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Cultural intelligence is key to explaining human tool use

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 June 2012

Claudio Tennie  and
Harriet Over
Claudio Tennie
Affiliation:
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig 04013 Germany. tennie@eva.mpg.de www.claudiotennie.de harriet_over@eva.mpg.de http://www.eva.mpg.de/psycho/staff/over
Harriet Over
Affiliation:
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig 04013 Germany. tennie@eva.mpg.de www.claudiotennie.de harriet_over@eva.mpg.de http://www.eva.mpg.de/psycho/staff/over
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Abstract

Contrary to Vaesen, we argue that a small number of key traits are sufficient to explain modern human tool use. Here we outline and defend the cultural intelligence (CI) hypothesis. In doing so, we critically re-examine the role of social transmission in explaining human tool use.

Information

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 35 , Issue 4 , August 2012 , pp. 242 - 243
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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