Breaking conversational rules matters to captive gorillas: A playback experiment.

摘要: Across human cultures, conversations are regulated by temporal and social rules. The universality of conversational rules suggests possible biological bases encourages comparisons with the communicative interactions nonhuman animals. Unexpectedly, few studies have focused on other great apes despite evidence proto-conversational in monkeys, thus preventing researchers from drawing conclusions potential evolutionary origins this behaviour. A previous study showed however that western lowland gorillas engage soft call seem temporally- socially-ruled. Indeed, occurred mainly between individuals close age who followed a preset response delay, overlap. Here, we experimentally investigated presence these captive gorilla group, using violation-of-expectation paradigm. Head orientation responses suggest respect delay matters to subjects, but importance interlocutors' proximity appeared less clear. intensity varied subjects' context-dependent way, supporting role learning. Our findings support growing number highlighting vocal turn-taking animals sociogenesis ability. capacity "converse" might been key step co-evolution communication complex sociality.