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Author |
Seyfarth, R.M.; Cheney, D.L. |
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Title |
Meaning and emotion in animal vocalizations |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2003 |
Publication |
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences |
Abbreviated Journal |
Ann N Y Acad Sci |
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Volume |
1000 |
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32-55 |
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Acoustics; *Affect; Animals; Behavior, Animal; *Intention; Posture; Sound Spectrography; *Vocalization, Animal |
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Abstract |
Historically, a dichotomy has been drawn between the semantic communication of human language and the apparently emotional calls of animals. Current research paints a more complicated picture. Just as scientists have identified elements of human speech that reflect a speaker's emotions, field experiments have shown that the calls of many animals provide listeners with information about objects and events in the environment. Like human speech, therefore, animal vocalizations simultaneously provide others with information that is both semantic and emotional. In support of this conclusion, we review the results of field experiments on the natural vocalizations of African vervet monkeys, diana monkeys, baboons, and suricates (a South African mongoose). Vervet and diana monkeys give acoustically distinct alarm calls in response to the presence of leopards, eagles, and snakes. Each alarm call type elicits a different, adaptive response from others nearby. Field experiments demonstrate that listeners compare these vocalizations not just according to their acoustic properties but also according to the information they convey. Like monkeys, suricates give acoustically distinct alarm calls in response to different predators. Within each predator class, the calls also differ acoustically according to the signaler's perception of urgency. Like speech, therefore, suricate alarm calls convey both semantic and emotional information. The vocalizations of baboons, like those of many birds and mammals, are individually distinctive. As a result, when one baboon hears a sequence of calls exchanged between two or more individuals, the listener acquires information about social events in its group. Baboons, moreover, are skilled “eavesdroppers:” their response to different call sequences provides evidence of the sophisticated information they acquire from other individuals' vocalizations. Baboon males give loud “wahoo” calls during competitive displays. Like other vocalizations, these highly emotional calls provide listeners with information about the caller's dominance rank, age, and competitive ability. Although animal vocalizations, like human speech, simultaneously encode both semantic and emotional information, they differ from language in at least one fundamental respect. Although listeners acquire rich information from a caller's vocalization, callers do not, in the human sense, intend to provide it. Listeners acquire information as an inadvertent consequence of signaler behavior. |
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Departments of Psychology and Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA. seyfarth@psych.upenn.edu |
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0077-8923 |
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PMID:14766619 |
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refbase @ user @ |
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688 |
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Author |
Bergman, T.J.; Beehner, J.C.; Cheney, D.L.; Seyfarth, R.M. |
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Title |
Hierarchical classification by rank and kinship in baboons |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2003 |
Publication |
Science (New York, N.Y.) |
Abbreviated Journal |
Science |
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Volume |
302 |
Issue |
5648 |
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1234-1236 |
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Animals; Animals, Wild; Botswana; *Cognition; Family; Female; *Hierarchy, Social; Language; *Papio/psychology; Social Dominance; Vocalization, Animal |
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Abstract |
Humans routinely classify others according to both their individual attributes, such as social status or wealth, and membership in higher order groups, such as families or castes. They also recognize that people's individual attributes may be influenced and regulated by their group affiliations. It is not known whether such rule-governed, hierarchical classifications are specific to humans or might also occur in nonlinguistic species. Here we show that baboons recognize that a dominance hierarchy can be subdivided into family groups. In playback experiments, baboons respond more strongly to call sequences mimicking dominance rank reversals between families than within families, indicating that they classify others simultaneously according to both individual rank and kinship. The selective pressures imposed by complex societies may therefore have favored cognitive skills that constitute an evolutionary precursor to some components of human cognition. |
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Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. thore@sas.upenn.edu |
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1095-9203 |
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PMID:14615544 |
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refbase @ user @ |
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689 |
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Author |
Seyfarth, R.M.; Cheney, D.L. |
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Title |
Signalers and receivers in animal communication |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2003 |
Publication |
Annual review of psychology |
Abbreviated Journal |
Annu Rev Psychol |
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Volume |
54 |
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145-173 |
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Keywords |
Affect; *Animal Communication; Animals; Arousal; Auditory Perception; Motivation; *Social Behavior; Social Environment; Species Specificity; *Vocalization, Animal |
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In animal communication natural selection favors callers who vocalize to affect the behavior of listeners and listeners who acquire information from vocalizations, using this information to represent their environment. The acquisition of information in the wild is similar to the learning that occurs in laboratory conditioning experiments. It also has some parallels with language. The dichotomous view that animal signals must be either referential or emotional is false, because they can easily be both: The mechanisms that cause a signaler to vocalize do not limit a listener's ability to extract information from the call. The inability of most animals to recognize the mental states of others distinguishes animal communication most clearly from human language. Whereas signalers may vocalize to change a listener's behavior, they do not call to inform others. Listeners acquire information from signalers who do not, in the human sense, intend to provide it. |
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Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA. seyfarth@psych.upenn.edu |
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0066-4308 |
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PMID:12359915 |
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no |
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refbase @ user @ |
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690 |
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Author |
Fischer, J.; Hammerschmidt, K.; Cheney, D.L.; Seyfarth, R.M. |
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Title |
Acoustic features of male baboon loud calls: influences of context, age, and individuality |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2002 |
