1
|
Zhao L, Cheng J, Zeng W, Yang B, Zhang G, Li D, Zhang H, Buesching CD, Liu D. Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) neonates use broadband calls to communicate with their mothers. Integr Zool 2024; 19:277-287. [PMID: 37231635 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Infant call structure should have evolved to elicit maximum maternal attention and investment. Neonates of giant pandas produce three types of vocalizations reported to be vitally important in the context of mother-infant communications. However, how cubs, 0-15 days old, communicate with their mothers to elicit maternal care remains unknown. We analyzed 12 different call parameters of 3475 squawks, 1355 squalls, and 491 croaks from 11 captive giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) neonates from age 0 to 15 days. In playback experiments, we also tested whether mothers could detect ultrasound. Our results show that neonates use broadband calls with ultrasonic frequencies up to 65 kHz to convey information about their physiological needs and to attract maternal care. In playback experiments, we tested if mothers reacted differently to broadband calls (BBC) than to artificially altered calls that included only frequencies <20 kHz (AUDC) or calls that included only frequencies >20 kHz (USC). Playback confirmed that, although adult females responded significantly less often to USC, BBC than to or AUDC, they could detect USC, BBC and generally made appropriate behavioral responses, indicating a potential benefit for neonates to utilize ultrasonic and broadband frequencies. Our findings provide a new insight into mother-infant communication in giant pandas and will be helpful for reducing the mortality of cubs, younger than 1 month old, in captivity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lin Zhao
- Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Jianbin Cheng
- Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in The Giant Panda National Park, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Dujiangyan, Sichuan, 611830, China
| | - Wen Zeng
- Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in The Giant Panda National Park, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Dujiangyan, Sichuan, 611830, China
| | - Bo Yang
- Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in The Giant Panda National Park, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Dujiangyan, Sichuan, 611830, China
| | - Guiquan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in The Giant Panda National Park, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Dujiangyan, Sichuan, 611830, China
| | - Desheng Li
- Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in The Giant Panda National Park, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Dujiangyan, Sichuan, 611830, China
| | - Hemin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in The Giant Panda National Park, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Dujiangyan, Sichuan, 611830, China
| | - Christina D Buesching
- Department of Biology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, Okanagan, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Dingzhen Liu
- Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Rutovskaya MV, Volodin IA, Naidenko SV, Erofeeva MN, Alekseeva GS, Zhuravleva PS, Volobueva KA, Kim MD, Volodina EV. Relationship between acoustic traits of protesting cries of domestic kittens (Felis catus) and their individual chances for survival. Behav Processes 2024; 216:105009. [PMID: 38395238 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 02/17/2024] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Domestic cat (Felis catus) mothers may rely on offspring cries to allocate resources in use of individuals with greater chances for survival and sacrifice the weak ones in case of impossibility to raise the entire large litter. Potential victims of this maternal strategy can enhance their chances of survival, by producing vocalizations with traits mimicking those of higher-quality offspring. We compared acoustic traits of 4990 cries produced during blood sampling by 57 two-week-old captive feral kittens (28 males, 29 females); 47 of them survived to 90 days of age and 10 died by reasons not related to traumas or aggression. No relationship was found between acoustic parameters and kitten survival, however, positive relationship was found between survival and body weight. The cries had moderate cues to individuality and lacked cues to sex. Body weight correlated positively with fundamental frequency and negatively with call rate, duration, peak frequency and power quartiles. We discuss that dishonesty of acoustic traits of kitten quality could develop as adaptation for misleading a mother from allocation resources between the weaker and stronger individuals, thus enhancing individual chances for survival for the weaker littermates. Physical constraint, as body weight, may prevent extensive developing the deceptive vocal traits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marina V Rutovskaya
- Department of Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology of Mammals, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Ilya A Volodin
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorobievy Gory, 1/12, Moscow 119234, Russia.
| | - Sergey V Naidenko
- Department of Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology of Mammals, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Mariya N Erofeeva
- Department of Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology of Mammals, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Galina S Alekseeva
- Department of Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology of Mammals, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Polina S Zhuravleva
- Department of Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology of Mammals, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Kseniya A Volobueva
- Department of Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology of Mammals, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Mariya D Kim
- Department of Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology of Mammals, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Elena V Volodina
- Department of Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology of Mammals, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
McGrath N, Phillips CJC, Burman OHP, Dwyer CM, Henning J. Humans can identify reward-related call types of chickens. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231284. [PMID: 38179075 PMCID: PMC10762433 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Humans can decode emotional information from vocalizations of animals. However, little is known if these interpretations relate to the ability of humans to identify if calls were made in a rewarded or non-rewarded context. We tested whether humans could identify calls made by chickens (Gallus gallus) in these contexts, and whether demographic factors or experience with chickens affected their correct identification context and the ratings of perceived positive and negative emotions (valence) and excitement (arousal) of chickens. Participants (n = 194) listened to eight calls when chickens were anticipating a reward, and eight calls in non-rewarded contexts, and indicated whether the vocalizing chicken was experiencing pleasure/displeasure, and high/low excitement, using visual analogue scales. Sixty-nine per cent of participants correctly assigned reward and non-reward calls to their respective categories. Participants performed better at categorizing reward-related calls, with 71% of reward calls classified correctly, compared with 67% of non-reward calls. Older people were less accurate in context identification. Older people's ratings of the excitement or arousal levels of reward-related calls were higher than younger people's ratings, while older people rated non-reward calls as representing higher positive emotions or pleasure (higher valence) compared to ratings made by younger people. Our study strengthens evidence that humans perceive emotions across different taxa, and that specific acoustic cues may embody a homologous signalling system among vertebrates. Importantly, humans could identify reward-related calls, and this ability could enhance the management of farmed chickens to improve their welfare.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicky McGrath
- School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia
| | - Clive J. C. Phillips
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Estonia University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
- Curtin University Sustainable Policy (CUSP) Institute, Kent Street, Bentley, Western Australia 6102, Australia
| | - Oliver H. P. Burman
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN6 7TS, UK
| | - Cathy M. Dwyer
- Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), Peter Wilson Building, Kings Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK
| | - Joerg Henning
- School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Thévenet J, Papet L, Coureaud G, Boyer N, Levréro F, Grimault N, Mathevon N. Crocodile perception of distress in hominid baby cries. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230201. [PMID: 37554035 PMCID: PMC10410202 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
It is generally argued that distress vocalizations, a common modality for alerting conspecifics across a wide range of terrestrial vertebrates, share acoustic features that allow heterospecific communication. Yet studies suggest that the acoustic traits used to decode distress may vary between species, leading to decoding errors. Here we found through playback experiments that Nile crocodiles are attracted to infant hominid cries (bonobo, chimpanzee and human), and that the intensity of crocodile response depends critically on a set of specific acoustic features (mainly deterministic chaos, harmonicity and spectral prominences). Our results suggest that crocodiles are sensitive to the degree of distress encoded in the vocalizations of phylogenetically very distant vertebrates. A comparison of these results with those obtained with human subjects confronted with the same stimuli further indicates that crocodiles and humans use different acoustic criteria to assess the distress encoded in infant cries. Interestingly, the acoustic features driving crocodile reaction are likely to be more reliable markers of distress than those used by humans. These results highlight that the acoustic features encoding information in vertebrate sound signals are not necessarily identical across species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julie Thévenet
- ENES Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, CRNL, CNRS, Inserm, University of Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, Rhône-Alpes, France
- Equipe Cognition Auditive et Psychoacoustique, CRNL, CNRS, Inserm, University Lyon 1, Villeurbanne 69622, France
| | - Léo Papet
- ENES Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, CRNL, CNRS, Inserm, University of Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, Rhône-Alpes, France
- Equipe Cognition Auditive et Psychoacoustique, CRNL, CNRS, Inserm, University Lyon 1, Villeurbanne 69622, France
| | - Gérard Coureaud
- ENES Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, CRNL, CNRS, Inserm, University of Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, Rhône-Alpes, France
| | - Nicolas Boyer
- ENES Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, CRNL, CNRS, Inserm, University of Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, Rhône-Alpes, France
| | - Florence Levréro
- ENES Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, CRNL, CNRS, Inserm, University of Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, Rhône-Alpes, France
| | - Nicolas Grimault
