Teaching

Abstract

Abstract The study of teaching has long been a focus in the field of cultural evolution because of its role in faithful cultural transmission of information, without which cumulative culture would not be possible. Claims about the prevalence, evolution, functions, and forms of teaching vary depending on how it is defined, and definitions vary in key characteristics across the disciplines of psychology, anthropology, and animal behaviour. This does not mean that a single, unitary definition must prevail. Instead, this chapter treats teaching as a broader set of behaviours that evolved because they function to facilitate learning in others, in human and non-human animals. To support this argument, the chapter reviews existing definitions of teaching across evolutionary sciences, and offers a reorganization of those definitions using Tinbergen’s levels of analysis. The chapter then uses a revised functionalist definition of teaching to review the empirical evidence for teaching in humans and other animals. Finally, the chapter addresses current problems in research on teaching, including the excessive focus on Western cultural contexts.