Publication |
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Acoust Soc Am |
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Volume |
111 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
1465-1474 |
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Keywords |
Age Factors; Animal Communication; Animals; Individuality; Male; *Papio; *Social Environment; *Sound Spectrography; *Vocalization, Animal |
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Abstract |
The acoustic structure of loud calls (“wahoos”) recorded from free-ranging male baboons (Papio cynocephalus ursinus) in the Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana, was examined for differences between and within contexts, using calls given in response to predators (alarm wahoos), during male contests (contest wahoos), and when a male had become separated from the group (contact wahoos). Calls were recorded from adolescent, subadult, and adult males. In addition, male alarm calls were compared with those recorded from females. Despite their superficial acoustic similarity, the analysis revealed a number of significant differences between alarm, contest, and contact wahoos. Contest wahoos are given at a much higher rate, exhibit lower frequency characteristics, have a longer “hoo” duration, and a relatively louder “hoo” portion than alarm wahoos. Contact wahoos are acoustically similar to contest wahoos, but are given at a much lower rate. Both alarm and contest wahoos also exhibit significant differences among individuals. Some of the acoustic features that vary in relation to age and sex presumably reflect differences in body size, whereas others are possibly related to male stamina and endurance. The finding that calls serving markedly different functions constitute variants of the same general call type suggests that the vocal production in nonhuman primates is evolutionarily constrained. |
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Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104, USA. fischer@eva.mpg.de |
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0001-4966 |
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PMID:11931324 |
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no |
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Call Number |
refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
691 |
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Author |
Seyfarth, R.M.; Cheney, D.L. |
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Title |
What are big brains for? |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2002 |
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. |
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99 |
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7 |
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4141-4142 |
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Animals; Brain/*anatomy & histology; *Intelligence; Learning; Primates/*anatomy & histology/*psychology; Social Behavior |
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Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. seyfarth@psych.upenn.edu |
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0027-8424 |
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PMID:11929989 |
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refbase @ user @ |
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692 |
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Author |
Fischer, J.; Cheney, D.L.; Seyfarth, R.M. |
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Title |
Development of infant baboons' responses to graded bark variants |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2000 |
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Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc Biol Sci |
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267 |
Issue |
1459 |
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2317-2321 |
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*Animal Communication; Animals; Behavior, Animal; Female; Male; Models, Psychological; Papio/growth & development/*physiology; *Vocalization, Animal |
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Abstract |
We studied the development of infant baboons' (Papio cynocephalus ursinus) responses to conspecific 'barks' in a free-ranging population in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. These barks grade from tonal, harmonically rich calls into calls with a more noisy, harsh structure. Typically, tonal variants are given when the signaller is at risk of losing contact with the group or a particular individual ('contact barks'), whereas harsh variants are given in response to predators ('alarm barks'). We conducted focal observations and playback experiments in which we presented variants of barks recorded from resident adult females. By six months of age, infants reliably discriminated between typical alarm and contact barks and they responded more strongly to intermediate alarm calls than to typical contact barks. Infants of six months and older also recognized their mothers by voice. The ability to discriminate between different call variants developed with increasing age. At two and a half months of age, infants failed to respond at all, whereas at four months they responded irrespective of the call type that was presented. At six months, infants showed adult-like responses by responding strongly to alarm barks but ignoring contact barks. We concluded that infants gradually learn to attach the appropriate meaning to alarm and contact barks. |
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Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, 3815 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. fischerj@eva.mpg.de |
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0962-8452 |
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PMID:11413649 |
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refbase @ user @ |
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694 |
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Author |
Rendall, D.; Cheney, D.L.; Seyfarth, R.M. |
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Title |
Proximate factors mediating “contact” calls in adult female baboons (Papio cynocephalus ursinus) and their infants |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2000 |
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Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983) |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Comp Psychol |
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Volume |
114 |
Issue |
1 |
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36-46 |
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Animals; Animals, Wild; Botswana; Female; *Maternal Behavior; Motivation; Orientation; Papio/*psychology; Social Environment; Sound Spectrography; *Vocalization, Animal |
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Abstract |
“Contact” calls are widespread in social mammals and birds, but the proximate factors that motivate call production and mediate their contact function remain poorly specified. Field study of chacma baboons (Papio cynocephalus ursinus) revealed that contact barks in adult females were motivated by separation both from the group at large and from their dependent infants. A variety of social and ecological factors affect the probability of separation from either one or both. Results of simultaneous observations and a playback experiment indicate that the contact function of calling between mothers and infants was mediated by occasional maternal retrieval rather than coordinated call exchange. Mothers recognized the contact barks of their own infants and often were strongly motivated to locate them. However, mothers did not produce contact barks in reply unless they themselves were at risk of becoming separated from the group. |
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Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, USA. d.rendall@uleth.ca |
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0735-7036 |
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PMID:10739310 |