- Equipe Cognition Auditive et Psychoacoustique, CRNL, CNRS, Inserm, University Lyon 1, Villeurbanne 69622, France
| | - Nicolas Mathevon
- ENES Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, CRNL, CNRS, Inserm, University of Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, Rhône-Alpes, France
- Institut universitaire de France, Paris, Île-de-France, France
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Collarini E, Capponcelli L, Pierdomenico A, Norscia I, Cordoni G. Sows' Responses to Piglets in Distress: An Experimental Investigation in a Natural Setting. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2261. [PMID: 37508041 PMCID: PMC10376744 DOI: 10.3390/ani13142261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Domestic pigs (Sus scrofa) possess complex socio-cognitive skills, and sows show high inter-individual variability in maternal behaviour. To evaluate how females-reared under natural conditions-react to the isolation calls of their own piglets or those of other females, we conducted observations and experimental trials. In January-February 2021, we conducted all-occurrences sampling on affiliation, aggression, and lactation (daily, 7:30-16:30 h) on six lactating and four non-lactating females at the ethical farm Parva Domus (Turin, Italy). The trials (30 s each, n = 37/sow) consisted of briefly catching and restraining a piglet. We recorded the sow response (none/reactive/proactive movement towards the piglet; self-directed anxiety behaviours such as body shaking) before and during the trial and under control conditions. Increased levels of anxiety behaviour in sows were accompanied by an increased frequency of responses. Less aggressive sows and lactating sows showed the highest frequencies of response. Finally, the isolation calls' maximum intensity had an influence on the type of response observed, with higher proactive response frequencies following lower intensity isolation calls. Our results suggest that being under lactation could play a key role in increasing sow response levels and that specific acoustic features may influence the response.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Edoardo Collarini
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino (DBIOS), Via Accademia Albertina 13, 20123 Torino, Italy
| | - Luca Capponcelli
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino (DBIOS), Via Accademia Albertina 13, 20123 Torino, Italy
| | - Andrea Pierdomenico
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino (DBIOS), Via Accademia Albertina 13, 20123 Torino, Italy
| | - Ivan Norscia
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino (DBIOS), Via Accademia Albertina 13, 20123 Torino, Italy
| | - Giada Cordoni
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino (DBIOS), Via Accademia Albertina 13, 20123 Torino, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Jourjine N, Woolfolk ML, Sanguinetti-Scheck JI, Sabatini JE, McFadden S, Lindholm AK, Hoekstra HE. Two pup vocalization types are genetically and functionally separable in deer mice. Curr Biol 2023; 33:1237-1248.e4. [PMID: 36893759 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.02.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Revised: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023]
Abstract
Vocalization is a widespread social behavior in vertebrates that can affect fitness in the wild. Although many vocal behaviors are highly conserved, heritable features of specific vocalization types can vary both within and between species, raising the questions of why and how some vocal behaviors evolve. Here, using new computational tools to automatically detect and cluster vocalizations into distinct acoustic categories, we compare pup isolation calls across neonatal development in eight taxa of deer mice (genus Peromyscus) and compare them with laboratory mice (C57BL6/J strain) and free-living, wild house mice (Mus musculus domesticus). Whereas both Peromyscus and Mus pups produce ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), Peromyscus pups also produce a second call type with acoustic features, temporal rhythms, and developmental trajectories that are distinct from those of USVs. In deer mice, these lower frequency "cries" are predominantly emitted in postnatal days one through nine, whereas USVs are primarily made after day 9. Using playback assays, we show that cries result in a more rapid approach by Peromyscus mothers than USVs, suggesting a role for cries in eliciting parental care early in neonatal development. Using a genetic cross between two sister species of deer mice exhibiting large, innate differences in the acoustic structure of cries and USVs, we find that variation in vocalization rate, duration, and pitch displays different degrees of genetic dominance and that cry and USV features can be uncoupled in second-generation hybrids. Taken together, this work shows that vocal behavior can evolve quickly between closely related rodent species in which vocalization types, likely serving distinct functions in communication, are controlled by distinct genetic loci.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Jourjine
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Center for Brain Science, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Maya L Woolfolk
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Center for Brain Science, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Juan I Sanguinetti-Scheck
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Center for Brain Science, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - John E Sabatini
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Center for Brain Science, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Sade McFadden
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Center for Brain Science, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Anna K Lindholm
- Department of Evolutionary Biology & Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse, 190 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Hopi E Hoekstra
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Center for Brain Science, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Chen S, Han C, Wang S, Liu X, Wang B, Wei R, Lei X. Hearing the physical condition: The relationship between sexually dimorphic vocal traits and underlying physiology. Front Psychol 2022; 13:983688. [DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.983688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing amount of research has shown associations between sexually dimorphic vocal traits and physiological conditions related to reproductive advantage. This paper presented a review of the literature on the relationship between sexually dimorphic vocal traits and sex hormones, body size, and physique. Those physiological conditions are important in reproductive success and mate selection. Regarding sex hormones, there are associations between sex-specific hormones and sexually dimorphic vocal traits; about body size, formant frequencies are more reliable predictors of human body size than pitch/fundamental frequency; with regard to the physique, there is a possible but still controversial association between human voice and strength and combat power, while pitch is more often used as a signal of aggressive intent in conflict. Future research should consider demographic, cross-cultural, cognitive interaction, and emotional motivation influences, in order to more accurately assess the relationship between voice and physiology. Moreover, neurological studies were recommended to gain a deeper understanding of the evolutionary origins and adaptive functions of voice modulation.
Collapse
|
8
|
Acoustic regularities in infant-directed speech and song across cultures. Nat Hum Behav 2022; 6:1545-1556. [PMID: 35851843 PMCID: PMC10101735 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-022-01410-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
When interacting with infants, humans often alter their speech and song in ways thought to support communication. Theories of human child-rearing, informed by data on vocal signalling across species, predict that such alterations should appear globally. Here, we show acoustic differences between infant-directed and adult-directed vocalizations across cultures. We collected 1,615 recordings of infant- and adult-directed speech and song produced by 410 people in 21 urban, rural and small-scale societies. Infant-directedness was reliably classified from acoustic features only, with acoustic profiles of infant-directedness differing across language and music but in consistent fashions. We then studied listener sensitivity to these acoustic features. We played the recordings to 51,065 people from 187 countries, recruited via an English-language website, who guessed whether each vocalization was infant-directed. Their intuitions were more accurate than chance, predictable in part by common sets of acoustic features and robust to the effects of linguistic relatedness between vocalizer and listener. These findings inform hypotheses of the psychological functions and evolution of human communication.
Collapse
|
9
|
Demartsev V, Gersick AS, Jensen FH, Thomas M, Roch MA, Strandburg‐Peshkin A. Signalling in groups: New tools for the integration of animal communication and collective movement. Methods Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vlad Demartsev
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Konstanz Germany
- Department of Biology University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
| | - Andrew S. Gersick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Princeton University Princeton NJ USA
| | | | - Mara Thomas
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Konstanz Germany
- Department of Biology University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
| | - Marie A. Roch
- Department of Computer Science San Diego State University San Diego CA USA
| | - Ariana Strandburg‐Peshkin
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Konstanz Germany
- Department of Biology University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Arnold B, De La Cruz Mora JM, Roesch J. Assessing the Structure and Function of Distress Calls in Cuban Fruit-Eating Bats (Brachyphylla nana). Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.907751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Most bat species are highly social and utilize a variety of calls to communicate with each other including distress calls that may warn other bats of potential threats. The function of these calls in different species varies and could include eliciting help or acting as a warning signal to stay away. In this study, Cuban fruit-eating bats, Brachyphylla nana, were captured from La Barca Cave in Guanahacabibes National Park, Cuba and distress calls were recorded to examine call structure and variability among different bats. We used Avisoft SASlab pro to analyze 14 different spectral and temporal characteristics of the calls and utilized factor analysis to reduce the dimensionality in the data set and assess variability in call structure. The recorded calls and a pink noise control were used in a playback experiment inside the cave to analyze how bats respond to distress calls. An infrared video camera and ultrasonic microphone were used during the playback to determine if there were any changes in bat behavior, such as an increase in calls observed, bats flying by the speaker, or bats leaving the area. Our results suggest that call structure is variable with limited evidence that call characteristics are unique to specific individuals. Our playbacks suggest that these calls serve a social function in that the number of bats approaching the speaker increased during distress call playbacks relative to the control. Future work will include building on these results to further explore Brachyphylla nana social behavior including anti-predatory behavior and social communication.
