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Advanced animal behaviour > Information, Communication and Signals > Flashcards

Information, Communication and Signals Flashcards

1
Q

‘Qualitative approach’ to information and communication

A
  1. sign theory
    2.descriptive
    3.about semiograms, ethograms, etc.
    3about structure (syntax), meaning (semantics), context (pragmatics), expression (prosodics)
    4.embodied, situated, etc.
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2
Q

‘Quantitative approach’ to information and communication

A
  • information theory
  • statistical (SDT)
  • about models, formulas, units of info (bits)
  • about entropy, uncertainty, transmission, redundancy, channel coding
  • network (circuits), noise
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3
Q

is information processing cognitive? why or why not?

A

-can be thought of as cognitive, but there is danger in doing so-decisions may be thoughtful or just choice/ response (A or B)

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4
Q

errors can be measured in information processing by looking at what? (2)

A
  1. Cognitive dimension
    - sensory/ perceptual, attentional, mnemonic (acquisition, storage and retrieval of info), decisional
  2. Affective/ conative (motivational) dimension
    - fear, rage, hunger, etc.
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5
Q

what is present when a channel is noisy?

A

Entropy and uncertainty, potential for error

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6
Q

channel coding

A

-finding optimal codes to transmit data over a noisy channel (noise= interference, channel= a route)

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7
Q

Equivocation (error type)

A
  • stimulus uncertainty

- uncertainty of stimulus given the response

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8
Q

Ambiguity (error type)

A
  • Response uncertainty

- uncertainty of response given the stimulus

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9
Q

how can the sender deal with noise? (3)

A
  1. adjust/ change behavior
    - sign/ signal itself, the frequency/ intensity, the redundancy
    - sender controls the stimulus
  2. adjust/change the channel
    - channels are generally noisy- can take advantage sometimes
  3. adjust/change the context/ environment (social or physical)
    - can be simplistic
    - ex. burying scent mark can make more salient
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10
Q

channel

A

=sensory and physical modality that allows signal to be transmitted
-environment that carries signal (ex. wind)

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11
Q

proximate (optimal) factors in communication

A
  • learning
  • motivation
  • sensation/perception
  • affect (emotion)
  • sensorimotor integration
  • neural networks
  • physiological and biochemistry
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12
Q

Ultimate (distal) factors in communication

A

=species strategies to deal with constraints

  • sharing? (altruism)
  • manipulation? (deception)
  • origin/ evolution of signs/ signals
  • optimality theorizing
  • ritualization (usually innate and evolved)
  • mate attraction
  • individual species recognition
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13
Q

code

A

-info contained in signal

signal + context

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14
Q

message

A

what sign encodes about the sender (what animal produces)

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15
Q

meaning

A

what receiver makes of message (where misinterpretations can happen)

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16
Q

properties of ‘Discrete Signals’

A
  • punctual, usually short, best to communicate quickly
  • discrete, ‘all or none’, ‘black or white’
  • redundancy, repetition (not a lot of info)
  • sequential analysis of actions/ events
  • may indicate if aggressive, but not how much
  • usually highly (serially) predictable
  • safe and cheap to produce

Ex. light flashing in fireflies or Morse code

17
Q

properties of ‘Graded Signals’

A
  • more info but at a cost
  • graded; longer and more continuous
  • ‘shade of grey’
  • intensity/ volume and complexity are modulated (more degrees of freedom to make complex sounds)
  • informs of strength of stimulus and motivation
  • time series analysis of actions/ events
  • many possible nuances, harder to decipher
  • risky and costly (expensive) to produce
  • real time modifications

Ex. howls of wolves, human voice/ speech

18
Q

Bojest effect

A
  • wolfs make it sound like more of them by breaking unison during howl
  • coyotes also very good at this
19
Q

theory of mind: perspective taking

A
  • intentionality
  • understanding cognitions, emotions and motivations of others
  • if trying to deceive, suggests theory of mind
20
Q

deception

A
  • intentionality

- communication wrong/ misleading info intentionally

21
Q

conflict and motivations

A
  • intentionality
  • sharing and surviving (or even deceiving) at the same time
  • signalling presence of predator to other conspecifics, but not indicating position to predator (graded signal)
22
Q

unconventional sources of info in social dynamics (3)

=complex social interaction

A
  1. attentional structure
    - what pay attention to is important
    - proximities (who you are close to or keep distance from)
  2. affiliative behaviors
    allo-grooming behaviors and play
  3. sensation seeking
    like showing off, usually know it is dangerous but continue
    Ex. raven pulling wolves tail (is it sensation seeking or communication to other ravens?)
23
Q

ritualization

A

=complex social interaction
-implicit (strategy level- not individual)

Ex. ritualized aggression (threat display), scent marking posture, courtship feeding, gift giving, nest building)

24
Q

diversity of signals due to? (5)

A
  1. physical constraints- physiological mechanisms
  2. evolutionary histories- adaptations, constraints of natural and sexual selection
  3. economics of communication- cost and benefits (risk assessment), short or long term, inter and intra specific
  4. conflicts on interests- honesty and deception, short or long term, inter and intra specific, conflict mediation and resolution
  5. communication networks- beyond dyadic interactions (eavesdropping- listening in on others)
25
Q

what is the point of dominance hierarchies?

A

reduce conflict, gives predictability about how social interaction will unfold

26
Q

what effects the complexity of signals? (4)

A
  • modality (physical or chemical)
  • medium (air, water, solids- fluid important)
  • information carried and transmitted (ex. pheromones carry a lot of info)
  • conflicts (of interest) and honesty
27
Q

goals and perspectives of animal behavior (5)

A
  1. forms- descriptive explanation
    - ethology and zoosemiotics)
  2. causes- causal explanation (proximate)
  3. functions- functional explanations (ultimate)
  4. consequences of behavior
  5. tactics (ethology) vs. strategies (behavioral ecology)
28
Q

example of third party involved in communication?

A
  • courtship and behavior that follows (males fight to impress females)
  • females often have last word, as third party very important
29
Q

coding rules for information correlate with what 3 things?

A
  • sender/ receiver
  • intention/ interpretation
  • agreement on conventions, meaning
30
Q

limitations to coding rules of information

A
  • innate or acquired rules

- signal propagation and distortion

31
Q

information in context of ‘agonistic’

A

=aggressive and submissive

32
Q

information in context of ‘affiliative’

A

=positive behaviors

-see a lot of fighting in wolves, actually 2/3 of it is play fighting (affiliative)

33
Q

information in context of ‘reproductive’

A

=courtship and mating

34
Q

information in context of ‘social integration’

A

= coordination (care, hunting, mobility, etc.)

-conflict resolution is a component

35
Q

information in context of ‘environmental signals ‘

A

presence and location of threats (predators) or resources (food and shelter)

36
Q

signalling sequence

A
  1. generation/ production of signal
  2. modification
  3. coupling to some medium (sensory feedback received)
  4. propagation- medium dependent
  5. coupling (detection, discrimination from medium)
  6. modification
  7. identification stimulus and classification
  8. decision

Advanced animal behaviour (7 decks)

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