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refbase @ user @ |
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695 |
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Rendall, D.; Seyfarth, R.M.; Cheney, D.L.; Owren, M.J. |
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Title |
The meaning and function of grunt variants in baboons |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
1999 |
Publication |
Animal Behaviour. |
Abbreviated Journal |
Anim. Behav. |
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57 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
583-592 |
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Wild baboons Papio cynocephalus ursinus, give tonal, harmonically rich vocalizations, termed grunts, in at least two distinct, behavioural contexts: when about to embark on a move across an open area ('move' grunts); and when approaching mothers and attempting to inspect or handle their young infants ('infant' grunts). Grunts in these two contexts elicit different responses from receivers and appear to be acoustically distinct (Owren et al. 1997 Journal of the Acoustical Society of America101 2951-2963). Differences in responses to grunts in the two contexts may, then, be due to acoustic differences, reflecting at least a rudimentary capacity for referential signalling. Alternatively, responses may differ simply due to differences in the contexts in which the grunts are being produced. We conducted playback experiments to test between these hypotheses. Experiments were designed to control systematically the effects of both context and acoustic features so as to evaluate the role of each in determining responses to grunts. In playback trials, subjects differentiated between putative move and infant grunts. Their responses based only on the acoustic features of grunts were functionally distinct and mirrored their behaviour to naturally occurring move and infant grunts. However, subjects' responses were in some cases also affected by the context in which grunts were presented, and by an interaction between the context and the acoustic features of the grunts. Furthermore, responses to grunts were affected by the relative rank difference between the caller and the subject. These results indicate that baboon grunts can function in rudimentary referential fashion, but that the context in which grunts are produced and the social identity of callers can also affect recipients' responses. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. |
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Departments of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, U.S.A |
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0003-3472 |
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PMID:10196047 |
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refbase @ user @ |
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696 |
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Palombit,R.A.; Seyfarth, R.M.; Cheney, D.L. |
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Title |
The adaptive value of 'friendships' to female baboons: experimental and observational evidence |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
1997 |
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Animal Behaviour. |
Abbreviated Journal |
Anim. Behav. |
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54 |
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3 |
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599-614 |
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Lactating female baboons, Papio cynocephalusoften maintain close associations with particular males. There are at least three proposed benefits of 'friendships' to females: (1) male protection against potentially infanticidal males; (2) male protection against harassment by dominant females; (3) male attachment to an infant that develops into future care of juveniles. These hypotheses were examined in a population of chacma baboons, P. c. ursinusin which male infanticide accounted for at least 38% of infant mortality. Almost all mothers of young infants formed strong bonds with one or two males with whom they had copulated during the cycle in which they conceived their infants. Females were primarily responsible for maintaining friendships during lactation, but they terminated these relationships if their infants died. In playbacks of females' screams, male friends responded more strongly than control males. They also responded more strongly to the screams of female friends than to the screams of control females. Following an infant's death, however, male friends responded less strongly than control males to the same females' screams. Finally, male friends responded more strongly than control males to playback sequences in which female screams were combined with the threat vocalizations of a potentially infanticidal alpha male, but not when female screams were combined with the threat calls of a non-infanticidal male or the alpha female. Both observations and experiments suggest that the benefits of friendships to females derive from the protection of their infants against infanticide.1997The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour |
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Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania |
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0003-3472 |
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PMID:9299045 |
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refbase @ user @ |
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697 |
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Owren, M.J.; Seyfarth, R.M.; Cheney, D.L. |
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The acoustic features of vowel-like grunt calls in chacma baboons (Papio cyncephalus ursinus): implications for production processes and functions |
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Journal Article |
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1997 |
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The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Acoust Soc Am |
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101 |
Issue |
5 Pt 1 |
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2951-2963 |
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Animals; Female; *Papio; Sound Spectrography; *Vocalization, Animal |
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The acoustic features of 216 baboon grunts were investigated through analysis of field-recorded calls produced by identified females in known contexts. Analyses addressed two distinct questions: whether the acoustic features of these tonal sounds could be characterized using a source-filter approach and whether the acoustic features of grunts varied by individual caller and social context. Converging evidence indicated that grunts were produced through a combination of periodic laryngeal vibration and a stable vocal tract filter. Their acoustic properties closely resembled those of prototypical human vowel sounds. In general, variation in the acoustic features of the grunts was more strongly related to caller identity than to the social contexts of calling. However, two acoustic parameters, second formant frequency and overall spectral tilt, did vary consistently depending on whether the caller was interacting with an infant or participating in a group move. Nonetheless, in accordance with the general view that identity cueing is a compelling function in animal communication, it can be concluded that much of the observed variability in grunt acoustics is likely to be related to this aspect of signaling. Further, cues related to vocal tract filtering appear particularly likely to play an important role in identifying individual calling animals. |
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Department of Psychology, Reed College, Portland, Oregon 97202, USA. michael.owren@reed.edu |
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0001-4966 |
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PMID:9165741 |
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refbase @ user @ |
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698 |
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