Coevolution of cultural intelligence, extended life history, sociality, and brain size in primates.

ABSTRACT: Explanations for primate brain expansion and the evolution of human cognition and culture remain contentious despite extensive research. While multiple comparative analyses have investigated variation in brain size across primate species, very few have addressed why primates vary in how much they use social learning. Here, we evaluate the hypothesis that the enhanced reliance on socially transmitted behavior observed in some primates has coevolved with enlarged brains, complex sociality, and extended lifespans. Using recently developed phylogenetic comparative methods we show that, across primate species, a measure of social learning proclivity increases with absolute and relative brain volume, longevity (specifically reproductive lifespan), and social group size, correcting for research e

SUBMITTER: Street SE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5544265 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature