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Author Seyfarth, R.M.; Cheney, D.L. openurl 
  Title Meaning and emotion in animal vocalizations Type Journal Article
  Year 2003 Publication Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Abbreviated Journal Ann N Y Acad Sci  
  Volume 1000 Issue Pages 32-55  
  Keywords Acoustics; *Affect; Animals; Behavior, Animal; *Intention; Posture; Sound Spectrography; *Vocalization, Animal  
  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.  
  Address Departments of Psychology and Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA. seyfarth@psych.upenn.edu  
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  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
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  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0077-8923 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes (up) PMID:14766619 Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 688  
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Author Kitchen, D.M.; Cheney, D.L.; Seyfarth, R.M. doi  openurl
  Title Male chacma baboons (Papio hamadryas ursinus) discriminate loud call contests between rivals of different relative ranks Type Journal Article
  Year 2005 Publication Animal cognition Abbreviated Journal Anim. Cogn.  
  Volume 8 Issue 1 Pages 1-6  
  Keywords Acoustic Stimulation; Animals; *Discrimination Learning; *Hierarchy, Social; Male; Papio hamadryas/*psychology; *Social Dominance; *Vocalization, Animal  
  Abstract Males in multi-male groups of chacma baboons (Papio hamadryas ursinus) in Botswana compete for positions in a linear dominance hierarchy. Previous research suggests that males treat different categories of rivals differently; competitive displays between males of similar rank are more frequent and intense than those between disparately ranked males. Here we test whether males also respond differently to male-male interactions in which they are not directly involved, using playbacks of the loud 'wahoo' calls exchanged between competing males in aggressive displays. We played paired sequences of vocal contests between two adjacently ranked and two disparately ranked males to ten subjects, half ranking below the signalers in the call sequences and half above. Subjects who ranked above the two signalers showed stronger responses than lower-ranking subjects. Higher-ranking subjects also responded more strongly to sequences involving disparately ranked, as opposed to adjacently ranked opponents, suggesting that they recognized those individuals' relative ranks. Strong responses to sequences between disparately ranked opponents might have occurred either because such contests typically involve resources of high fitness value (defense of meat, estrous females or infants vulnerable to infanticide) or because they indicate a sudden change in one contestant's condition. In contrast, subjects who ranked lower than the signalers responded equally strongly to both types of sequences. These subjects may have been able to distinguish between the two categories of opponents but did not respond differently to them because they had little to lose or gain by a rank reversal between males that already ranked higher than they did.  
  Address Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. dkitchen@psych.upenn.edu  
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  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1435-9448 ISBN Medium  
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  Notes (up) PMID:15164259 Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 687  
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Author Manser, M.B.; Seyfarth, R.M.; Cheney, D.L. openurl 
  Title Suricate alarm calls signal predator class and urgency Type
  Year 2002 Publication Trends in Cognitive Sciences Abbreviated Journal Trends. Cognit. Sci.  
  Volume 6 Issue 2 Pages 55-57  
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  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1364-6613 ISBN Medium  
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  Notes (up) PMID:15866180 Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 686  
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Author Seyfarth, R.M.; Cheney, D.L.; Bergman, T.J. doi  openurl
  Title Primate social cognition and the origins of language Type Journal Article
  Year 2005 Publication Trends in Cognitive Sciences Abbreviated Journal Trends. Cognit. Sci.  
  Volume 9 Issue 6 Pages 264-266  
  Keywords Animals; *Cognition; Humans; *Language; Papio; Psychological Theory; Social Behavior; *Social Perception  
  Abstract Are the cognitive mechanisms underlying language unique, or can similar mechanisms be found in other domains? Recent field experiments demonstrate that baboons' knowledge of their companions' social relationships is based on discrete-valued traits (identity, rank, kinship) that are combined to create a representation of social relations that is hierarchically structured, open-ended, rule-governed, and independent of sensory modality. The mechanisms underlying language might have evolved from the social knowledge of our pre-linguistic primate ancestors.  
  Address Departments of Biology and Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. seyfarth@psych.upenn.edu  
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  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1364-6613 ISBN Medium  
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  Notes (up) PMID:15925802 Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 343  
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Author Wittig, R.M.; Crockford, C.; Wikberg, E.; Seyfarth, R.M.; Cheney, D.L. doi  openurl
  Title Kin-mediated reconciliation substitutes for direct reconciliation in female baboons Type Journal Article
  Year 2007 Publication Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society Abbreviated Journal Proc Biol Sci  
  Volume 274 Issue 1613 Pages 1109-1115  
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  Abstract It has been hypothesized that group-living mammals engage in reconciliation (post-conflict affiliation between former opponents) to reduce the disruptive costs of aggression and restore opponents' tolerance to baseline levels. Recipients of aggression are sometimes reluctant to tolerate the proximity of a recent opponent, however, in apparent fear that aggression will be renewed. In such cases, reconciliatory behaviour by the aggressor's close kin may substitute for direct reconciliation. We describe a playback experiment with free-ranging baboons (Papio hamadryas ursinus) that examines whether friendly behaviour by the aggressor's kin can substitute for direct reconciliation by the aggressor herself. In the test condition, female subjects who had recently been threatened heard the friendly grunt of one of their aggressor's relatives, mimicking kin-mediated vocal reconciliation. In the control condition, subjects heard the grunt of a dominant female from a different matriline. Subjects responded significantly more strongly in test than in control trials. Moreover, in the next hour they were significantly more likely to tolerate the proximity of both their aggressor and the relative whose grunt they had heard. In contrast, subjects' behaviour towards both control females and other members of their aggressor's matriline was unaffected. We conclude that kin-mediated vocal reconciliation can substitute for direct reconciliation in baboons.  
  Address Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6018, USA  
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  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0962-8452 ISBN Medium  
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  Notes (up) PMID:17301022 Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 342  
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Author Cheney, D.L.; Seyfarth, R.M. openurl 
  Title The representation of social relations by monkeys Type Journal Article
  Year 1990 Publication Cognition Abbreviated Journal Cognition  
  Volume 37 Issue 1-2 Pages 167-196  
  Keywords Animals; Cercopithecus aethiops/*psychology; Concept Formation; *Dominance-Subordination; Female; Macaca fascicularis/*psychology; Male; *Social Behavior; *Social Environment  
  Abstract Monkeys recognize the social relations that exist among others in their group. They know who associates with whom, for example, and other animals' relative dominance ranks. In addition, monkeys appear to compare types of social relations and make same/different judgments about them. In captivity, longtailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) trained to recognize the relation between one adult female and her offspring can identify the same relation among other mother-offspring pairs, and distinguish this relation from bonds between individuals who are related in a different way. In the wild, if a vervet monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops) has seen a fight between a member of its own family and a member of Family X, this increases the likelihood that it will act aggressively toward another member of Family X. Vervets act as if they recognize some similarity between their own close associates and the close associates of others. To make such comparisons the monkeys must have some way of representing the properties of social relationships. We discuss the adaptive value of such representations, the information they contain, their structure, and their limitations.  
  Address Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104  
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  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0010-0277 ISBN Medium  
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  Notes (up) PMID:2269006 Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 702  
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Author Seyfarth, R.M. url  doi
openurl 
  Title A model of social grooming among adult female monkeys Type Journal Article
  Year 1977 Publication Journal of Theoretical Biology Abbreviated Journal J. Theor. Biol.  
  Volume 65 Issue 4 Pages 671-698  
  Keywords Animals; Behavior, Animal; Female; *Grooming; Haplorhini/*physiology; *Models, Biological; Reproduction; Social Dominance; Time Factors  
  Abstract Grooming networks among adult female monkeys exhibit two similar features across a number of different species. High-ranking animals receive more grooming than others, and the majority of grooming occurs between females of adjacent rank. A theoretical model which duplicates these features is presented, and the properties of the model are used to explain the possible causation and function of female grooming behaviour. The model illustrates how relatively simple principles governing the behaviour of individuals may be used to explain more complex aspects of the social structure of non-human primate groups.  
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  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0022-5193 ISBN Medium  
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  Notes (up) PMID:406485 Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5259  
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Author Seyfarth, R.M.; Cheney, D.L. doi  openurl
  Title Grooming, alliances and reciprocal altruism in vervet monkeys Type Journal Article
  Year 1984 Publication Nature Abbreviated Journal Nature  
  Volume 308 Issue 5959 Pages 541-543  
  Keywords *Altruism; Animals; Cercopithecus/*physiology; Cercopithecus aethiops/*physiology; *Grooming; *Social Behavior; Vocalization, Animal  
  Abstract Reciprocal altruism refers to the exchange of beneficial acts between individuals, in which the benefits to the recipient exceed the cost to the altruist. Theory predicts that cooperation among unrelated animals can occur whenever individuals encounter each other regularly and are capable of adjusting their cooperative behaviour according to experience. Although the potential for reciprocal altruism exists in many animal societies, most interactions occur between closely related individuals, and examples of reciprocity among non-kin are rare. The field experiments on vervet monkeys which we present here demonstrate that grooming between unrelated individuals increases the probability that they will subsequently attend to each others' solicitations for aid. Vervets appear to be more willing to aid unrelated individuals if those individuals have behaved affinitively toward them in the recent past. In contrast, recent grooming between close genetic relatives appears to have no effect on their willingness to respond to each other's solicitations for aid.  
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  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0028-0836 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes (up) PMID:6709060 Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 704  
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Author Seyfarth, R.M.; Cheney, D.L. openurl 
  Title The acoustic features of vervet monkey grunts Type Journal Article
  Year 1984 Publication The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America Abbreviated Journal J Acoust Soc Am  
  Volume 75 Issue 5 Pages 1623-1628  
  Keywords *Acoustics; Animals; Auditory Perception; Cercopithecus/*physiology; Cercopithecus aethiops/*physiology; Cues; Dominance-Subordination; Female; Male; Social Behavior; Sound Spectrography; *Vocalization, Animal  
  Abstract East African vervet monkeys give short (125 ms), harsh-sounding grunts to each other in a variety of social situations: when approaching a dominant or subordinate member of their group, when moving into a new area of their range, or upon seeing another group. Although all these vocalizations sound similar to humans, field playback experiments have shown that the monkeys distinguish at least four different calls. Acoustic analysis reveals that grunts have an aperiodic F0, at roughly 240 Hz. Most grunts exhibit a spectral peak close to this irregular F0. Grunts may also contain a second, rising or falling frequency peak, between 550 and 900 Hz. The location and changes in these two frequency peaks are the cues most likely to be used by vervets when distinguishing different grunt types.  
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  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0001-4966 ISBN Medium  
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  Notes (up) PMID:6736426 Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 703  
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Author Seyfarth, R.M.; Cheney, D.L.; Marler, P. openurl 
  Title Monkey responses to three different alarm calls: evidence of predator classification and semantic communication Type Journal Article
  Year 1980 Publication Science (New York, N.Y.) Abbreviated Journal Science  
  Volume 210 Issue 4471 Pages 801-803  
  Keywords *Animal Communication; Animals; Behavior, Animal/*physiology; Cercopithecidae/*physiology; *Fear; Female; Male; Predatory Behavior; Vocalization, Animal  
  Abstract Vervet monkeys give different alarm calls to different predators. Recordings of the alarms played back when predators were absent caused the monkeys to run into trees for leopard alarms, look up for eagle alarms, and look down for snake alarms. Adults call primarily to leopards, martial eagles, and pythons, but infants give leopard alarms to various mammals, eagle alarms to many birds, and snake alarms to various snakelike objects. Predator classification improves with age and experience.  
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  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0036-8075 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes (up) PMID:7433999 Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 351  
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