Collapse
|
11
|
Pisanski K, Bryant GA, Cornec C, Anikin A, Reby D. Form follows function in human nonverbal vocalisations. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2022.2026482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Pisanski
- ENES Sensory Neuro-Ethology Lab, CRNL, Jean Monnet University of Saint Étienne, UMR 5293, St-Étienne 42023, France
- CNRS French National Centre for Scientific Research, DDL Dynamics of Language Lab, University of Lyon 2, Lyon 69007, France
| | - Gregory A. Bryant
- Department of Communication, Center for Behavior, Evolution, and Culture, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Clément Cornec
- ENES Sensory Neuro-Ethology Lab, CRNL, Jean Monnet University of Saint Étienne, UMR 5293, St-Étienne 42023, France
| | - Andrey Anikin
- ENES Sensory Neuro-Ethology Lab, CRNL, Jean Monnet University of Saint Étienne, UMR 5293, St-Étienne 42023, France
- Division of Cognitive Science, Lund University, Lund 22100, Sweden
| | - David Reby
- ENES Sensory Neuro-Ethology Lab, CRNL, Jean Monnet University of Saint Étienne, UMR 5293, St-Étienne 42023, France
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Behavioral-psychological motivations encoded in the vocal repertoire of captive Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) cubs. BMC ZOOL 2022; 7:2. [PMID: 37170180 PMCID: PMC10127000 DOI: 10.1186/s40850-021-00102-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
The Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) is the largest and one of the most endangered cats in the world. In wild and captive cats, communication is mainly dependent on olfaction. However, vocal communication also plays a key role between mother and cubs during the breeding period. How cubs express their physiological and psychological needs to their mother and companions by using acoustic signals is little known and mainly hindered by the difficult process of data collection. Here, we quantitatively summarized the vocal repertoire and behavioral contexts of captive Amur tiger cubs. The aim of the present work was to investigate the behavioral motivations of cub calls by considering influential factors of age, sex, and rearing experiences.
Results
The 5335 high-quality calls from 65 tiger cubs were classified into nine call types (Ar-1, Ar-2, Er, eee, Chuff, Growl, Hiss, Haer, and Roar) produced in seven behavioral contexts. Except for Er, eight of the nine call types were context-specific, related to Play (Ar-2, eee, and Roar), Isolation (Ar-1), Offensive Context (Haer, Growl, and Hiss), and a friendly context (Chuff).
Conclusions
The results suggest that cubs are not quiet, but instead they express rich information by emitting various call types, which are probably crucial for survival in the wild. We herein provide the first detailed spectrogram classification to indicate vocal repertoires of calls and their coding with respect to behavioral contexts in Amur tiger cubs, and we pave the steps for revealing their social communication system, which can be applied for conservation of populations. These insights can help tiger managers or keepers to improve the rearing conditions by understanding the feline cubs’ inner status and needs by monitoring their vocal information expressions and exchanges.
Collapse
|
13
|
Frey R, Wyman MT, Johnston M, Schofield M, Locatelli Y, Reby D. Roars, groans and moans: Anatomical correlates of vocal diversity in polygynous deer. J Anat 2021; 239:1336-1369. [PMID: 34342877 PMCID: PMC8602020 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Eurasian deer are characterized by the extraordinary diversity of their vocal repertoires. Male sexual calls range from roars with relatively low fundamental frequency (hereafter fo ) in red deer Cervus elaphus, to moans with extremely high fo in sika deer Cervus nippon, and almost infrasonic groans with exceptionally low fo in fallow deer Dama dama. Moreover, while both red and fallow males are capable of lowering their formant frequencies during their calls, sika males appear to lack this ability. Female contact calls are also characterized by relatively less pronounced, yet strong interspecific differences. The aim of this study is to examine the anatomical bases of these inter-specific and inter-sexual differences by identifying if the acoustic variation is reflected in corresponding anatomical variation. To do this, we investigated the vocal anatomy of male and female specimens of each of these three species. Across species and sexes, we find that the observed acoustic variability is indeed related to expected corresponding anatomical differences, based on the source-filter theory of vocal production. At the source level, low fo is associated with larger vocal folds, whereas high fo is associated with smaller vocal folds: sika deer have the smallest vocal folds and male fallow deer the largest. Red and sika deer vocal folds do not appear to be sexually dimorphic, while fallow deer exhibit strong sexual dimorphism (after correcting for body size differences). At the filter level, the variability in formants is related to the configuration of the vocal tract: in fallow and red deer, both sexes have evolved a permanently descended larynx (with a resting position of the larynx much lower in males than in females). Both sexes also have the potential for momentary, call-synchronous vocal tract elongation, again more pronounced in males than in females. In contrast, the resting position of the larynx is high in both sexes of sika deer and the potential for further active vocal tract elongation is virtually absent in both sexes. Anatomical evidence suggests an evolutionary reversal in larynx position within sika deer, that is, a secondary larynx ascent. Together, our observations confirm that the observed diversity of vocal behaviour in polygynous deer is supported by strong anatomical differences, highlighting the importance of anatomical specializations in shaping mammalian vocal repertoires. Sexual selection is discussed as a potential evolutionary driver of the observed vocal diversity and sexual dimorphisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roland Frey
- Department of Reproduction ManagementLeibniz Institute of Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW)BerlinGermany
| | - Megan Tompkins Wyman
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental ScienceUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Malcolm Johnston
- Clinical Imaging Sciences CentreUniversity of SussexBrightonUK
- Department of RadiologyBrighton and Sussex University HospitalsBrightonUK
| | - Michael Schofield
- Genome Damage and Stability CentreSchool of Life SciencesUniversity of SussexBrightonUK
| | - Yann Locatelli
- Réserve de la Haute ToucheMuséum National d’Histoire NaturelleObterreFrance
| | - David Reby
- Equipe de Neuro‐Ethologie Sensorielle (ENES)/Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon (CRNL)University of Saint‐Étienne, CNRS UMR5292, INSERM UMR_S 1028Saint‐ÉtienneFrance
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Effect of pitch range on dogs' response to conspecific vs. heterospecific distress cries. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19723. [PMID: 34611191 PMCID: PMC8492669 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98967-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Distress cries are emitted by many mammal species to elicit caregiving attention. Across taxa, these calls tend to share similar acoustic structures, but not necessarily frequency range, raising the question of their interspecific communicative potential. As domestic dogs are highly responsive to human emotional cues and experience stress when hearing human cries, we explore whether their responses to distress cries from human infants and puppies depend upon sharing conspecific frequency range or species-specific call characteristics. We recorded adult dogs' responses to distress cries from puppies and human babies, emitted from a loudspeaker in a basket. The frequency of the cries was presented in both their natural range and also shifted to match the other species. Crucially, regardless of species origin, calls falling into the dog call-frequency range elicited more attention. Thus, domestic dogs' responses depended strongly on the frequency range. Females responded both faster and more strongly than males, potentially reflecting asymmetries in parental care investment. Our results suggest that, despite domestication leading to an increased overall responsiveness to human cues, dogs still respond considerably less to calls in the natural human infant range than puppy range. Dogs appear to use a fast but inaccurate decision-making process to determine their response to distress-like vocalisations.
