Social learning in primates

Social learning in animals is most clearly seen amongst primates as they have the necessary intelligence and abilities abilities to change their behavior through imitation and Practice (learning method)practice.

longitudunal studies of Japanese macaques isolated on the Koshima Islands have demonstrated that different monkey troops develop and maintain specific behaviors within their seperate communities that are not shared by other troops. Manning, A & Dawkins M.S.(1998). An introduction to animal behavior. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press Within these groups cultural transmission occurs as a result of observational learning. So, for example, while the species usually eat unwashed food in one troop a macaque mother saw a human woman wash her produce in a stream. and copied her. She subsequently taught her offspring this behavior which was then eventually acquired by the majority of the members of the troop. Later, young males, who do not breed within their home troop, took the behavior with them to neighbouring troops who then learnt the washing technique and this is now established more widely as a "cultural" feature of the species behavior on the island.

Amongst Apes
The greater apes consist of: chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans. In the 1990s, research questions shifted from asking whether do primates copy to " how do primates copy?  The do-as-I-do task (see above)  has established that chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans imitate bodily actions and gorillas have been shown to have similar abilities using a different task. Summary in Whiten, et al. (2004) How do apes ape? ''Learning & Behavior,31, 1, 36-52.