scholarly journals Social complexity as a proximate and ultimate factor in communicative complexity

2012 ◽  
Vol 367 (1597) ◽  
pp. 1785-1801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd M. Freeberg ◽  
Robin I. M. Dunbar ◽  
Terry J. Ord
Keyword(s):  
Social Complexity ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Causal Factor ◽  
Human Language ◽  
The Social ◽  
Alternative Hypotheses ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Complexity Hypothesis ◽  
Complex Social Systems ◽  
Over Time

The ‘social complexity hypothesis’ for communication posits that groups with complex social systems require more complex communicative systems to regulate interactions and relations among group members. Complex social systems, compared with simple social systems, are those in which individuals frequently interact in many different contexts with many different individuals, and often repeatedly interact with many of the same individuals in networks over time. Complex communicative systems, compared with simple communicative systems, are those that contain a large number of structurally and functionally distinct elements or possess a high amount of bits of information. Here, we describe some of the historical arguments that led to the social complexity hypothesis, and review evidence in support of the hypothesis. We discuss social complexity as a driver of communication and possible causal factor in human language origins. Finally, we discuss some of the key current limitations to the social complexity hypothesis—the lack of tests against alternative hypotheses for communicative complexity and evidence corroborating the hypothesis from modalities other than the vocal signalling channel.

scholarly journals Tolerant and intolerant macaques show different levels of structural complexity in their vocal communication

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1928) ◽  
pp. 20200439
Author(s):  
Nancy Rebout ◽  
Arianna De Marco ◽  
Jean-Christophe Lone ◽  
Andrea Sanna ◽  
Roberto Cozzolino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Communication Systems ◽  
Social Complexity ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Rhesus Macaques ◽  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Social Tolerance ◽  
The Social ◽  
Vocal Signals ◽  
Complexity Hypothesis

We tested the social complexity hypothesis which posits that animals living in complex social environments should use complex communication systems. We focused on two components of vocal complexity: diversity (number of categories of calls) and flexibility (degree of gradation between categories of calls). We compared the acoustic structure of vocal signals in groups of macaques belonging to four species with varying levels of uncertainty (i.e. complexity) in social tolerance (the higher the degree of tolerance, the higher the degree of uncertainty): two intolerant species, Japanese and rhesus macaques, and two tolerant species, Tonkean and crested macaques. We recorded the vocalizations emitted by adult females in affiliative, agonistic and neutral contexts. We analysed several acoustic variables: call duration, entropy, time and frequency energy quantiles. The results showed that tolerant macaques displayed higher levels of vocal diversity and flexibility than intolerant macaques in situations with a greater number of options and consequences, i.e. in agonistic and affiliative contexts. We found no significant differences between tolerant and intolerant macaques in the neutral context where individuals are not directly involved in social interaction. This shows that species experiencing more uncertain social interactions displayed greater vocal diversity and flexibility, which supports the social complexity hypothesis.

scholarly journals Structural and functional complexity of vocalizations in a cooperatively breeding passerine, Jungle Babbler

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soniya Devi Yambem ◽  
Sonam Chorol ◽  
Manjari Jain
Keyword(s):  
Social Complexity ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Repertoire Size ◽  
Call Structure ◽  
The Social ◽  
Cooperatively Breeding ◽  
Complexity Hypothesis ◽  
And Function ◽  
Functionally Diverse