Collapse
|
15
|
Friend or foe: Risso's dolphins eavesdrop on conspecific sounds to induce or avoid intra-specific interaction. Anim Cogn 2021; 25:287-296. [PMID: 34406542 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01535-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/18/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The detection and use of emitters' signals by unintended receivers, i.e., eavesdropping, represents an important and often low-cost way for animals to gather information from their environment. Acoustic eavesdropping can be a key driver in mediating intra- and interspecific interactions (e.g., cooperation, predator-prey systems), specifically in species such as cetaceans that use sound as a primary sensory modality. While most cetacean species produce context-specific sounds, little is known about the use of those sounds by potential conspecific eavesdroppers. We experimentally tested the hypothesis that a social cetacean, Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus), is able to gather biologically relevant information by eavesdropping on conspecific sounds. We conducted playback experiments on free-ranging dolphins using three context-specific sounds stimuli and monitored their horizontal movement using visual or airborne focal follow observations. We broadcasted natural sequences of conspecific foraging sounds potentially providing an attractive dinner bell signal (n = 7), male social sounds simulating a risk of forthcoming agonistic interaction (n = 7) and female-calf social sounds representing no particularly threatening context (n = 7). We developed a quantitative movement response score and tested whether animals changed their direction of horizontal movement towards or away from the playback source. Dolphins approached the foraging and the social female-calf sounds whereas they avoided the social male sounds. Hence, by acoustically eavesdropping on conspecifics, dolphins can discriminate between social and behavioural contexts and anticipate potential threatening or beneficial situations. Eavesdropping and the ensuing classification of 'friend or foe' can thus shape intra-specific social interactions in cetaceans.
Collapse
|
16
|
Gultekin YB, Hildebrand DGC, Hammerschmidt K, Hage SR. High plasticity in marmoset monkey vocal development from infancy to adulthood. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/27/eabf2938. [PMID: 34193413 PMCID: PMC8245035 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abf2938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The vocal behavior of human infants undergoes marked changes across their first year while becoming increasingly speech-like. Conversely, vocal development in nonhuman primates has been assumed to be largely predetermined and completed within the first postnatal months. Contradicting this assumption, we found a dichotomy between the development of call features and vocal sequences in marmoset monkeys, suggestive of a role for experience. While changes in call features were related to physical maturation, sequences of and transitions between calls remained flexible until adulthood. As in humans, marmoset vocal behavior developed in stages correlated with motor and social development stages. These findings are evidence for a prolonged phase of plasticity during marmoset vocal development, a crucial primate evolutionary preadaptation for the emergence of vocal learning and speech.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yasemin B Gultekin
- Neurobiology of Social Communication, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Center, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - David G C Hildebrand
- Laboratory of Neural Systems, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Kurt Hammerschmidt
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Steffen R Hage
- Neurobiology of Social Communication, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Center, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
The role of learning, acoustic similarity and phylogenetic relatedness in the recognition of distress calls in birds. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
|
18
|
Semantic Space Theory: A Computational Approach to Emotion. Trends Cogn Sci 2020; 25:124-136. [PMID: 33349547 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2020.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2020] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Within affective science, the central line of inquiry, animated by basic emotion theory and constructivist accounts, has been the search for one-to-one mappings between six emotions and their subjective experiences, prototypical expressions, and underlying brain states. We offer an alternative perspective: semantic space theory. This computational approach uses wide-ranging naturalistic stimuli and open-ended statistical techniques to capture systematic variation in emotion-related behaviors. Upwards of 25 distinct varieties of emotional experience have distinct profiles of associated antecedents and expressions. These emotions are high-dimensional, categorical, and often blended. This approach also reveals that specific emotions, more than valence, organize emotional experience, expression, and neural processing. Overall, moving beyond traditional models to study broader semantic spaces of emotion can enrich our understanding of human experience.
Collapse
|
19
|
Dezecache G, Zuberbühler K, Davila-Ross M, Dahl CD. A machine learning approach to infant distress calls and maternal behaviour of wild chimpanzees. Anim Cogn 2020; 24:443-455. [PMID: 33094407 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01437-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Distress calls are an acoustically variable group of vocalizations ubiquitous in mammals and other animals. Their presumed function is to recruit help, but there has been much debate on whether the nature of the disturbance can be inferred from the acoustics of distress calls. We used machine learning to analyse episodes of distress calls of wild infant chimpanzees. We extracted exemplars from those distress call episodes and examined them in relation to the external event triggering them and the distance to the mother. In further steps, we tested whether the acoustic variants were associated with particular maternal responses. Our results suggest that, although infant chimpanzee distress calls are highly graded, they can convey information about discrete problems experienced by the infant and about distance to the mother, which in turn may help guide maternal parenting decisions. The extent to which mothers rely on acoustic cues alone (versus integrate other contextual-visual information) to decide upon intervening should be the focus of future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Dezecache
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland. .,Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda. .,Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, England, UK. .,Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, LAPSCO, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
| | - Klaus Zuberbühler
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.,Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda.,School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, UK
| | - Marina Davila-Ross
- Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, England, UK
| | - Christoph D Dahl
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland. .,Graduate Institute of Mind, Brain and Consciousness, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan. .,Brain and Consciousness Research Center, Taipei Medical University, Shuang-Ho Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Postal O, Dupont T, Bakay W, Dominique N, Petit C, Michalski N, Gourévitch B. Spontaneous Mouse Behavior in Presence of Dissonance and Acoustic Roughness. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:588834. [PMID: 33132864 PMCID: PMC7578920 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.588834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
According to a novel hypothesis (Arnal et al., 2015, Current Biology 25:2051-2056), auditory roughness, or temporal envelope modulations between 30 and 150 Hz, are present in both natural and artificial human alarm signals, which boosts the detection of these alarms in various tasks. These results also shed new light on the unpleasantness of dissonant sounds to humans, which builds upon the high level of roughness present in such sounds. However, it is not clear whether this hypothesis also applies to other species, such as rodents. In particular, whether consonant/dissonant chords, and particularly whether auditory roughness, can trigger unpleasant sensations in mice remains unknown. Using an autonomous behavioral system, which allows the monitoring of mouse behavior over a period of weeks, we observed that C57Bl6J mice did not show any preference for consonant chords. In addition, we found that mice showed a preference for rough sounds over sounds having amplitude modulations in their temporal envelope outside the "rough" range. These results suggest that some emotional features carried by the acoustic temporal envelope are likely to be species-specific.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Postal
- Institut de l’Audition, Institut Pasteur, INSERM, Paris, France
- Sorbonne Université, Collège Doctoral, Paris, France
| | - Typhaine Dupont
- Institut de l’Audition, Institut Pasteur, INSERM, Paris, France
| | - Warren Bakay
- Institut de l’Audition, Institut Pasteur, INSERM, Paris, France
| | - Noémi Dominique
- Institut de l’Audition, Institut Pasteur, INSERM, Paris, France
| | - Christine Petit
- Institut de l’Audition, Institut Pasteur, INSERM, Paris, France
- Syndrome de Usher et Autres Atteintes Rétino-Cochléaires, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
- Collège de France, Paris, France
| | | | - Boris Gourévitch
- Institut de l’Audition, Institut Pasteur, INSERM, Paris, France
- CNRS, Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Lehoczki F, Szenczi P, Bánszegi O, Lakatos K, Faragó T. Cross-species effect of separation calls: family dogs’ reactions to pup, baby, kitten and artificial sounds. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
|
22
|
Fernandez AA, Knörnschild M. Pup Directed Vocalizations of Adult Females and Males in a Vocal Learning Bat. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
|
23
|
Filippi P. Emotional Voice Intonation: A Communication Code at the Origins of Speech Processing and Word-Meaning Associations? JOURNAL OF NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10919-020-00337-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The aim of the present work is to investigate the facilitating effect of vocal emotional intonation on the evolution of the following processes involved in language: (a) identifying and producing phonemes, (b) processing compositional rules underlying vocal utterances, and (c) associating vocal utterances with meanings. To this end, firstly, I examine research on the presence of these abilities in animals, and the biologically ancient nature of emotional vocalizations. Secondly, I review research attesting to the facilitating effect of emotional voice intonation on these abilities in humans. Thirdly, building on these studies in animals and humans, and through taking an evolutionary perspective, I provide insights for future empirical work on the facilitating effect of emotional intonation on these three processes in animals and preverbal humans. In this work, I highlight the importance of a comparative approach to investigate language evolution empirically. This review supports Darwin’s hypothesis, according to which the ability to express emotions through voice modulation was a key step in the evolution of spoken language.
