Links between social learning and creativity in toddlers

Theoretical models have considered that both social transmission and innovation are important for cultural evolution. Over the past two decades there has been ample work on social transmission, specifically imitation, in toddlers and young children. However there has been relatively little work on innovation. My lab has recently developed a new tool to measure innovation (specifically divergent thinking) in infants as young as 13 months (Hoicka, Bijvoet-van den Berg, Carberry, & Kerr, 2013). A question remains as to whether social learning and innovation are completely distinct behaviours, or whether they interact. The purpose of this project is to examine the relationship between social learning and innovation