Final answer:
Primatologists note that primate socially transmitted learning is influenced by factors such as large brains, complex social behaviors, teaching of skills, and extended juvenile learning periods, all of which contribute to cultural development. This culture enables knowledge and behaviors to be passed down through generations, distinguishing primate social learning from other species.
Step-by-step explanation:
A primatologist would likely argue that socially transmitted learning in primates is different because primates exhibit signs of culture through behaviors such as the use of tools, language, and social learning. For instance, in chimpanzee groups, older individuals have been observed teaching younger ones how to termite-fish, a technique that demonstrates not only transmission of knowledge but also a form of teaching.
Primarily, cultures in primates can be characterized by their relatively large brains, high degrees of intelligence, and complex behaviors, particularly shown by an enlarged cerebrum. Along with social structure differences, these brain features lead to diverse behaviors among non-human primates, highlighting the vast cognitive and social skills they can exhibit. This includes a lengthened period of dependency of infants on adults, which allows for more extensive learning opportunities for young primates.
In contrast to other species, primates are especially social animals, with complex social structures that can range from mated pairs to large groups comprising of hundreds. Not only do these social structures facilitate cultural behaviors, but they also challenge the assumptions about gender norms due to the biological flexibility and various social expressions found in primates, as observed in both their closest DNA relatives and wider primate species.