Collapse
|
24
|
Hissing like a snake: bird hisses are similar to snake hisses and prompt similar anxiety behavior in a mammalian model. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2778-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
|
25
|
Gasco A, Ferro HF, Monticelli PF. The communicative life of a social carnivore: acoustic repertoire of the ring-tailed coati ( Nasua nasua). BIOACOUSTICS 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2018.1477618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Aline Gasco
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Science and Letter of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Humberto F. Ferro
- Department of Electronic Systems Engineering, Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Patricia F. Monticelli
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Science and Letter of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Dogs' sensitivity to strange pup separation calls: pitch instability increases attention regardless of sex and experience. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
|
27
|
Raine J, Pisanski K, Bond R, Simner J, Reby D. Human roars communicate upper-body strength more effectively than do screams or aggressive and distressed speech. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0213034. [PMID: 30830931 PMCID: PMC6398857 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite widespread evidence that nonverbal components of human speech (e.g., voice pitch) communicate information about physical attributes of vocalizers and that listeners can judge traits such as strength and body size from speech, few studies have examined the communicative functions of human nonverbal vocalizations (such as roars, screams, grunts and laughs). Critically, no previous study has yet to examine the acoustic correlates of strength in nonverbal vocalisations, including roars, nor identified reliable vocal cues to strength in human speech. In addition to being less acoustically constrained than articulated speech, agonistic nonverbal vocalizations function primarily to express motivation and emotion, such as threat, and may therefore communicate strength and body size more effectively than speech. Here, we investigated acoustic cues to strength and size in roars compared to screams and speech sentences produced in both aggressive and distress contexts. Using playback experiments, we then tested whether listeners can reliably infer a vocalizer's actual strength and height from roars, screams, and valenced speech equivalents, and which acoustic features predicted listeners' judgments. While there were no consistent acoustic cues to strength in any vocal stimuli, listeners accurately judged inter-individual differences in strength, and did so most effectively from aggressive voice stimuli (roars and aggressive speech). In addition, listeners more accurately judged strength from roars than from aggressive speech. In contrast, listeners' judgments of height were most accurate for speech stimuli. These results support the prediction that vocalizers maximize impressions of physical strength in aggressive compared to distress contexts, and that inter-individual variation in strength may only be honestly communicated in vocalizations that function to communicate threat, particularly roars. Thus, in continuity with nonhuman mammals, the acoustic structure of human aggressive roars may have been selected to communicate, and to some extent exaggerate, functional cues to physical formidability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Raine
- Mammal Vocal Communication and Cognition Research Group, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Katarzyna Pisanski
- Mammal Vocal Communication and Cognition Research Group, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
- Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, ENES/Neuro-PSI CNRS UMR 9197, Bioacoustics Team, University of Lyon/Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France
| | - Rod Bond
- Mammal Vocal Communication and Cognition Research Group, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Julia Simner
- MULTISENSE Research Lab, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - David Reby
- Mammal Vocal Communication and Cognition Research Group, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Neural processes of vocal social perception: Dog-human comparative fMRI studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 85:54-64. [PMID: 29287629 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2017] [Revised: 11/20/2017] [Accepted: 11/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In this review we focus on the exciting new opportunities in comparative neuroscience to study neural processes of vocal social perception by comparing dog and human neural activity using fMRI methods. The dog is a relatively new addition to this research area; however, it has a large potential to become a standard species in such investigations. Although there has been great interest in the emergence of human language abilities, in case of fMRI methods, most research to date focused on homologue comparisons within Primates. By belonging to a very different clade of mammalian evolution, dogs could give such research agendas a more general mammalian foundation. In addition, broadening the scope of investigations into vocal communication in general can also deepen our understanding of human vocal skills. Being selected for and living in an anthropogenic environment, research with dogs may also be informative about the way in which human non-linguistic and linguistic signals are represented in a mammalian brain without skills for language production.
Collapse
|
29
|
Brudzynski SM. Emission of 22 kHz vocalizations in rats as an evolutionary equivalent of human crying: Relationship to depression. Behav Brain Res 2019; 363:1-12. [PMID: 30677449 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.01.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Revised: 01/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
There is no clear relationship between crying and depression based on human neuropsychiatric observations. This situation originates from lack of suitable animal models of human crying. In the present article, an attempt will be made to answer the question whether emission of rat aversive vocalizations (22 kHz calls) may be regarded as an evolutionary equivalent of adult human crying. Using this comparison, the symptom of crying in depressed human patients will be reanalyzed. Numerous features and characteristics of rat 22 kHz aversive vocalizations and human crying vocalizations are equivalent. Comparing evolutionary, biological, physiological, neurophysiological, social, pharmacological, and pathological aspects have shown vast majority of common features. It is concluded that emission of rat 22 kHz vocalizations may be treated as an evolutionary vocal homolog of human crying, although emission of 22 kHz calls is not exactly the same phenomenon because of significant differences in cognitive processes between these species. It is further concluded that rat 22 kHz vocalizations and human crying vocalizations are both expressing anxiety and not depression. Analysis of the relationship between anxiety and depression reported in clinical studies supports this conclusion regardless of the nature and extent of comorbidity between these pathological states.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefan M Brudzynski
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Marsh AA. The Caring Continuum: Evolved Hormonal and Proximal Mechanisms Explain Prosocial and Antisocial Extremes. Annu Rev Psychol 2019; 70:347-371. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-103010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Implicit in the long-standing disagreements about whether humans’ fundamental nature is predominantly caring or callous is an assumption of uniformity. This article reviews evidence that instead supports inherent variation in caring motivation and behavior. The continuum between prosocial and antisocial extremes reflects variation in the structure and function of neurohormonal systems originally adapted to motivate parental care and since repurposed to support generalized forms of care. Extreme social behaviors such as extraordinary acts of altruism and aggression can often be best understood as reflecting variation in the neural systems that support care. A review of comparative, developmental, and neurobiological research finds consistent evidence that variations in caring motivations and behavior reflect individual differences in sensitivity to cues that signal vulnerability and distress and in the tendency to generalize care outward from socially close to distant others. The often complex relationships between caring motivation and various forms of altruism and aggression are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Abigail A. Marsh
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Briefer EF. Vocal contagion of emotions in non-human animals. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 285:rspb.2017.2783. [PMID: 29491174 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.2783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 02/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Communicating emotions to conspecifics (emotion expression) allows the regulation of social interactions (e.g. approach and avoidance). Moreover, when emotions are transmitted from one individual to the next, leading to state matching (emotional contagion), information transfer and coordination between group members are facilitated. Despite the high potential for vocalizations to influence the affective state of surrounding individuals, vocal contagion of emotions has been largely unexplored in non-human animals. In this paper, I review the evidence for discrimination of vocal expression of emotions, which is a necessary step for emotional contagion to occur. I then describe possible proximate mechanisms underlying vocal contagion of emotions, propose criteria to assess this phenomenon and review the existing evidence. The literature so far shows that non-human animals are able to discriminate and be affected by conspecific and also potentially heterospecific (e.g. human) vocal expression of emotions. Since humans heavily rely on vocalizations to communicate (speech), I suggest that studying vocal contagion of emotions in non-human animals can lead to a better understanding of the evolution of emotional contagion and empathy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elodie F Briefer
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 2, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Potter HG, Ashbrook DG, Hager R. Offspring genetic effects on maternal care. Front Neuroendocrinol 2019; 52:195-205. [PMID: 30576700 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2018.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2018] [Revised: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Parental care is found widely across animal taxa and is manifest in a range of behaviours from basic provisioning in cockroaches to highly complex behaviours seen in mammals. The evolution of parental care is viewed as the outcome of an evolutionary cost/benefit trade-off between investing in current and future offspring, leading to the selection of traits in offspring that influence parental behaviour. Thus, level and quality of parental care are affected by both parental and offspring genetic differences that directly and indirectly influence parental care behaviour. While significant research effort has gone into understanding how parental genomes affect parental, and mostly maternal, behaviour, few studies have investigated how offspring genomes affect parental care. In this review, we bring together recent findings across different fields focussing on the mechanism and genetics of offspring effects on maternal care in mammals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Harry G Potter
- Division of Evolution and Genomic Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine, and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom.
