A threat to man's uniqueness? Language and communication in the chimpanzee

Ristau, Carolyn A.; Robbins, Donald

doi:10.1007/bf01067308

Cited by 11 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…SAVAGE-RUMBAUGH and RUMBAUGH 1978;RISTAU and ROBBINS 1979). At least one social process, selective reinforcement by trainers, has become common practice in studies attempting to teach semantic signalling to captive chimpanzees and gorillas (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Ontogeny of Vervet Monkey Alarm Calling Behavior: A Preliminary Report

Seyfarth

Cheney

2010

Zeitschrift Für Tierpsychologie

168

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Adult vervet monkeys effectively classify animals in the world around them by giving alarm calls to some species but not to others, and by giving acoustically different alarms to leopards, martial eagles, pythons, and baboons. When compared to adults, infant vervet monkeys give alarm calls to a significantly wider variety of species. Even for infants, however, the relation between eliciting stimulus and alarm call type is not arbitrary. Infants restrict leopard alarms to terrestrial mammals, eagle alarms to birds, snake alarms to snakes, and baboon alarms to baboons. The mechanisms by which infants come, during development, to sharpen the association between predator species and alarm call type are discussed. Among adults, playback of each alarm call type elicits a distinct, and apparently adaptive set of responses. In contrast, the responses of infants seem more generalized than those of adults. Preliminary data suggest that, among infants, the development of alarm‐specific responses depends at least in part on cues received from other individuals. Alarm playbacks significantly increase the proportion of time infants spend looking at their mothers, and the responses of infants are more adult‐like if their mothers are nearby than if their mothers are farther away. Zusammenfassung Drei Meerkatzen‐Trupps (C. aethiops) wurden 14 Monate lang im Amboseli‐Park (Kenia) beobachtet. Die Erwachsenen äußerten 4 verschiedene Warnlaute vor Leoparden, Kampfadlern, Pythons und Pavianen. Jungtiere warnten vor mehr Feinden und öfter als Erwachsene auch vor für sie harmlosen Warzenschweinen, Tauben, Mäusen usw. Aber schon die Jungen äußern die Leoparden‐Warnung meist vor Boden‐Säugern, die Adlerwarnung vor Vögeln, die Schlangenwarnung vor Schlangen und die Pavian‐Warnung vor Pavianen. Auf Warnrufe, die aus versteckten Lautsprechern kamen, reagierten Erwachsene verschieden, je nach Typ des Warnrufes; Jungtiere reagierten weniger genau und oft mit Verhalten, das dem betreffenden Feind gegenüber unangebracht war. Für Junge ist wichtig, was Truppmitglieder tun. Kinder sahen, wenn Warnrufe erklangen, mehr zu ihren Müttern hin. War die Mutter nicht in der Nähe, häufte sich falsches Verhalten und Hinblicken zu anderen Truppgenossen. Junge Meerkatzen teilen also, wie Kinder, mindestens einige Objekte aus ihrer Umwelt in bestimmte Kategorien ein. Das Ausstoßen von Warnrufen und die Reaktionen darauf werden über Jahre weiterentwickelt. Solche Untersuchungen lassen sich ausbauen in Parallele zur wohlbekannten Sprachentwicklung des Menschen und zu den Signalen gefangener Menschenaffen, deren Entwicklung aus der Natur unbekannt ist.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Ontogeny of Vervet Monkey Alarm Calling Behavior: A Preliminary Report

Seyfarth

Cheney

2010

Zeitschrift Für Tierpsychologie

168

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“…According to some, experiments were not accurately described. 41 This was perhaps more the case with earlier reports than with later ones. One major line of criticism alleged that the methodological inadequacies of these experiments (for example, the problem of cueing) were either insuperable or else sufficiently endemic to invalidate many of the reports.…”

Section: IIImentioning

confidence: 68%

Minds and Machines

Casey

1992

American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly

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“…A frequent criticism (e.g., Ristau and Robbins 1979;Terrace 1979;Seidenberg and Pettito 1979) is that important Information is not provided in the reports on this research, making i t difficult to know what the apes achieved. Consider first the laboratory studies of Premack and the Rumbaughs.…”

Section: Adequacy Of the Data Basementioning

confidence: 95%

“…Some observers (e.g., Mounin, Limber, and Chomsky, all in this volume) concluded that this research merely demonstrated the triviality of the apes' linguistic skills, comparing them very unfavorably with those of children. Even stronger criticism came from others (such äs Seidenberg and Petitto 1979;Terrace 1979;Petitto and Seidenberg 1979;Ristau and Robbins 1979;Umiker-Sebeok and Sebeok, this volume) who questioned the validity of the data on the apes' performance. These authors argue that the evidence cited in support of the apes' linguistic skills either is vitiated by methodological and conceptual inadequacies, or is compatible with simpler interpretations that do not require attributing linguistic skills to lower primates.…”

Section: Review Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the absence of this Information, one cannot conclude that she possessed the ability to answer questions. (See Seidenberg & Petitto, 1979, Ristau and Robbins (1979), Petitto and Seidenberg (1979), and Umiker- Sebeok and Sebeok (this volume). Although I have concentrated on Washoe in this discussion, it should be noted that exactly the same problem of under-substantiation plagues Patterson's reports on her signing gorilla Koko.…”

Section: Adequacy Of the Data Basementioning

confidence: 99%

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Review article

1983

Semiotica

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A threat to man's uniqueness? Language and communication in the chimpanzee

Cited by 11 publications

References 11 publications

The Ontogeny of Vervet Monkey Alarm Calling Behavior: A Preliminary Report

The Ontogeny of Vervet Monkey Alarm Calling Behavior: A Preliminary Report

Minds and Machines

Review article

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