Ecology of Learning Learning: Gather, Store, Recall (Integrate) Information Psychology: Process; Experience Changes Behavior Actions Altered in Response to Environment Positive/Negative Outcomes  Alteration Behavioral Ecology: Functional Significance Fitness Effects vs. Alternative(s)

Behavioral Ecology of Learning Benefits of Learning: Increased “Currency of Fitness” Certain Within-Generation Scales of Predictability Costs of Learning? Two Types (Capacity & Use) Optimizing Selection on Learning Abilities?

Behavioral Ecology of Learning “Types”: Learning About & Learning How Modalities of Information Acquisition: Individual Learning & Social Learning Direct Experience & via Tutor Collects Cognitive Processes of Psychology, Sensory/Neural Mechanisms

Behavioral Ecology of Learning Learning About Collection/Assimilation of Information: Estimate/Assess Values of Alternative Behaviors Sampling Environment Through Resource Use, Social Interaction, …

Behavioral Ecology of Learning Learning How Acquisition of Behaviors (Skills) Advancing Survival and/or Reproduction Forager Learns “Skills:” Search, Pursuit, Capture, Handling of Prey Successful Parenting

Group Membership and Learning Member of Group: Opportunities for Both Individual and Social Learning Learning About 1.Individual Samples Resources; “Private Information” 2.Individual Observes Others; “Public Information” Location of Resource, Quantity, Quality Cultural Transmission

Group Membership and Learning Member of Group: Opportunities for Both Individual and Social Learning Learning How: Acquiring “Skill” 1.Individual Learning Through Experience 2.Social Learning: Naïve Copies Model Distinct Processes, Interact  Skill Acquisition

Group Membership and Learning Group Size G G = 1  Solitary: Individual Learning Only G > 1  Individual Learning or Both Individual & Social Learning Which of 3 Produces Greatest Frequency of Learned Trait?

Individual Learning In Group (G) G = P + J P Skilled Producers of Resource Clumps J Joiners, Can Learn Individually to Produce Joiner  Scrounger; All “Share” Clump P  (P + 1)  J  (J – 1) Individual Learns to Produce; Consequence?

Individual Learning In Group (G) P  (P + 1)  J  (J – 1) Individual Learns to Produce; Consequence? Resource Found Faster Less Time for Next Individual to Learn Fewer Clumps for Individual Learning Sociality/Group Living Decelerates Individual Learning of Particular Skill

Social Learning In Group (G) P  (P + 1)  J  (J – 1) Individual Learns to Produce; Consequence? Resource Found Faster Less Time for Next Individual to Learn Fewer Clumps for Individual Learning But More “Models” to Mimic; Accelerates Social Learning

Group Membership and Learning Slowest Learning/Smallest Frequency of Skill Individual Learning Only in Large Group Faster/Increased Frequency of Skill: Individual Learning by Solitaries Fastest/Largest Frequency of Learned Skill: Individual + Contagious Social Learning in Large Group

Group Membership and Learning Strong Selective Pressure for Observational (Social) Learning Social Learning: Mechanism of Culture Model-Mimic Systems