If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website.

If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked.

Main content

ACTIVITY: Claim Testing – Collective Learning

Purpose

You should be familiar with this activity from previous lessons. Continuing to practice your claim-testing skills is really important in this and other courses.
Cave paintings of cattle at Tassili N’Ajjer, Algeria© Kazuyoshi Nomachi/Corbis

Process

In this claim-testing exercise, you’re going to make determinations about whether or not these claims about collective learning are true or false:
  • An example of collective learning can be seen when a lioness teaches her cubs to hunt.
  • Humans are the only species with the ability to learn collectively.
  • Collective learning should not be defined as the sixth threshold of increasing complexity.
Do you agree or disagree with these claims? Why?

For Further Discussion

Pick one claim and decide if you think it’s true or false. Then, in the Questions Area below, explain why you think that claim is true or false (don’t forget to provide the original claim). After that, comment on someone else’s claim and provide evidence that either supports or refutes that person’s assertion.

Want to join the conversation?

  • starky sapling style avatar for user ko
    They drew a lot of stuff! Why? is it for a reason?
    (5 votes)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
  • starky tree style avatar for user firefoxkid0505
    a lioness does, in fact, teach its cubs how to hunt, why do I think this? well without lionesses teaching their young how to hunt, they would surely perish and their species would go extinct.
    (1 vote)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
  • duskpin tree style avatar for user Popcorn
    Humans are the only species capable of collective learning, because collective learning is the ability to retain more information than is lost by the next generation, and we haven't seen any other species capable of this yet.
    (1 vote)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
  • leaf red style avatar for user Razumutaz
    "An example of collective learning can be seen when a lioness teaches her cubs to hunt."
    I agree with this because without the cubs learning how to hunt, a valuable skill would be lost. Without this skill, the loin cubs will most likely die
    (1 vote)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
  • blobby green style avatar for user butthep.M
    "Collective learning should not be defined as the sixth threshold of increasing complexity". Actually collective learning is more like continuous energy more than a particular threshold. We really don't know when or what made it appear. It is a really mystery of history
    (1 vote)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
  • blobby green style avatar for user thomasjestom
    An example of collective learning can be seen when a lioness teaches her cubs to hunt.
    This is not an example of collective learning as collective learning is the ability to share and store information across generations and improve upon ideas.
    (1 vote)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
  • blobby green style avatar for user patrice.norman6800123
    You should be familiar with this activity from previous lessons.
    (1 vote)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user