Nonhuman Primate Communication - Research Paper Example

Nonhuman Primate Communication: Introduction: Nonhuman primates communicate in a way that is significantly different from that of the humans in word, accent, style, complexity, expression, strength and diversity, though the communication is strong enough to ensure efficient conveyance of message from one member to another. There are about 190 to 400 different species of nonhuman primates that include but are not limited to monkeys, gorillas, chimpanzees, baboons, pottos, titis, mangabeys and lorises. (Anissimov, 2010). Each specie has developed its own signals that constitute the communicative patterns. There are different signals that address specific areas like conveying the message of likelihood of danger, discovery of food, water or shelter, expression of rage and call for love and mating. There are even signals that depict competition between members of same sex to attract a member from the opposite sex. Some signs are meant to display a wish for reconciliation in order to overcome temporary instability in the relationship between members of a couple. This paper tends to explore the various communicative patterns prevalent among different species of nonhuman primates. Gaining a concise perception of the messages encoded in the signals produced by the nonhuman primates while communicating is fundamental to understanding the lifestyle of nonhuman primates in general and the species studied in particular. Living trends among nonhuman primates: Before exploring the communicative trends among the nonhuman primates, it is customary to briefly discuss the living patterns of a few of them because the way they dwell has a huge impact on the way they communicate. A lot of research has been conducted to explore various concerns about nonhuman primates. Past studies have revealed that nearly all nonhuman primates dwell in small groups that socialize with one another and share messages, joys, sorrows and moments of special and ordinary significance. However, there are certain species whose members generally live a lonely life yet the members join one another for the purpose of mating or nurturing the offsprings. An example of such a primate is “orangutans”. On the other hand, there are certain species that generally live a social life and carry out frequent interaction with one another, though dwell in small groups whose members keep changing with the advent of time. “Chimpanzees” form one good example of such primates that dwell in such a manner. Other species of nonhuman primates like apes and monkeys display mixed patterns of social and non-social life off and on. “Most primate species use threatening gestures, stares, and poses to intimidate.” (Ginter, 2009). Communicative patterns: Nonhuman primates fundamentally make use of two systems for the delivery of message, namely signal and vocal. The first one of the two involves the use of physique and message is conveyed via body language. Primates interact with eyes, toes and such other body parts. The second system allows the primates to make use of vocal skills. Each of the species has its own volume and frequency of sound that forms a significant characteristic feature of that specie. Messages are vocalized in a large variety of situations and members of same specie are familiarized enough with the pattern to retrieve sufficient information from the vocal message. However, the messages exchanged by the nonhuman primates are free of constraints neither on the sending nor the receiving end. Constraints fundamentally surface in two ways, i.e. internal and external. The internal constraints constitute the central and peripheral processing systems of the various species while the external constraints include but are not limited to the distance between the communicating members, their environment, temperature, and medium of communication. (Egnor, Miller, and Hauser, n.d.). Difference between the communication of humans and nonhuman primates: There is a lot of difference between the communication between humans and that between nonhuman primates. Difference emerges from the varying patterns of socialization, existence and nonexistence of culture, habitat, food, behavioral traits and Intelligence Quotient (IQ) level that varies between humans and their nonhuman counterparts. A vast majority of nonhuman primates dwell in such a way that they have to interact with one another frequently because they are no defined rules to access things of common interest, whereas humans dwell in regulated systems with well defined rules that obviate the unnecessary communications among humans. Nonhuman primates rely on body language more than humans in order to communicate with one another. Instead, humans make use of vocal ability to communicate, though the passive role of physical actions in enhancing the interaction can not be denied. “Our speech is radically different from the hoots, howls, whistles, barks, slaps on the ground, and other sounds used by non-human primates to communicate.” (O’Neil, 2010). Portions of sounds that constitute human language can not be generalized to reflect particular meanings, which is one trait that is common between the verbal language of humans and the signatory language of the nonhuman primates. Same sounds produced in different words mean differently. Similarly same signals made in different scenarios in case of nonhuman primates mean differently. Humans make use of verbal language accompanied with facial expressions to convey the message of love and romance while nonhuman primates mostly rub their bodies against one another so as to symbolize love and association. The difference between the sounds produced by humans and nonhuman primates also gains strength from the natural difference between the construction of physical features of the two. A human being can not open the mouth as widely as a gorilla can. Controversies about nonhuman primates communication: A lot of controversies have emerged from past researches that have made an attempt to explore the communicative patterns of the nonhuman primates. Different theories have different standards to recognize the occurrence of communication between members of the nonhuman primates’ species. The Shannon-Weaver information theory emphasizes that communication can not be considered occurred as long as the information from the sender does not alter the receiver’s doubt regarding a particular event. On the contrary, Dawkins and Krebs (1978 cited in Egnor, Miller, and Hauser, n.d.) are of the view that the conventional veridical communication through a signal meant for a specific message can be violated by an intruder who generates similar message with a different intention. Also, same signals generated with varying intensity inculcate varying responses in the receivers. Hence, it is believed that communication does not fulfill the purpose for which it was made unless it generates a response in the receivers. Conclusion: Despite the innumerable studies that have been conducted to understand the behavior of nonhuman primates through the messages they exchange, the amount of information retrieved to date is quite limited and much needs to be explored about the communicative trends of nonhuman primates. Effectiveness of studies in exploring the subject has been limited by the availability and length-of-observation constraints. Nonhuman primates primarily do not show up as they would in case they did not notice a camera nearby. This limits the volume of information that can be retrieved when a primate notices a camera and the presence of an observing human in the vicinity. In other cases, when a nonhuman primate does not notice the presence of a human or a camera recording its actions, retrievable information is limited by the mobility of the primate and the length of time for which the observation is made. There is a large variety of signals that the primates generate in the dark or when they are not under the open sky. Hence, there are access constraints. All such constraints limit our knowledge of the unlimited signals that constitute the communicative patterns of nonhuman primates. Works cited: Anissimov, Michael. “What are Primates?” conjecture corporation. 8 sep. 2010. Web. 8 Nov. 2010. . Egnor Roian, Miller Cory, and Hauser Marc. “Nonhuman Primate Communication.” In: Encyclopedia of Language & Linguistics– Second Edition. Retrieved from http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/~mnkylab/publications/animalcommunication/Primat eComm_ElsevierEncy.pdf. Ginter, David. “Nonhuman Primate Communication: A Brief Sketch.” 26 Oct. 2009. Web. 8 Nov. 2010. . O’Neil, Dennis. “Communication.” 17 Sep. 2010. Web. 8 Nov. 2010. . Read More