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SAGE Journal User Guide
Article 1
Summary:
This set of experiments examines whether infants are biased to learn from certain kinds of stimuli that serve for the social transmission of information. A theme in this paper that is reflected in the text is that organisms seem better prepared to learn certain kinds of associations. Here is another illustration.
Discussion Questions:
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Why would social learning of food preferences be advantageous?
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Although infants at 18 months can point to or reach for a preferred food, how did the experimenters measure what infants at 6 months thought about food items?
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In what situations did infants learn a food preference?
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How do the authors interpret the selective social learning that infants showed?
Article 2
Summary:
This study compares great ape species to determine if there are species differences in whether the young mimic the behavior of their peers. The results of this study suggest a complex interplay between social learning and social influence on demonstration of learning.
Discussion Questions:
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How did the behavior of the young of the three species compare after each saw a demonstration of an alternative strategy?
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The authors make a distinction between informational conformity and normative conformity. What is the difference?
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What kind of conformity by humans was demonstrated in this study?
