Ravens learn best from their friends

VIENNA, July 13 (UPI) -- For ravens, the learning process is a social endeavor -- one dictated by a raven's closest affiliates.

A new study, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, reveals the importance of strong social bonding in the learning process.

Ravens learn best -- whether about food, predators or their social environment -- from their friends.

To explore how raven relationships affect learning, a team of researchers from Europe and the United States used analytical methods designed to study human social behaviors and social networks.

At the base level, the formation of culture and social traditions rely on passage of information from individual to individual. More intimate human relationships yield a more efficient flow of information. The same goes for ravens.

Researchers showed affiliate behaviors -- sitting next to and preening, sharing food and objects -- revealed which peers a raven was most likely to learn from. When presented with novel tasks, a riddle or problem with a food reward, ravens only watched their close affiliates for problem-solving insights.

"In each group, an observation network based on who observed whose task-solving behavior was strongly correlated with networks based on affiliative interactions and proximity," the researchers wrote.