Animal Behaviour

'Actor' transmits information through the environment to 'receiver'

'Receiver' receives information and make appropriate response

Humans are thought to be unique as we make intentional communication that is also not always directly related to survival e.g. gossip

Can, but doesnt have to, involve cognition 
   - different alarms for different predators, different responses
   - different in different contexts - victim vs aggressor, high vs low food

Auditory (something to hear)
Long range, fast rate of change, good ability to get past obstacles, medium locatability, high cost

Olfactory (something to smell)
Long range, slow rate of change, good ability to get past obstacles, variable locatability, low cost

Visual (something to see)
Medium range, fast rate of change, poor ability to get past obstacles, high locatability, low cost

Tactile (something to touch)
Short range, fast rate of change, poor ability to get past obstacle, high locatability, low cost

Humans                                                         Animals
   - speaking (auditory)                                     - wolf howling (auditory)
   - deodorant (olfactory)                                   - ants leaving chemical signals (olfactory)
   - waving (visual)                                            - bird displays (visual)
   - tap on the shoulder (tactile)                        - elephants touching trunks (tactile)

Ants have different communication dependent on usage (moving, temporary static, static)

Mangabey (monkey) has different frequencies for between groups and within groups - lower frequencies travel further

Hyenas have different calls for pack members and strangers  

Senses of a receiver can constrain evolution
Less evolutionary costly to use already evolved senses

Some signals are detectable by predators
   - hand signals, UV plumage in birds, scents

Targeted communication e.g. birds of paradise, anolid lizards

Intention communication - warnings, wing flick in birds to signal moving, play bow in dogs

Displacement activities = seemingly irrelevant actions
   - high arousal automatic nervous activities e.g. blushing, sweating, pacing, scratching, preening
   - indicate stress
   - conflict of different motivations

If movements/activities improve signal function, it is considered to be ritualised

Highly sterotyped, repetitive, exaggerated

1) reduces ambiguity - greater clarity, reduced information about motivation
2) manipulates - defence againt brood parasites (egg colouring), colouring mimicry (wasps and hoverflies), false alarms (meerkats and drongo), sexual swelling
3) honesty = reliable signs of quality - Zahavi Handicap hypothesis, gazelle stotting

Larger groups led to bigger brains - could this be for communication?

• Language differs by type or degree
• Intentionlity
• Complexity
• Displacement
• Changes how we think (cognition, memory)