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Chimpanzee alarm communications

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Date Issued:
2012
Summary:
Evidence for conceptual semantics is well established in monkeys, however this basis of human language is less evident in the great apes. In order to study semantic communications in chimpanzees, I analyzed alarm calls produced towards a blimp as it was flying overhead. I then replayed a set of these alarm calls to the chimps on a different day. The chimps appeared to act in a manner consistent with the presence of the blimp. The calls they produced in response to the playback stimuli were nearly identical to the calls that were produced during the actual flyover. Though the data collected were not sufficient to support a definitive claim, it does appear that the chimpanzees of the study have a meaning-laden vocalization for the aerial stimuli. Whether this call is specific to the blimp or generalizable to other aerial threats is yet to be determined.
Title: Chimpanzee alarm communications: a zoosemiotic study.
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Name(s): Raymond, Alyssa M.
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Department of Psychology
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Issued: 2012
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Physical Form: electronic
Extent: viii, 41 p. : ill.
Language(s): English
Summary: Evidence for conceptual semantics is well established in monkeys, however this basis of human language is less evident in the great apes. In order to study semantic communications in chimpanzees, I analyzed alarm calls produced towards a blimp as it was flying overhead. I then replayed a set of these alarm calls to the chimps on a different day. The chimps appeared to act in a manner consistent with the presence of the blimp. The calls they produced in response to the playback stimuli were nearly identical to the calls that were produced during the actual flyover. Though the data collected were not sufficient to support a definitive claim, it does appear that the chimpanzees of the study have a meaning-laden vocalization for the aerial stimuli. Whether this call is specific to the blimp or generalizable to other aerial threats is yet to be determined.
Identifier: 806965738 (oclc), 3352278 (digitool), FADT3352278 (IID), fau:3893 (fedora)
Note(s): by Alyssa M. Raymond.
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012.
Includes bibliography.
Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2012. Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Subject(s): Animal communication
Social behavior in animals
Cognition in animals
Chimpanzees -- Behavior
Chimpanzees -- Psychology
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3352278
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU