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Comparative study: an approach to get a better understanding on the evolutionary origins of audience-aware communication in primates| old_uid | 12252 |
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| title | Comparative study: an approach to get a better understanding on the evolutionary origins of audience-aware communication in primates |
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| start_date | 2013/03/26 |
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| schedule | 16h |
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| online | no |
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| summary | In primates, group size is an important factor that influences the
relative brain size of a species, the most likely source of cognitive
differences (Dunbar 1998). Vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops) live
in multi-males multi-females groups, with group size varying from few
to over 60 individuals. Thus it is really interesting to study their
complex social system as it might shed lights on some of their
cognitive abilities. One way of analysing the relationships of the
vervets with their conspecifics is by having a special focus on their
communication system. In a first step, I will introduce the social
system as well as the communication system of the vervet monkeys by
describing what has been done in the past decades. Although vervets
are well known to warn others of the danger thanks to several alarm
calls adapted to specific kind of predators (Seyfarth et al. 1980),
the effects of the presence of an audience in different natural
situations still need to be investigated. In a second step, I will
present the plans of my PhD project which seeks to explore one key
feature of human language, the ability to take others into account
during acts of communication. This project is part of a comparative
study that will investigate the evolutionary origins of this
audience-awareness in primates by collecting extensive observational
as well as experimental data on four different primate species. On one
hand, chimpanzees, most closely related to humans, will provide
insights into the communication abilities of our most recent common
ancestor. On the other hand, baboons, mangabeys, and vervet monkeys,
more distantly related old world monkeys, will help us understanding
the older phylogenetic roots of advanced communication.
I will describe the communicative environment of wild chimpanzees,
with particular attention to the use of vocalizations and gestures in
both uni-modal communication and multi-modal combinations. Chimpanzee
use of gestural communication peaks in infancy and decreases with age,
whereas their use of vocalizations increases with age. Multimodal
combinations are relatively rare, and are used consistently across age
groups. Chimpanzees employ their communication strategically,
increasing their use of multimodal communication after the failure of
vocal communication. The alpha male occupies a unique position within
the community, and his communication is similarly distinctive: a
prolific user of gestural communication, and exposed to particularly
high levels of multimodal communication, as are high-rank males in
general. |
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| responsibles | Chemla, Schlenker |
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