Vocal Communication Flashcards
What are the benefits of vocal communication?
long distance reach
effective in low visibility
immediate transmission
flexible modulation
directional cues
What role does vocal communication play in animal communication?
strengthening ingroup relationships
mate attraction
marking and defending territory
alerting others to danger
How do most mammals produce vocal sound ?
Larynx: Found in most mammals; contains vocal cords that vibrate as air passes through, creating sound
How do marine mammals produce vocal sounds?
Nasal Air Sacs (Odontoceti): Air passes through these sacs, creating clicks and whistles used in echolocation and social communication. lower frequencies may also be produced by larynx
(Mysticeti species (eg. Baleen whale) only use a larynx for sound production; no echo location)
How do birds produce vocal sound ?
Syrinx: unique vocal organ at the base of the trachea;allowing birds to produce complex sounds and even two different pitches at the same time
How do amphebians and fish respectively produce vocal sound?
Larynx: Frogs and toads use vocal sacs to amplify sounds made by larynx
Swim bladders: amplify sound produced by vibrations in certain muscles
What types of voclaisations are there?
Alarm Calls:
alerts group members to potential danger; can vary depending on the type or level of threat
Mating Calls:
produced to attract potential mates; signaling readiness to reproduce and often carry information about caller’s health or genetic quality
Social Calls:
used to maintain social bonds and group coercion: help to facilitate social interactions, coordinate activities, reinforce group structure, allow individuals to stay connected
Food Calls:
used to alert others to the presence of food; used in social species to share food and bring the group members together
Territorial Calls:
used to mark and defend territory warning potential rivals
What role does cognition play in vocalisations?
cognitive capacities are mental abilities that influence how animals perceive, produce and adjust their communication. They enable animals to use different vocalisations in different social and environmental contexts
What does vocal flexibility, accommodation and learning describe?
Vocal Flexibility
Ability to modify characteristics of vocalisations (pitch, volume etc) based on social and environmental context
Vocal Accommodation (eg. dialects)
Adjustment of vocalisation on the audience or social context (change in pitch, tone, rhythm etc to enhance social interactions) - can also bring the loss of individual markers (identity)
Vocal Learning
ability to acquire and modify vocalisations through imitation and practice
What is turn taking?
Vocal Turn-taking
temporal relations of alternating vocalisations
What is a call combination?
Call Combination
using multiple calls or sounds in succession to create more complex messages; context baked allowing flexibility and adaptability without rigid structure
What are special aspects of human communication?
Displacement: communication displaced from the now (future, past, hypotheticals, stories)
Productivity: open-endedness of combinations of expressions
Duality of Patterning: layered structure of patterns (syntax)
Mental State Attribution: inferring and responding to thoughts, intentions etc
