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The proximate-ultimate confusion in teaching and cooperation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 June 2015

Alex Thornton  and
Nichola J. Raihani
Alex Thornton
Affiliation:
Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, United Kingdom. [email protected]://www.wildcognitionresearch.com
Nichola J. Raihani
Affiliation:
Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom. [email protected]://raihanilab.weebly.com
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Abstract

Kline does an admirable job of extending the functionalist framework developed by comparative researchers to help understand the function and form of human teaching. Functionalist approaches consider the adaptive value and underlying mechanisms of behaviour as separate but complementary questions, avoiding the conflation of ultimate and proximate explanations that has long hindered research on teaching and other forms of cooperation.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 38 , 2015 , e69
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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