311 Final Flashcards
What are Kanzi’s lexigrams?
(the bonobo in Ape Genus), symbols that represent words
What are the 4 components of communication?
signal, motivation, meaning, function
Describe signal
-observable action
-Might be vocalizations, facial expressions, body
postures, movements, odours, etc
-Simple or complex
-Different forms of communications are often
used together to convey clear, unambiguous
messages
Example of signal
agnostic behaviour: includes aggression and
submission
What is the role of learning signals
Some signals are universal but others are required to be learned to acquire proper use (infant vervets give alarm call to both harmless and predatory birds)
Describe motivation
-Internal state of the animal
-Usually inferred from the prior and
subsequent behaviors of the actor that
accompany the signal
Two ways to infer meaning of signal
(1) Determined by the reaction of the
receiver(s)
(2) Inferred from the context of situation
What are 3 alarm calls for vervet
eagle call, leopard call, snake call
Describe function
-What is the adaptive value of the signal to
either the sender or the receiver?
-Why did the signal evolve? Once again we
have to infer why the signal may have
evolved
Examples of function
- Alarm calls
- Territorial scent marking
- Courtship displays
Pathway for Observation and Pathway for Inferences
Observations:
signal->reaction->environmental context
Inferences:
motivation->meaning->function
What are the four modes of communication?
olfactory, visual, auditory/vocal, tactile
Describe olfactory
- oldest form of communication
- uses chemical signals or pheromones
- most important in solitary, nocturnal primates
Who primarily uses olfactory
strepsirhines
haplorhines rely on vision (divergent trait)
Describe passive and active olfactory signals
Passive-conveys message while sender is going about everyday business
Active-more deliberation
What is scent marking, and its functions?
chemical signal dispersed into air or deposited on substrate
Functions: mark territories, aggressive/competitive encounters, advertise dominance status, sexual receptivity
What are the three main types of visual communication?
- Facial expression
- Body and Tail postures
- Colouration
Who is visual communication particularly important for
Haplorhines (tarsiers, apes, humans)
Describe Facial Expressions
- permit diverse messages
- good for close range messages
- many are universal
- more limited in strepsirhines
Describe facial expressions for: fearful playful inviting proximity aggressive
fearful-grimace
playful-invite
inviting proximity-“come-hither”
aggressive-yawn threat
What is body & tail postures better for and give one example
Better for distance messages
ex. dominance
Examples of Colouration
- brightly coloured face and body
- colobines have natal coat
Purpose of auditory/visual communication, and what are sonograms?
attracts receivers attention without being in view
Sonogram: visual representation of sound
What do sonograms suggest
primates display great variation in vocal pitch and intensity
Describe anatomical specializations in 3 aboreal species
Howlers-enlarged hyoid bone
Siamangs- air sac
Probiscis- large nose
Tarsiers commicate via what and why?
Ultrasound
Why:
-
-
What conducted playback experiments and what did they find
Cheney and Seyfarth
3 alarm calls
recognize individuals based on vocalizations
recognize relationships based on vocalizations
(can distinguish calls between dominants and subordinates)
Who described referential calls in primates and what did they find
Drew Randall
in some cases, link btw type of call & and object + these calls have specific structure (sonograms)->suggests call=referential (like words)
What form of communication is difficult to study and why?
Tactile because we cannot perceive the message the same as the receiver
In what settings does tactile communication occur? and examples
Intense/intimate social interactions
mother/infant; female/male consort
What are 3 tactile communications
- grooming
- greeting
- reunion hugs/kisses
Describe function of grooming
to maintain social bonds and reduce tension
secondary function: remove parasites
Describe situations grooming is observed in
- mothers to pacify infants
- prelude male consort pairs
- reinforce kinship bonds
- reduce tension btw potential adversaries
- reconciliation
Describe purpose of self grooming
personal hygiene and appears to calm individuals in tense situations
Who displays greeting and reunion hugs/kisses
chimps and spider monkeys
