Social learning of a communicative signal in captive chimpanzees

The acquisition of linguistic competency from more experienced social partners is a fundamental aspect of human language. However, there is little evidence that non-human primates learn to use their vocalizations from social partners. Captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) produce idiosyncratic vocal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biology letters (2005) 2012-08, Vol.8 (4), p.498-501
Main Authors: Taglialatela, Jared P., Reamer, Lisa, Schapiro, Steven J., Hopkins, William D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Behaviour
Animals
Attention
Chimpanzee
Female
Humans
Language
Language Evolution
Learning - physiology
Male
Pan troglodytes - psychology
Social Behavior
Social Environment
Species Specificity
Vocal Learning
Vocalization, Animal - physiology
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Summary:The acquisition of linguistic competency from more experienced social partners is a fundamental aspect of human language. However, there is little evidence that non-human primates learn to use their vocalizations from social partners. Captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) produce idiosyncratic vocal signals that are used intentionally to capture the attention of a human experimenter. Interestingly, not all apes produce these sounds, and it is unclear what factors explain this difference. We tested the hypothesis that these attention-getting (AG) sounds are socially learned via transmission between mothers and their offspring. We assessed 158 chimpanzees to determine if they produced AG sounds. A significant association was found between mother and offspring sound production. This association was attributable to individuals who were raised by their biological mother—as opposed to those raised by humans in a nursery environment. These data support the hypothesis that social learning plays a role in the acquisition and use of communicative vocal signals in chimpanzees.
ISSN:1744-9561
1744-957X
DOI:10.1098/rsbl.2012.0113