Research areas
Recent and current research interests focus on social learning, traditions and culture. To elucidate the evolution of these phenomena I study and compare human and non-human primates, especially our closest living relatives, chimpanzees. Studies include both large scale surveys of behaviour in the wild and behavioural experiments with children and non-human primates. The latter studies include the first ones that track the diffusion of behavioural techniques experimentally introduced into existing groups. Development of social learning capacities is studied in children and juvenile non-human primates.
Selected publications
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The burgeoning reach of animal culture
Whiten, A., 2 Apr 2021, In: Science. 372, 6537, 8 p., eabe6514.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
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Population connectivity shapes the distribution and complexity of chimpanzee material culture
Whiten, A., 22 Nov 2024, In: Science. 386, 6724, p. 920-925Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Blind alleys and fruitful pathways in the comparative study of cultural cognition
Whiten, A., 1 Dec 2022, In: Physics of Life Reviews. 43, p. 211-238 28 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
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Open access
The emergence of collective knowledge and cumulative culture in animals, humans and machines
Whiten, A., Biro, D., Bredeche, N., Garland, E. C. & Kirby, S., 31 Jan 2022, In: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 377, 1843, 14 p., 20200306.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
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Open access
Diverse species readily acquire copies of novel actions from others that are not achieved through individual learning
Whiten, A., 1 Oct 2024, In: Animal Behaviour. 216, p. 85-96 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
