Interactions with conspecific outsiders as drivers of cognitive evolution.
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33024110.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-020-18780-3 and PMC identifier 7538913.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The social intelligence hypothesis (SIH) posits that within-group interactions drive cognitive evolution, but it has received equivocal support. We argue the SIH overlooks a major component of social life: interactions with conspecific outsiders. Competition for vital resources means conspecific outsiders present myriad threats and opportunities in all animal taxa across the social spectrum (from individuals to groups). We detail cognitive challenges generated by conspecific outsiders, arguing these select for 'Napoleonic' intelligence; explain potential influences on the SIH; and highlight important considerations when empirically testing these ideas. Including interactions with conspecific outsiders may substantially improve our understanding of cognitive evolution.
Medical subject headings
- Biological Evolution
- Cognition
- Intelligence
- Social Behavior