 20150186, 03.2016.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The coevolution of innovation and technical intelligence in primates
AU - Navarrete Rodriguez, Ana Francisca
AU - Reader, Simon M.
AU - Street, Sally E.
AU - Whalen, Andrew
AU - Laland, Kevin N.
PY - 2016/3
Y1 - 2016/3
N2 - In birds and primates, the frequency of behavioural innovation has been shown to covary with absolute and relative brain size, leading to the suggestion that large brains allow animals to innovate, and/or that selection for innovativeness, together with social learning, may have driven brain enlargement. We examined the relationship between primate brain size and both technical (i.e. tool using) and non-technical innovation, deploying a combination of phylogenetically informed regression and exploratory causal graph analyses. Regression analyses revealed that absolute and relative brain size correlated positively with technical innovation, and exhibited consistently weaker, but still positive, relationships with non-technical innovation. These findings mirror similar results in birds. Our exploratory causal graph analyses suggested that technical innovation shares strong direct relationships with brain size, body size, social learning rate and social group size, whereas non-technical innovation did not exhibit a direct relationship with brain size. Nonetheless, non-technical innovation was linked to brain size indirectly via diet and life-history variables. Our findings support ‘technical intelligence’ hypotheses in linking technical innovation to encephalization in the restricted set of primate lineages where technical innovation has been reported. Our findings also provide support for a broad co-evolving complex of brain, behaviour, life-history, social and dietary variables, providing secondary support for social and ecological intelligence hypotheses. The ability to gain access to difficult-to-extract, but potentially nutrient-rich, resources through tool use may have conferred on some primates adaptive advantages, leading to selection for brain circuitry that underlies technical proficiency.
AB - In birds and primates, the frequency of behavioural innovation has been shown to covary with absolute and relative brain size, leading to the suggestion that large brains allow animals to innovate, and/or that selection for innovativeness, together with social learning, may have driven brain enlargement. We examined the relationship between primate brain size and both technical (i.e. tool using) and non-technical innovation, deploying a combination of phylogenetically informed regression and exploratory causal graph analyses. Regression analyses revealed that absolute and relative brain size correlated positively with technical innovation, and exhibited consistently weaker, but still positive, relationships with non-technical innovation. These findings mirror similar results in birds. Our exploratory causal graph analyses suggested that technical innovation shares strong direct relationships with brain size, body size, social learning rate and social group size, whereas non-technical innovation did not exhibit a direct relationship with brain size. Nonetheless, non-technical innovation was linked to brain size indirectly via diet and life-history variables. Our findings support ‘technical intelligence’ hypotheses in linking technical innovation to encephalization in the restricted set of primate lineages where technical innovation has been reported. Our findings also provide support for a broad co-evolving complex of brain, behaviour, life-history, social and dietary variables, providing secondary support for social and ecological intelligence hypotheses. The ability to gain access to difficult-to-extract, but potentially nutrient-rich, resources through tool use may have conferred on some primates adaptive advantages, leading to selection for brain circuitry that underlies technical proficiency.
KW - Innovation
KW - Social learning
KW - Tool use
KW - Intelligence
KW - Primate cognition
KW - Brain evolution
U2 - 10.1098/rstb.2015.0186
DO - 10.1098/rstb.2015.0186
M3 - Article
VL - 371
JO - Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B: Biological Sciences
JF - Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B: Biological Sciences
SN - 0962-8452
IS - 1690
M1 - 20150186
ER -
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article
Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Editor of research journal
Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Peer review of manuscripts
Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Editor of research journal
Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Editor of research journal
Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Peer review of manuscripts
Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
ID: 241575040