Cetacean science does not have to be pseudo-science

Rendall and Whitehead overstate the weak evidence for social learning in cetaceans as a group, including the current evidence for vocal learning in killer whales. Ethnographic techniques exist to test genetic explanations of killer whale calling behavior, and additional captive experiments are feasi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Behavioral and Brain Sciences
Main Author: Miller, Patrick J. O.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2001
Subjects:
Behavioral Neuroscience
Physiology
Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
Killer Whale
Killer whale
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x01473961
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0140525X01473961
Description
Summary:Rendall and Whitehead overstate the weak evidence for social learning in cetaceans as a group, including the current evidence for vocal learning in killer whales. Ethnographic techniques exist to test genetic explanations of killer whale calling behavior, and additional captive experiments are feasible. Without such tests, descriptions of learning could be considered pseudo-scientific, ad hoc auxiliary assumptions of an untested theory.

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