Primate Behaviour: Information, Social Knowledge, and the Evolution of Culture

This book is about the social life of monkeys, apes and humans. Its central theme is the importance of social information and knowledge to a full understanding of primate social behaviour and organisation. Using this perspective, the authors seek to demonstrate a continuity between human and non-human society that is often not recognised elsewhere in the literature. Topics covered include: an overview of the contexts of behaviour; a comparison of blind strategies and tactical decision-making; social cognition; a review of intentionalist interpretations of behaviour; kinship; language and its social implications; and the constraints of culture. Primate Behaviour will be of interest to senior undergraduate and graduate students, as well as to researchers in the fields of biological and social anthropology, primatology, psychology, behavioural science and evolutionary biology.