Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-m8qmq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-17T02:30:16.860Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Teaching in marine mammals? Anecdotes versus science

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2001

Dario Maestripieri
Affiliation:
Institute for Mind and Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637 d-maestripieri@uchicago.eduwhitham@midway.uchicago.edu
Jessica Whitham
Affiliation:
Institute for Mind and Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637 d-maestripieri@uchicago.eduwhitham@midway.uchicago.edu

Abstract

The use of anecdotes is not a viable research strategy to study animal culture. Social learning processes can often be documented with careful quantitative analyses of observational data. Unfortunately, suggestions that killer whales engage in teaching are entirely based on subjective interpretations of qualitative observations. Thus, “evidence” of teaching in killer whales cannot be used to argue for the occurrence of culture in marine mammals.

Type
Brief Report
Copyright
© 2001 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)