Data from: Coevolution of cultural intelligence, extended life history, sociality, and brain size in primates

Explanations for primate brain expansion and the evolution of human
cognition and culture remain contentious despite extensive research. While
multiple comparative analyses have investigated variation in brain size
across primate species, very few have addressed why primates vary in how
much they use social learning. Here, we evaluate the hypothesis that the
enhanced reliance on socially transmitted behavior observed in some
primates has coevolved with enlarged brains, complex sociality, and
extended lifespans. Using recently developed phylogenetic comparative
methods we show that, across primate species, a measure of social learning
proclivity increases with absolute and relative brain volume, longevity
(specifically reproductive lifespan), and social group size, correcting
for research effort. We also confirm relationships of absolute and
relative brain volume with longevity (both juvenile period and
reproductive lifespan) and social group size, although longevity is
generally the stronger predictor. Relationships between social learning,
brain volume, and longevity remain when controlling for maternal
investment and are therefore not simply explained as a by-product of the
generally slower life history expected for larger brained species. Our
findings suggest that both brain expansion and high reliance on culturally
transmitted behavior coevolved with sociality and extended lifespan in
primates. This coevolution is consistent with the hypothesis that the
evolution of large brains, sociality, and long lifespans has promoted
reliance on culture, with reliance on culture in turn driving further
increases in brain volume, cognitive abilities, and lifespans in some
primate lineages.