| | - David G Ashbrook
- Department of Genetics, Genomics and Informatics, Translational Science Research Building, Room 415, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 71 S Manassas St, Memphis, TN 38103, United States
| | - Reinmar Hager
- Division of Evolution and Genomic Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine, and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Ashbrook DG, Roy S, Clifford BG, Riede T, Scattoni ML, Heck DH, Lu L, Williams RW. Born to Cry: A Genetic Dissection of Infant Vocalization. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:250. [PMID: 30420800 PMCID: PMC6216097 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Infant vocalizations are one of the most fundamental and innate forms of behavior throughout avian and mammalian orders. They have a critical role in motivating parental care and contribute significantly to fitness and reproductive success. Dysregulation of these vocalizations has been reported to predict risk of central nervous system pathologies such as hypoxia, meningitis, or autism spectrum disorder. Here, we have used the expanded BXD family of mice, and a diallel cross between DBA/2J and C57BL/6J parental strains, to begin the process of genetically dissecting the numerous facets of infant vocalizations. We calculate heritability, estimate the role of parent-of-origin effects, and identify novel quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that control ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) on postnatal days 7, 8, and 9; a stage that closely matches human infants at birth. Heritability estimates for the number and frequency of calls are low, suggesting that these traits are under high selective pressure. In contrast, duration and amplitude of calls have higher heritabilities, indicating lower selection, or their importance for kin recognition. We find suggestive evidence that amplitude of infant calls is dependent on the maternal genotype, independent of shared genetic variants. Finally, we identify two loci on Chrs 2 and 14 influencing call frequency, and a third locus on Chr 8 influencing the amplitude of vocalizations. All three loci contain strong candidate genes that merit further analysis. Understanding the genetic control of infant vocalizations is not just important for understanding the evolution of parent–offspring interactions, but also in understanding the earliest innate behaviors, the development of parent–offspring relations, and the early identification of behavioral abnormalities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David George Ashbrook
- Department of Genetics, Genomics and Informatics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Snigdha Roy
- Department of Genetics, Genomics and Informatics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Brittany G Clifford
- Department of Genetics, Genomics and Informatics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Tobias Riede
- Department of Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ, United States
| | - Maria Luisa Scattoni
- Research Coordination and Support Service, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Detlef H Heck
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Lu Lu
- Department of Genetics, Genomics and Informatics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, United States.,Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Robert W Williams
- Department of Genetics, Genomics and Informatics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, United States.,Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, United States
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Sibiryakova OV, Volodin IA, Volodina EV. Advertising individual identity by mother and adolescent contact calls in Siberian wapiti Cervus elaphus sibiricus. Ethology 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Olga V. Sibiryakova
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology; Lomonosov Moscow State University; Moscow Russia
| | - Ilya A. Volodin
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology; Lomonosov Moscow State University; Moscow Russia
- Scientific Research Department; Moscow Zoo; Moscow Russia
| | | |
Collapse
|
35
|
Morton CL, Hinch G, Small A, McDonald PG. Flawed mothering or infant signaling? The effects of deficient acoustic cues on ovine maternal response. Dev Psychobiol 2018; 60:975-988. [PMID: 30098006 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Revised: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The neonate distress cry, which displays a similar acoustic structure across a range of mammalian species, is highly effective in attracting, even compelling, parental care. However, if this cry is defective, as found in human and rodent neonates with poor neurobehavioral function, is the signal less enticing? Using playback recordings of a ewe's own co-twins as stimuli in a two choice test, we compared the preference of each sheep dam for acoustic features of lamb distress calls to assess the impact of signal quality on maternal response. The results of this study indicate that lamb vocalizations with acoustic parameters reflecting poor vocal fold engagement and arousal were less likely to be preferred by their dam. Additionally, these calls were associated with delayed vocal initiation and poor infant survival behavior suggestive of subtle cognitive deficit; and support the possibility that, as in deer and rodents, ovine vocalizations within a specific fundamental frequency range may well be a trigger for optimal maternal behavior. This research has important implications for understanding failed maternal-young interactions in ungulate and other species, and for verifying standardization of infant stimuli used in maternal behavior studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christine L Morton
- Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Geoff Hinch
- Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Alison Small
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Paul G McDonald
- Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Raine
- Mammal Vocal Communication and Cognition Research Group, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Katarzyna Pisanski
- Mammal Vocal Communication and Cognition Research Group, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Julia Simner
- MULTISENSE Research Lab, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - David Reby
- Mammal Vocal Communication and Cognition Research Group, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Filippi P, Congdon JV, Hoang J, Bowling DL, Reber SA, Pašukonis A, Hoeschele M, Ocklenburg S, de Boer B, Sturdy CB, Newen A, Güntürkün O. Humans recognize emotional arousal in vocalizations across all classes of terrestrial vertebrates: evidence for acoustic universals. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.0990. [PMID: 28747478 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2017] [Accepted: 06/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Writing over a century ago, Darwin hypothesized that vocal expression of emotion dates back to our earliest terrestrial ancestors. If this hypothesis is true, we should expect to find cross-species acoustic universals in emotional vocalizations. Studies suggest that acoustic attributes of aroused vocalizations are shared across many mammalian species, and that humans can use these attributes to infer emotional content. But do these acoustic attributes extend to non-mammalian vertebrates? In this study, we asked human participants to judge the emotional content of vocalizations of nine vertebrate species representing three different biological classes-Amphibia, Reptilia (non-aves and aves) and Mammalia. We found that humans are able to identify higher levels of arousal in vocalizations across all species. This result was consistent across different language groups (English, German and Mandarin native speakers), suggesting that this ability is biologically rooted in humans. Our findings indicate that humans use multiple acoustic parameters to infer relative arousal in vocalizations for each species, but mainly rely on fundamental frequency and spectral centre of gravity to identify higher arousal vocalizations across species. These results suggest that fundamental mechanisms of vocal emotional expression are shared among vertebrates and could represent a homologous signalling system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Piera Filippi
- Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium .,Center for Mind, Brain and Cognitive Evolution, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany.,Brain and Language Research Institute, Aix-Marseille University, Avenue Pasteur 5, 13604 Aix-en-Provence, France.,Department of Language and Cognition, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Wundtlaan 1, 6525 XD, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jenna V Congdon
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, P217 Biological Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E9
| | - John Hoang
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, P217 Biological Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E9
| | - Daniel L Bowling
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Stephan A Reber
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Andrius Pašukonis
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Marisa Hoeschele
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Sebastian Ocklenburg
- Department of Biopsychology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - Bart de Boer
- Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Christopher B Sturdy
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, P217 Biological Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E9.,Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, 4-120 Katz Group Center, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E1
| | - Albert Newen
- Center for Mind, Brain and Cognitive Evolution, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany.,Department of Philosophy II, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - Onur Güntürkün
