CHAPTER 7 – Developing a Theory of Animal Social Learning

Over the last century, several hundred empirical studies have generated significant amounts of information about social learning in animals. While these studies have spawned a number of intuitive schemes designed to collate and categorize information on animal social learning, development of a formal theoretical framework is still in its infancy. One might expect many benefits from such a framework. Formal theory can structure and discipline thinking, tighten hypotheses, clarify mechanisms, identify key parameters, and raise questions that inspire empirical research. The field of animal social learning has not yet reached the stage of development where theoretical and empirical projects guide and inform each other. Much of the theory that does exist has been adapted from models of human culture rather than specifically designed for the analysis of social learning in other animals. This chapter attempts to outline the benefits of developing a coherent theory, reviewing and extending current theory, and pointing to the areas where further theory is required. Principal conclusion is that there is a need for greater integration of empirical and theoretical findings, so that each tradition can inform and stimulate the other.