近日,，國際著名雜志Science在線刊登了國外研究人員的最新研究成果“Identification of the Social and Cognitive Processes Underlying Human Cumulative Culture”,，文章中,，研究者表示與黑猩猩不同，幼童會分享知識,。
據(jù)一項新的研究披露,，正在試圖解決某個難題的幼童會合作并共享信息,，但解決同樣難題的黑猩猩和卷尾猴則不會合作及共享信息,。 這些發(fā)現(xiàn)可幫助解釋為什么隨著時間的推移人類在積累文化知識方面的能力看來是獨特的。 盡管其它動物也會相互學習,，但只有人類的文化才會一代又一代地變得越來越復雜,。 研究人員對哪些認知能力或社會條件是這種“累積性文化”所必須的進行了辯論。 Lewis Dean及其同事通過讓3及4歲大的孩子,、黑猩猩及卷尾猴探究一個盒子樣的以3為單位發(fā)放獎品的智力玩具來測試多種假說,。
如果使用者能搞清楚如何正確地操作各個分隔區(qū)間的話，研究人員則提高該玩具的困難度,。 這些孩子在到達較高水平的階段上有著高得多的成功率,，而他們的成功與一系列的社會認知過程有關，其中包括通過口頭指導,、模仿及親社會性（例如共享獎品）來教導等,。 研究人員得出結(jié)論，這組心理學的過程對累積性文化的發(fā)展是至關重要的,。 Robert Kurzban 和 H. Clark Barrett在一則相關的《觀點欄目》中討論了該研究,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi:10.1126/science.1213969
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Identification of the Social and Cognitive Processes Underlying Human Cumulative Culture
L. G. Dean1, R. L. Kendal2,*, S. J. Schapiro3, B. Thierry4, K. N. Laland1,*
The remarkable ecological and demographic success of humanity is largely attributed to our capacity for cumulative culture, with knowledge and technology accumulating over time, yet the social and cognitive capabilities that have enabled cumulative culture remain unclear. In a comparative study of sequential problem solving, we provided groups of capuchin monkeys, chimpanzees, and children with an experimental puzzlebox that could be solved in three stages to retrieve rewards of increasing desirability. The success of the children, but not of the chimpanzees or capuchins, in reaching higher-level solutions was strongly associated with a package of sociocognitive processes—including teaching through verbal instruction, imitation, and prosociality—that were observed only in the children and covaried with performance.