- Center for Mind, Brain and Cognitive Evolution, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany.,Department of Biopsychology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Ben-Aderet T, Gallego-Abenza M, Reby D, Mathevon N. Dog-directed speech: why do we use it and do dogs pay attention to it? Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2016.2429. [PMID: 28077769 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2016] [Accepted: 12/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Pet-directed speech is strikingly similar to infant-directed speech, a peculiar speaking pattern with higher pitch and slower tempo known to engage infants' attention and promote language learning. Here, we report the first investigation of potential factors modulating the use of dog-directed speech, as well as its immediate impact on dogs' behaviour. We recorded adult participants speaking in front of pictures of puppies, adult and old dogs, and analysed the quality of their speech. We then performed playback experiments to assess dogs' reaction to dog-directed speech compared with normal speech. We found that human speakers used dog-directed speech with dogs of all ages and that the acoustic structure of dog-directed speech was mostly independent of dog age, except for sound pitch which was relatively higher when communicating with puppies. Playback demonstrated that, in the absence of other non-auditory cues, puppies were highly reactive to dog-directed speech, and that the pitch was a key factor modulating their behaviour, suggesting that this specific speech register has a functional value in young dogs. Conversely, older dogs did not react differentially to dog-directed speech compared with normal speech. The fact that speakers continue to use dog-directed with older dogs therefore suggests that this speech pattern may mainly be a spontaneous attempt to facilitate interactions with non-verbal listeners.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tobey Ben-Aderet
- Department of Psychology, City University of New York, Hunter College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mario Gallego-Abenza
- Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, ENES/Neuro-PSI CNRS UMR9197, University of Lyon/Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France
| | - David Reby
- School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QH, UK
| | - Nicolas Mathevon
- Department of Psychology, City University of New York, Hunter College, New York, NY, USA .,Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, ENES/Neuro-PSI CNRS UMR9197, University of Lyon/Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
The Concept of Ethotransmission: Rapid Emotional Communication. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-809600-0.00010-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
|
40
|
Bornstein MH, Putnick DL, Rigo P, Esposito G, Swain JE, Suwalsky JTD, Su X, Du X, Zhang K, Cote LR, De Pisapia N, Venuti P. Neurobiology of culturally common maternal responses to infant cry. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:E9465-E9473. [PMID: 29078366 PMCID: PMC5692572 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1712022114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
This report coordinates assessments of five types of behavioral responses in new mothers to their own infants' cries with neurobiological responses in new mothers to their own infants' cries and in experienced mothers and inexperienced nonmothers to infant cries and other emotional and control sounds. We found that 684 new primipara mothers in 11 countries (Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, France, Kenya, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and the United States) preferentially responded to their infants' vocalizing distress by picking up and holding and by talking to their infants, as opposed to displaying affection, distracting, or nurturing. Complementary functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) analyses of brain responses to their own infants' cries in 43 new primipara US mothers revealed enhanced activity in concordant brain territories linked to the intention to move and to speak, to process auditory stimulation, and to caregive [supplementary motor area (SMA), inferior frontal regions, superior temporal regions, midbrain, and striatum]. Further, fMRI brain responses to infant cries in 50 Chinese and Italian mothers replicated, extended, and, through parcellation, refined the results. Brains of inexperienced nonmothers activated differently. Culturally common responses to own infant cry coupled with corresponding fMRI findings to own infant and to generic infant cries identified specific, common, and automatic caregiving reactions in mothers to infant vocal expressions of distress and point to their putative neurobiological bases. Candidate behaviors embedded in the nervous systems of human caregivers lie at the intersection of evolutionary biology and developmental cultural psychology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marc H Bornstein
- Child and Family Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD 20892;
| | - Diane L Putnick
- Child and Family Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Paola Rigo
- Child and Family Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD 20892
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, I-38068 Trento, Italy
- Division of Psychology, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798
| | - Gianluca Esposito
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, I-38068 Trento, Italy
- Division of Psychology, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798
| | - James E Swain
- Stony Brook University Hospital Medical Center, Stony Brook, NY 11794
| | - Joan T D Suwalsky
- Child and Family Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Xueyun Su
- East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Xiaoxia Du
- East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Kaihua Zhang
- East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Linda R Cote
- Department of Psychology, Marymount University, Arlington, VA 22207
| | - Nicola De Pisapia
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, I-38068 Trento, Italy
| | - Paola Venuti
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, I-38068 Trento, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Brefczynski-Lewis JA, Lewis JW. Auditory object perception: A neurobiological model and prospective review. Neuropsychologia 2017; 105:223-242. [PMID: 28467888 PMCID: PMC5662485 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.04.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2016] [Revised: 04/27/2017] [Accepted: 04/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Interaction with the world is a multisensory experience, but most of what is known about the neural correlates of perception comes from studying vision. Auditory inputs enter cortex with its own set of unique qualities, and leads to use in oral communication, speech, music, and the understanding of emotional and intentional states of others, all of which are central to the human experience. To better understand how the auditory system develops, recovers after injury, and how it may have transitioned in its functions over the course of hominin evolution, advances are needed in models of how the human brain is organized to process real-world natural sounds and "auditory objects". This review presents a simple fundamental neurobiological model of hearing perception at a category level that incorporates principles of bottom-up signal processing together with top-down constraints of grounded cognition theories of knowledge representation. Though mostly derived from human neuroimaging literature, this theoretical framework highlights rudimentary principles of real-world sound processing that may apply to most if not all mammalian species with hearing and acoustic communication abilities. The model encompasses three basic categories of sound-source: (1) action sounds (non-vocalizations) produced by 'living things', with human (conspecific) and non-human animal sources representing two subcategories; (2) action sounds produced by 'non-living things', including environmental sources and human-made machinery; and (3) vocalizations ('living things'), with human versus non-human animals as two subcategories therein. The model is presented in the context of cognitive architectures relating to multisensory, sensory-motor, and spoken language organizations. The models' predictive values are further discussed in the context of anthropological theories of oral communication evolution and the neurodevelopment of spoken language proto-networks in infants/toddlers. These phylogenetic and ontogenetic frameworks both entail cortical network maturations that are proposed to at least in part be organized around a number of universal acoustic-semantic signal attributes of natural sounds, which are addressed herein.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julie A Brefczynski-Lewis
- Blanchette Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Department of Physiology, Pharmacology, & Neuroscience, West Virginia University, PO Box 9229, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
| | - James W Lewis
- Blanchette Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Department of Physiology, Pharmacology, & Neuroscience, West Virginia University, PO Box 9229, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Lundgren EJ, Moeller KT. Anti-Predator Strategies of, and Possible Thanatosis in, Juvenile Collared Peccaries (Pecari tajacu). SOUTHWEST NAT 2017. [DOI: 10.1894/0038-4909-62.3.235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erick J. Lundgren
- Arizona State University, School of Life Sciences, 427 East Tyler Mall, 320, Tempe, AZ 85287
| | - Karla T. Moeller
- Arizona State University, School of Life Sciences, 427 East Tyler Mall, 320, Tempe, AZ 85287
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Campbell N, Deane C, Murphy P. The sounds of nanotechnology. NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY 2017; 12:606-610. [PMID: 28681856 DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2017.142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Norah Campbell
- Trinity Business School, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Cormac Deane
- Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Co. Dublin, Ireland
| | - Padraig Murphy
- School of Communications, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 7, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Koutseff A, Reby D, Martin O, Levrero F, Patural H, Mathevon N. The acoustic space of pain: cries as indicators of distress recovering dynamics in pre-verbal infants. BIOACOUSTICS 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2017.1344931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Koutseff
- Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, ENES/Neuro-PSI CNRS UMR9197, University of Lyon/Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France
| | - David Reby
- School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | | | - Florence Levrero
- Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, ENES/Neuro-PSI CNRS UMR9197, University of Lyon/Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France
| | - Hugues Patural
- SNA-EPIS EA4607, University of Lyon/Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France
| | - Nicolas Mathevon
- Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, ENES/Neuro-PSI CNRS UMR9197, University of Lyon/Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Filippi P, Gogoleva SS, Volodina EV, Volodin IA, de Boer B. Humans identify negative (but not positive) arousal in silver fox vocalizations: implications for the adaptive value of interspecific eavesdropping. Curr Zool 2017; 63:445-456. [PMID: 29492004 PMCID: PMC5804197 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zox035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2016] [Accepted: 05/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to identify emotional arousal in heterospecific vocalizations may facilitate behaviors that increase survival opportunities. Crucially, this ability may orient inter-species interactions, particularly between humans and other species. Research shows that humans identify emotional arousal in vocalizations across multiple species, such as cats, dogs, and piglets. However, no previous study has addressed humans’ ability to identify emotional arousal in silver foxes. Here, we adopted low- and high-arousal calls emitted by three strains of silver fox—Tame, Aggressive, and Unselected—in response to human approach. Tame and Aggressive foxes are genetically selected for friendly and attacking behaviors toward humans, respectively. Unselected foxes show aggressive and fearful behaviors toward humans. These three strains show similar levels of emotional arousal, but different levels of emotional valence in relation to humans. This emotional information is reflected in the acoustic features of the calls. Our data suggest that humans can identify high-arousal calls of Aggressive and Unselected foxes, but not of Tame foxes. Further analyses revealed that, although within each strain different acoustic parameters affect human accuracy in identifying high-arousal calls, spectral center of gravity, harmonic-to-noise ratio, and F0 best predict humans’ ability to discriminate high-arousal calls across all strains. Furthermore, we identified in spectral center of gravity and F0 the best predictors for humans’ absolute ratings of arousal in each call. Implications for research on the adaptive value of inter-specific eavesdropping are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Piera Filippi
- Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.,Brain and Language Research Institute, Aix-Marseille University, Avenue Pasteur 5, 13604 Aix-en-Provence, France.,Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Department of Language and Cognition, Wundtlaan 1, 6525 XD, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Svetlana S Gogoleva
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorobievy Gory 1/12, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Elena V Volodina
- Scientific Research Department, Moscow Zoo, B. Gruzinskaya 1, 123242 Moscow, Russia
| | - Ilya A Volodin
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorobievy Gory 1/12, 119991 Moscow, Russia.,Scientific Research Department, Moscow Zoo, B. Gruzinskaya 1, 123242 Moscow, Russia
| | - Bart de Boer
- Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Faragó T, Takács N, Miklósi Á, Pongrácz P. Dog growls express various contextual and affective content for human listeners. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:170134. [PMID: 28573021 PMCID: PMC5451822 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/11/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Vocal expressions of emotions follow simple rules to encode the inner state of the caller into acoustic parameters, not just within species, but also in cross-species communication. Humans use these structural rules to attribute emotions to dog vocalizations, especially to barks, which match with their contexts. In contrast, humans were found to be unable to differentiate between playful and threatening growls, probably because single growls' aggression level was assessed based on acoustic size cues. To resolve this contradiction, we played back natural growl bouts from three social contexts (food guarding, threatening and playing) to humans, who had to rate the emotional load and guess the context of the playbacks. Listeners attributed emotions to growls according to their social contexts. Within threatening and playful contexts, bouts with shorter, slower pulsing growls and showing smaller apparent body size were rated to be less aggressive and fearful, but more playful and happy. Participants associated the correct contexts with the growls above chance. Moreover, women and participants experienced with dogs scored higher in this task. Our results indicate that dogs may communicate honestly their size and inner state in a serious contest situation, while manipulatively in more uncertain defensive and playful contexts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T. Faragó
- Department of Ethology, Biology Institute, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter stny. 1/C, Budapest, H-1117Hungary
| | - N. Takács
- Department of Ethology, Biology Institute, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter stny. 1/C, Budapest, H-1117Hungary
| | - Á. Miklósi
- Department of Ethology, Biology Institute, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter stny. 1/C, Budapest, H-1117Hungary
- MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Pázmány Péter stny. 1/C, Budapest, H-1117Hungary
| | - P. Pongrácz
- Department of Ethology, Biology Institute, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter stny. 1/C, Budapest, H-1117Hungary
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Volodin IA, Sibiryakova OV, Frey R, Efremova KO, Soldatova NV, Zuther S, Kisebaev TB, Salemgareev AR, Volodina EV. Individuality of distress and discomfort calls in neonates with bass voices: Wild-living goitred gazelles (Gazella subgutturosa) and saiga antelopes (Saiga tatarica). Ethology 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ilya A. Volodin
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology; Faculty of Biology; Lomonosov Moscow State University; Moscow Russia
- Scientific Research Department; Moscow Zoo; Moscow Russia
| | - Olga V. Sibiryakova
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology; Faculty of Biology; Lomonosov Moscow State University; Moscow Russia
| | - Roland Frey
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Berlin Germany
| | | | | | - Steffen Zuther
- Association for the Conservation of the Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK); Astana Kazakhstan
| | - Talgat B. Kisebaev
- Association for the Conservation of the Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK); Astana Kazakhstan
| | - Albert R. Salemgareev
- Association for the Conservation of the Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK); Astana Kazakhstan
| | | |
Collapse
|
48
|
Adult human perception of distress in the cries of bonobo, chimpanzee, and human infants. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blw016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
|
49
|
Konerding WS, Zimmermann E, Bleich E, Hedrich HJ, Scheumann M. Female cats, but not males, adjust responsiveness to arousal in the voice of kittens. BMC Evol Biol 2016; 16:157. [PMID: 27514377 PMCID: PMC4982004 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-016-0718-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Accepted: 07/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The infant cry is the most important communicative tool to elicit adaptive parental behaviour. Sex-specific adaptation, linked to parental investment, may have evolutionary shaped the responsiveness to changes in the voice of the infant cries. The emotional content of infant cries may trigger distinctive responsiveness either based on their general arousing properties, being part of a general affect encoding rule, or based on affective perception, linked to parental investment, differing between species. To address this question, we performed playback experiments using infant isolation calls in a species without paternal care, the domestic cat. We used kitten calls recorded in isolation contexts inducing either Low arousal (i.e., isolation only) or High arousal (i.e., additional handling), leading to respective differences in escape response of the kittens. We predicted that only females respond differently to playbacks of Low versus High arousal kitten isolation calls, based on sex-differences in parental investment. RESULTS Findings showed sex-specific responsiveness of adult cats listening to kitten isolation calls of different arousal conditions, with only females responding faster towards calls of the High versus the Low arousal condition. Breeding experience of females did not affect the result. Furthermore, female responsiveness correlated with acoustic parameters related to spectral characteristics of the fundamental frequency (F0): Females responded faster to kitten calls with lower F0 at call onset, lower minimum F0 and a steeper slope of the F0. CONCLUSIONS Our study revealed sex-specific differences in the responsiveness to kitten isolation calls of different arousal conditions independent of female breeding experience. The findings indicated that features of F0 are important to convey the arousal state of an infant. Taken together, the results suggest that differences in parental investment evolutionary shaped responsiveness (auditory sensitivity/ motivation) to infant calls in a sex-specific manner in the domestic cat.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wiebke S Konerding
- Institute of AudioNeuroTechnology and Department of Experimental Otology, ENT Clinics, Hannover Medical School, Stadtfelddamm 34, 30625, Hannover, Germany.,Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559, Hannover, Germany
| | - Elke Zimmermann
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559, Hannover, Germany
| | - Eva Bleich
- Institute for Laboratory Animal Science and Central Animal Facility, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Hans-Jürgen Hedrich
- Institute for Laboratory Animal Science and Central Animal Facility, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Marina Scheumann
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559, Hannover, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Labra A, Reyes-Olivares C, Weymann M. Asymmetric Response to Heterotypic Distress Calls in the LizardLiolaemus chiliensis. Ethology 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Antonieta Labra
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas; Facultad de Medicina; Universidad de Chile; Casilla 70005, Correo 7, Santiago Chile
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Bioscience; University of Oslo; P.O.Box 1066 Blinder, N-0316, Oslo Norway
| | - Claudio Reyes-Olivares
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas; Facultad de Medicina; Universidad de Chile; Casilla 70005, Correo 7, Santiago Chile
| | - Michael Weymann
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas; Facultad de Medicina; Universidad de Chile; Casilla 70005, Correo 7, Santiago Chile
| |
Collapse
|