A noisy signal: To what extent are Hadza hunting reputations predictive of actual hunting skills?

Stibbard‐Hawkes, Duncan N. E.; Attenborough, Robert; Marlowe, Frank W.

doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2018.06.005

Cited by 49 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Practically, this could be achieved by assessing the relationship between the actions and traits of potential senders and receivers' perceptions and responses to them. This can be done through such techniques as reputational sorting tasks and observational studies of behavior, and ideally would involve measurement of many potential traits, actions, and reputational assessments in order to pinpoint the actual signal content . Broadly, researchers should aim to identify the payoffs of signaling for both the sender and receiver under a range of receiver responses, in order to ultimately identify signal function.…”

Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Content, cost, and context: A framework for understanding human signaling systems

Barker

Heap

Puurtinen

et al. 2019

Evolutionary Anthropology

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Humans frequently perform extravagant and seemingly costly behaviors, such as widely sharing hunted resources, erecting conspicuous monumental structures, and performing dramatic acts of religious devotion. Evolutionary anthropologists and archeologists have used signaling theory to explain the function of such displays, drawing inspiration from behavioral ecology, economics, and the social sciences. While signaling theory is broadly aimed at explaining honest communication, it has come to be strongly associated with the handicap principle, which proposes that such costly extravagance is in fact an adaptation for signal reliability. Most empirical studies of signaling theory have focused on obviously costly acts, and consequently anthropologists have likely overlooked a wide range of signals that also promote reliable communication. Here, we build on recent developments in signaling theory and animal communication, developing an updated framework that highlights the diversity of signal contents, costs, contexts, and reliability mechanisms present within human signaling systems. By broadening the perspective of signaling theory in human systems, we strive to identify promising areas for further empirical and theoretical work.

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Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Content, cost, and context: A framework for understanding human signaling systems

Barker

Heap

Puurtinen

et al. 2019

Evolutionary Anthropology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is also possible that hunting success is related to measures of RS due to a confounding variable. For example, strength might contribute independently to hunting success and RS …”

Section: The State Of the Evidence For Human Hunting As A Costly Signalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some recent work has found a relationship between hunting reputation and upper body strength, although upper body strength may not be otherwise cryptic as it can be assessed visually . Similarly, Stibbard‐Hawkes et al found that Hadza hunting reputation predicted several hunting skills including aim, upper body strength, and an ability to recognize the vocalizations of prey species, albeit with a degree of noise, disagreement and error. If hunting is indeed an honest signal, more work must be done to show it is correlated with an otherwise cryptic but adaptively relevant quality.…”

Section: The State Of the Evidence For Human Hunting As A Costly Signalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, closer inspection casts doubt on the assumption that hunting and the targeting of widely redistributed foods is a relatively effective way of broadcasting information about the hunter's abilities. For an honest signal of hunting ability to work, a person's perceived hunting reputation must be reliably correlated with his actual skill at finding and killing wild animals . There are several reasons why, among forager groups, this may not always be the case.…”

Section: The State Of the Evidence For Human Hunting As A Costly Signalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, with the exception of Arabian babblers, whose status as honest signallers has been disputed, most examples of honest signaling from the zoological literature, independent of species lifespan and almost universally, are conspicuous, short in duration and take a form and modality that serves to maximize efficacy. Hunting may generally not be a similarly efficacious means of transmitting information about qualities related to hunting prowess …”

Section: The State Of the Evidence For Human Hunting As A Costly Signalmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Costly signaling and the handicap principle in hunter‐gatherer research: A critical review

Stibbard‐Hawkes

2019

Evolutionary Anthropology

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It has been argued that men's hunting in many forager groups is not, primarily, a means of family provisioning but is a costly way of signaling otherwise cryptic qualities related to hunting ability. Much literature concerning the signaling value of hunting draws links to Zahavi's handicap principle and the costly signaling literature in zoology. However, although nominally grounded in the same theoretical paradigm, these literatures have evolved separately. Here I review honest signaling theory in both hunter‐gatherer studies and zoology and highlight three issues with the costly signaling literature in hunter‐gather studies: (a) an overemphasis on the demonstration of realized costs, which are neither necessary nor sufficient to diagnose costly signaling; (b) a lack of clear predictions about what specific qualities hunting actually signals; and (c) an insufficient focus on the broadcast effectiveness of hunting and its value as a heuristics for signal recipients. Rather than signaling hunting prowess, hunting might instead facilitate reputation‐building.

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Field‐testing olfactory ability to understand human olfactory ecology

Hoover

Botescu

Fedurek

et al. 2020

American J Hum Biol

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Objectives: We know little about human olfactory ability in natural settings because current knowledge derives from lab-based studies using nonrepresentative samples of convenience. The primary objective was to use a validated lab tool, the five-item odor identification test, to assess variation in olfactory ability in different environments. Methods: Using the five-item test, we conducted two repeated measures experiments that assessed participant ability to correctly identify an odor source in different odor environments. We also examined consistency in odor labelling due to documented potential bias from idiosyncrasies in odor terms. Results: We found no variation in olfactory ability due to environment, but this may be due to methodological biases. First, subjective bias results from idiosyncratic differences in participant labelling and researcher coding of answer correctness. Second, better ability to learn odors may provide an advantage to women. Third, reducing positive female learning bias by analyzing consistency in response (regardless of correct odor source identification) results in no sex differences but fails to assess the functional aspect of olfactory ability (naming the correct odor source). Fourth, functional olfactory ability is significantly better in women, especially in food-rich odor environments. Conclusions: Environment was not a significant factor in olfactory ability in this study but that result may be confounded by methodological biases. We do not recommend odor identification as a field tool. Functional olfactory ability exhibits a sex-based pattern but consistency in recognizing the same odor does not. Food-rich odors may enhance olfactory ability in females. We discuss evolutionary and ecological implications of superior female functional olfactory ability relative to food foraging activity.

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A noisy signal: To what extent are Hadza hunting reputations predictive of actual hunting skills?

Cited by 49 publications

References 65 publications

Content, cost, and context: A framework for understanding human signaling systems

Content, cost, and context: A framework for understanding human signaling systems

Costly signaling and the handicap principle in hunter‐gatherer research: A critical review

Field‐testing olfactory ability to understand human olfactory ecology

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