A multidimensional approach to investigations of behaviour: revealing structure in animal communication signals

摘要: Studies of animal behaviour reveal that some species havecognitive skills once believed to be evolutionary adapta-tions unique humans (e.g. tool use, cooperative hunt-ing; e.g. Boesch & 1989; Stanford et al. 1994;Boesch 2001). However, our ability comprehend andgenerate spontaneous and novel phrases with underlyingsemantic syntactic structure still sets us apart fromother species. Research suggests the abilityto acquire use human language is linked evolu-tion specific increased neocortical volume (Barton DHauser 1996). exactly how modern lan-guage evolved from preverbal communication isstill poorly understood.It has long been accepted a pro-cess in which animals their sensory organs send andreceive information about world (Darwin 1872; Tin-bergen 1959; Marler 1965). Humans rich repertoireof verbal nonverbal signals communicate. Alongwith salient auditory signal vocal speech, we vi-sual form manual ges-tures, body postures, facial expressions eye gaze,which are important for providing in-dividual identity, social hierarchy, emotional states, inten-tions receptiveness (Tomasello Camaioni 1997).Like humans, many produce respondto surrounding environment sig-nals comprising combinations components.These considered ‘multimodal’ or ‘multi-sensory’ (Ho¨lldobler 1995; Johnstone 1995, Forinstance, expression visual articula-tory movements play role perception (McGurk& Macdonald 1976; Smith 1977, 1990; Massaro 1998).Qualitative analyses suggest thatsignalling not only multisensory process, but also adynamic one greatly influenced by contextualfactors (King Shanker 2003).Evidence various studies demonstratedthe presence during communication.These include honeybee, Apis mellifera (vonFrisch 1947, 1967; Seeley Dornhaus Chittka1999), Gunnison’s prairie dog, Cynomys gunnisoni (Slobod-chikoff 1991; Slobodchikoff Placer 2006), suri-cates, Suricata suricatta (Manser 2001; Manser 2001)and several birds, including fowl, Gallus gallus(Evans 1993; Evans 1994; Evans1999), ravens, Corvus corax (Bugnyar 2001), yellowwarblers, Dendroica petechia (Gill Sealy 2004) andblack-capped chickadees, Poecile atricapilla (Templetonet 2005). Semantic referential animalcommunication because it allows scientiststo draw parallels between hu-man (Hauser 1996; 1997; Fitch 2005).Communication research nonhumanprimates can alarm calls semantic structure(Chlorocebus aethiops: Seyfarth 1980a; Macaca mu-latta: 1992; Cercopithecus diana: Zuberbu¨hleret Zuberbu¨hler 2000a). Some responddifferentially vocalizations based on informationthey provide (C. 1980b; Chlorocebus