Smarter through group living: A response to Smulders

Benjamin J. Ashton; Amanda R. Ridley; Alex Thornton

doi:10.3758/s13420-018-0366-6

Smarter through group living: A response to Smulders

School of Biological Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We recently identified a strong, positive relationship between group size and individual cognitive performance, and a strong, positive relationship between female cognitive performance and reproductive success (Ashton, Ridley, Edwards, & Thornton in Nature, 554, 364–367, 2018). An opinion piece by Smulders (Learning & Behavior, https://doi.org/10.3758/s13420-018-0335-0, 2018) raised the interesting notion that these patterns may be underlined by motivational factors. In this commentary, we highlight why none of the available data are consistent with this explanation, but instead support the argument that the demands of group living influence cognitive development, with knock-on consequences for fitness.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	277-279
Number of pages	3
Journal	Learning and Behavior
Volume	47
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3758/s13420-018-0366-6
Publication status	Published - 10 Dec 2018

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title = "Smarter through group living: A response to Smulders",

abstract = "We recently identified a strong, positive relationship between group size and individual cognitive performance, and a strong, positive relationship between female cognitive performance and reproductive success (Ashton, Ridley, Edwards, \& Thornton in Nature, 554, 364–367, 2018). An opinion piece by Smulders (Learning \& Behavior, https://doi.org/10.3758/s13420-018-0335-0, 2018) raised the interesting notion that these patterns may be underlined by motivational factors. In this commentary, we highlight why none of the available data are consistent with this explanation, but instead support the argument that the demands of group living influence cognitive development, with knock-on consequences for fitness.",

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AU - Thornton, Alex

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N2 - We recently identified a strong, positive relationship between group size and individual cognitive performance, and a strong, positive relationship between female cognitive performance and reproductive success (Ashton, Ridley, Edwards, & Thornton in Nature, 554, 364–367, 2018). An opinion piece by Smulders (Learning & Behavior, https://doi.org/10.3758/s13420-018-0335-0, 2018) raised the interesting notion that these patterns may be underlined by motivational factors. In this commentary, we highlight why none of the available data are consistent with this explanation, but instead support the argument that the demands of group living influence cognitive development, with knock-on consequences for fitness.

AB - We recently identified a strong, positive relationship between group size and individual cognitive performance, and a strong, positive relationship between female cognitive performance and reproductive success (Ashton, Ridley, Edwards, & Thornton in Nature, 554, 364–367, 2018). An opinion piece by Smulders (Learning & Behavior, https://doi.org/10.3758/s13420-018-0335-0, 2018) raised the interesting notion that these patterns may be underlined by motivational factors. In this commentary, we highlight why none of the available data are consistent with this explanation, but instead support the argument that the demands of group living influence cognitive development, with knock-on consequences for fitness.

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KW - Cognitive ecology

KW - Social intelligence hypothesis

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Smarter through group living: A response to Smulders

Abstract

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