Humans are able to accumulate tools and other solutions to problems like no other species of animal. As a result, human problem solvers rarely have to start from scratch when solving problems, and instead can learn from existing solutions that have been previously discovered by someone else. The purpose of this research was to understand the impact of inheriting existing solutions to problems on future problem solving performance. Does inheriting from a previous generation simply give a head start on future problem solving, or does it change the way the same problems would have been solved by some other means? To answer this question, I conducted a set of experiments designed to compare the effectiveness of a problem solving strategy in which solutions are passed from generation to generation as in a relay team to alternative strategies for solving the same set of problems. My results suggest that a relay strategy results in a unique form of problem solving which in some cases can improve performance relative to solving the same problems as individuals. Specifically, passing solutions on to the next generation is found to be effective when individuals are likely to become fixated on previous and incorrect learning experiences, and when subsequent generations have complementary problem solving skills. These results improve our understanding of human cultural evolution by suggesting ways in which our system of cultural inheritance can result in the accumulation of problem solving knowledge that could not be achieved by individuals working alone.