Social learning of a communicative signal in captive chimpanzees

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Abstract

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. This journal is © 2012 The Royal Society.

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APA

Taglialatela, J. P., Reamer, L., Schapiro, S. J., & Hopkins, W. D. (2012). Social learning of a communicative signal in captive chimpanzees. Biology Letters, 8(4), 498–501. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2012.0113

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