[Taxacom] "Enculturalization" in apes, dogs, and birds

[Curtis Clark]

On 2011-02-10 09:13, Richard Jensen wrote:
> I read Ken's enculturation as akin to social evolution - something that
> is learned and passed from parent to offspring via social interactions,
> not DNA.  The real test would be to find out if the young, when reared
> in isolation, respond properly or not.  If not, then the response may be
> a learned response.

If it is learned behavior, it is learned either from other members of 
one's own species (not at all unlikely), from humans, or from both. But 
it's still learned, and the number of generations it has been going on 
shouldn't really matter past a dozen or so, and then only to firmly 
establish it in culture.

There could be actual selection for the trait, as Fred suggests, or more 
subtly, selection for a propensity to pay attention to humans. But 
neither of these is enculturation.

And the cool thing is that all of this is subject to scientific inquiry.