Convergence of calls as animals form social bonds, active compensation for noisy communication channels, and the evolution of vocal learning in mammals
Citable URI
https://hdl.handle.net/1912/2631As published
https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013087Keyword
Vocal learningAbstract
The classic evidence for vocal production learning involves imitation of novel, often
anthropogenic sounds. Among mammals, this has been reported for African elephants,
harbor seals, and dolphins. A broader taxonomic distribution has been reported for vocal
convergence, where the acoustic properties of calls from different individuals converge
when they are housed together in captivity or form social bonds in the wild. This kind of
vocal convergence has been demonstrated for animals as diverse as songbirds, parakeets,
bats, elephants, cetaceans, and primates. For most of these species, call convergence is
thought to reflect a group-distinctive identifier, with shared calls reflecting and
strengthening social bonds. Pooling data on vocal imitation and vocal convergence
suggests a wider taxonomic distribution of vocal production learning among mammals
than generally appreciated. The wide taxonomic distribution of this evidence for vocal
production learning suggests that perhaps more of the neural underpinnings for vocal
production learning are in place in mammals than is usually imagined. One ubiquitous
function for vocal production learning that is starting to receive attention involves
modifying signals to improve communication in a noisy channel.
Description
Author Posting. © American Psychological Association, 2008. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of American Psychological Association for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Comparative Psychology 122 (2008): 319-331, doi:10.1037/a0013087.
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Suggested Citation
Preprint: Tyack, Peter L., "Convergence of calls as animals form social bonds, active compensation for noisy communication channels, and the evolution of vocal learning in mammals", 2007-09-12, https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013087, https://hdl.handle.net/1912/2631Related items
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