ltc Flashcards
what are the 4 functions of animal communication?
- survival
- reproduction
- territory
- food
why do animals communicate for survival
give an example of how
- to increase the animal’s survival of itself and it’s offspring
eg: - vocal signals: vervet monkeys communicate danger with an alarm call (warns others to run/hide)
visual signals: rabbits lift tail, pin ears back and leap forwards (signals danger to others when threatened)
why do animals communicate for reproduction
give an example of how
- to attract a mate, may animals use mating displays to signal to other members that they want to reproduce
eg. peacocks: stretch out their feathers to communicate genetic fitness
why do animals communicate for territory
give an example of how
many animals use scent marking to discourage other animals from invading their territory
eg rhinos: leave piles of dung to communicate territorial boundaries
why do animals communicate for food
give an example of how
- many animals use signals to draw attention to food sources
eg. ants: leave pheromone trail to communicate food source
what are the three properties of Human Communication that aren’t present in Animal Communication
- displacement
- creativity
- multiple channels
non-verbal communication
communication without words (eg.facial expressions)
- eye contact
- body language
- personal space
verbal communication
communication with words
outline Von Frisch’s bee study (9s)
A: to describe dances of honey bees to understand their communication
M: -observed bees in their natural habitat
-sometimes changed their environment–>put food close to hive (10-20 meters) and far away (up to 300 meters)
-observed bees 6,000 times over 20 years
R: -bees tell each other where sources of pollen are
-round dance: moving in circle to show pollen is less than 100 meters away
-waggle dance: figure of eight shows the direction
-60% of bees went to sources at the distance indicated by the dances
C: sophisticated communication system
evaluate von frisch
*valuable
P- important contribution to science
E- opened people’s eyes to the capabilities of animals
L- great scientific value
*sound=overlooked
P- importance of sound was overlooked
E- when the bees performed dances in silence, other bees wouldn’t go and investigate the food sources
L- the communication system may be more complex and might include sound based signals
*don’t always respond
P- bees don’t always respond to the waggle dance
E- bees wouldn’t use the info from the waggle dance when food was placed on a boat in the middle of a lake (bees may know instinctively that food won’t be found in the middle of water/may prefer not to)
L- may be other factors that affect communication; these aren’t investigated so the research is limited
outline Darwin’s evolutionary theory of non-verbal communication (9t)
Darwin and Evolution:
-natural selection–>genes for behaviours that promote survival are passed to the next generation
NVC as Evolved and Adaptive:
-NVC evolved in animals to express emotion
-eg. barring teeth is adaptive as it reduces death in a conflict and protects survival
Comparisons with Human Behaviour:
-all animals are linked through evolution
-adaptive behaviours continue to be in the gene pool which was passed to humans from animal ancestors
-eg.in our distant ancestors opening eyes widely was adaptive because they could see the route to safety more easily–>passed down to humans and still expresses surprise
Serviceable Habits:
-adaptive behaviours used by ancestors to promote survival are still used by humans but may not serve the same purpose—>help us express emotion
-eg. barring teeth=angry
evaluate Darwin’s evolutionary theory of non-verbal communication
+*facial expressions
P- supported by research into facial expressions
E- Elkman found that 6 emotions in all cultures are associated with the same facial expressions
L- behaviours are universal/innate
+*newborn babies
P- supported by studies of newborn babies
E- babies are born with the ability to use eye contacts and smile which suggests that NVCs are innate and evolved
L- strengthens the idea that NVC is innate
-*cultural differences
P- Darwin’s theory can’t explain cultural differences in NVC
E- many differences, especially in personal space and the way we interpret gestures
L- cant explain all NVC, limited
evidence that NVC is learned:
cross-cultural research
comparing research from different cultures shows if they’re learned
contact vs non-contact cultures
- product of cultural norms
- contact countries–>Mediterranean and Latin America prefer smaller personal space
- non contact countries–>UK and USA prefer larger personal space
- people from NC countries see people from C countries as overbearing
- people from C countries see people from NC countries as rude/snobby
gestures
gestures can be interpreted differently by people in different countries
eg. okay gesture, in Japan it means money whereas in Germany it’s very offensive
outline Yuki’s study of emoticons (9s)
A: to find out if there’s a difference in interpretation of emoticons in Japan and America
M: -95 Japanese students and 118 American students
-participants were presented with a set of six emoticons with different combinations of eyes and mouths (happy, sad, neutral)
-participants were then asked to rate the faces in terms of happiness expressed (9 point likert scale), average was then worked out
R: -Japanese: higher happiness rating for happy eyes than Americans
-American: higher happiness rating for happy mouths even with sad eyes
C: -suggests that Japanese and American people interpret facial expressions differently (may be due to social norms and expectations)
-Americans: brought up to express emotion openly—>look at mouths
-Japanese: brought up to hide emotions—>eyes may be a better way of telling how they’re feeling
evaluate Yuki’s study of emoticons (9s)
-*artificial materials
P- emoticons may not represent human faces
E- emoticons leave out features such as wrinkle lines which may be important when judging emotion
L- study may lack relevance to everyday life
-*only 2 emotions
P- the study only investigated 2 types of emotion (happy or sad)
E- in everyday life we express a range of emotions so the results/conclusions may not be true for all other emotions
L- doesn’t give us insight into how the full range of emotional expressions are interpreted by people of different cultures
-*rating scales
P- rating scales were used
E- emotions are very complex and ratings scales reduce emotion to a single score
L- may have measured the interpretation of emotions in too simple a way
