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Science 23 July 2004:
Vol. 305. no. 5683, pp. 487 - 491
DOI: 10.1126/science.1098254
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Review

Public Information: From Nosy Neighbors to Cultural Evolution

Étienne Danchin,1 Luc-Alain Giraldeau,2 Thomas J. Valone,3 Richard H. Wagner4

Psychologists, economists, and advertising moguls have long known that human decision-making is strongly influenced by the behavior of others. A rapidly accumulating body of evidence suggests that the same is true in animals. Individuals can use information arising from cues inadvertently produced by the behavior of other individuals with similar requirements. Many of these cues provide public information about the quality of alternatives. The use of public information is taxonomically widespread and can enhance fitness. Public information can lead to cultural evolution, which we suggest may then affect biological evolution.

1 U.P.M.C. CNRS-UMR7625, Bât A–7e étage–Case 237, 7 quai Saint Bernard, 75252 Paris Cédex 05, France. E-mail: edanchin{at}snv.jussieu.fr
2 Group de Recherche en Écologie Comportementale et Animale, Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Case Postale 8888, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal, Québec H3C 3P8, Canada. E-mail: giraldeau.luc-alain{at}uqam.ca
3 Department of Biology, St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63103, USA. E-mail: valone{at}slu.edu
4 Konrad Lorenz Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Savoyenstrasse 1a, A-1160 Vienna, Austria. E-mail: r.wagner{at}klivv.oeaw.ac.at

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