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Animal vocal sequences : not the Markov chains we thought they were

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Kershenbaum, Arik, Bowles, Ann E., Freeberg, Todd M., Jin, Dezhe Z., Lameira, Adriano R. and Bohn, Kirsten (2014) Animal vocal sequences : not the Markov chains we thought they were. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B: Biological Sciences, 281 (1792). 20141370. doi:10.1098/rspb.2014.1370 ISSN 0962-8452.

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.1370

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Abstract

Many animals produce vocal sequences that appear complex. Most researchers assume that these sequences are well characterized as Markov chains (i.e. that the probability of a particular vocal element can be calculated from the history of only a finite number of preceding elements). However, this assumption has never been explicitly tested. Furthermore, it is unclear how language could evolve in a single step from a Markovian origin, as is frequently assumed, as no intermediate forms have been found between animal communication and human language. Here, we assess whether animal taxa produce vocal sequences that are better described by Markov chains, or by non-Markovian dynamics such as the 'renewal process' (RP), characterized by a strong tendency to repeat elements. We examined vocal sequences of seven taxa: Bengalese finches Lonchura striata domestica, Carolina chickadees Poecile carolinensis, free-tailed bats Tadarida brasiliensis, rock hyraxes Procavia capensis, pilot whales Globicephala macrorhynchus, killer whales Orcinus orca and orangutans Pongo spp. The vocal systems of most of these species are more consistent with a non-Markovian RP than with the Markovian models traditionally assumed. Our data suggest that non-Markovian vocal sequences may be more common than Markov sequences, which must be taken into account when evaluating alternative hypotheses for the evolution of signalling complexity, and perhaps human language origins.

Item Type: Journal Article
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Q Science > QL Zoology
Divisions: Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Psychology
Journal or Publication Title: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B: Biological Sciences
Publisher: Royal Society of London
ISSN: 0962-8452
Official Date: October 2014
Dates:
DateEvent
October 2014Published
7 October 2014Available
24 July 2014Accepted
Volume: 281
Number: 1792
Article Number: 20141370
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.1370
Status: Peer Reviewed
Publication Status: Published
Access rights to Published version: Restricted or Subscription Access
Date of first compliant deposit: 18 October 2019
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