AbstractAnimal vocal communication ranges from simple to complex based on repertoire size, structure, and composition of calls and the information encoded in them. According to the social complexity hypothesis, communication complexity tends to increase with an increase in social complexity. While several studies on mammalian systems exist supporting this, evidence from avian systems is comparatively limited. Towards this, we present evidence for complex acoustic communication in a cooperatively breeding passerine, Jungle Babbler, based on three aspects of complexity: an extensive repertoire of acoustically-distinct calls, within-call structural complexity and the diverse behavioural contexts in which these calls are used. Jungle Babblers were found to possess a structurally and functionally diverse vocal repertoire comprising 15 different calls. Detailed acoustic analyses of multisyllabic calls revealed that these calls are composed of different notes. Further, despite a large number of notes present in the repertoire, the number of calls were limited to 15. This implies that there may be underlying rules that determine call composition to give rise to functional calls to which receivers respond. We also found that these calls were produced in a variety of affiliative and agonistic contexts and were employed towards coordination of diverse social behaviours including group movement, foraging, brood care, aggression and vigilance. Yet, 7 out of 15 vocalizations were produced in the context of vigilance. This disproportionate investment of vocalizations towards co-ordinated acoustic vigilance is characteristic of many cooperatively breeding birds. Our study extends support for the social complexity hypothesis and also lays the foundation for future investigations on combinatorial and syntactical rules underlying call structure and function in bird vocalizations.Significance statementStudies on vocal complexity in birds have focussed mainly on repertoire size, structure and function. However, fine temporal and spectral features of elements that constitute a call/song are rarely examined to evaluate vocal complexity. We examined complex communication in a cooperatively breeding social passerine, Jungle Babbler for which we assessed repertoire size, function, acoustic features of calls and of their constituent elements. Jungle Babblers were found to possess a structurally and functionally diverse vocal repertoire comprising of 15 calls, 46% of which were in the context of vigilance, thereby extending support to the social complexity hypothesis. We also found that several calls were composed of multiple, acoustically distinct notes. These findings will be foundational in understanding the interrelations between sociality and communicative complexity and underlying combinatorial rules that determine call structure and function.

scholarly journals Linking social complexity and vocal complexity: a parid perspective

2012 ◽  
Vol 367 (1597) ◽  
pp. 1879-1891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Indrikis Krams ◽  
Tatjana Krama ◽  
Todd M. Freeberg ◽  
Cecilia Kullberg ◽  
Jeffrey R. Lucas
Keyword(s):  
Social Complexity ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Review Literature ◽  
Physiological Factors ◽  
Poecile Carolinensis ◽  
The Social ◽  
Complexity Hypothesis ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Benefits And Costs ◽  
Vocal Complexity

The Paridae family (chickadees, tits and titmice) is an interesting avian group in that species vary in important aspects of their social structure and many species have large and complex vocal repertoires. For this reason, parids represent an important set of species for testing the social complexity hypothesis for vocal communication—the notion that as groups increase in social complexity, there is a need for increased vocal complexity. Here, we describe the hypothesis and some of the early evidence that supported the hypothesis. Next, we review literature on social complexity and on vocal complexity in parids, and describe some of the studies that have made explicit tests of the social complexity hypothesis in one parid—Carolina chickadees, Poecile carolinensis . We conclude with a discussion, primarily from a parid perspective, of the benefits and costs of grouping and of physiological factors that might mediate the relationship between social complexity and changes in signalling behaviour.

scholarly journals Individual, unit and vocal clan level identity cues in sperm whale codas

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 150372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shane Gero ◽  
Hal Whitehead ◽  
Luke Rendell
Keyword(s):  
Social Structure ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Social Complexity ◽  
Animal Communication ◽  
Sperm Whale ◽  
Ocean Basin ◽  
Photo Identification ◽  
The Social ◽  
Complexity Hypothesis ◽  
Social Units

The ‘social complexity hypothesis’ suggests that complex social structure is a driver of diversity in animal communication systems. Sperm whales have a hierarchically structured society in which the largest affiliative structures, the vocal clans, are marked on ocean-basin scales by culturally transmitted dialects of acoustic signals known as ‘codas’. We examined variation in coda repertoires among both individual whales and social units—the basic element of sperm whale society—using data from nine Caribbean social units across six years. Codas were assigned to individuals using photo-identification and acoustic size measurement, and we calculated similarity between repertoires using both continuous and categorical methods. We identified 21 coda types. Two of those (‘1+1+3’ and ‘5R 1 ’) made up 65% of the codas recorded, were shared across all units and have dominated repertoires in this population for at least 30 years. Individuals appear to differ in the way they produce ‘5R 1 ’ but not ‘1+1+3’ coda. Units use distinct 4-click coda types which contribute to making unit repertoires distinctive. Our results support the social complexity hypothesis in a marine species as different patterns of variation between coda types suggest divergent functions, perhaps representing selection for identity signals at several levels of social structure.

scholarly journals Colony size predicts division of labour in attine ants

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1793) ◽  
pp. 20141411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry Ferguson-Gow ◽  
Seirian Sumner ◽  
Andrew F. G. Bourke ◽  
Kate E. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Colony Size ◽  
Social Complexity ◽  
Inclusive Fitness ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Eusocial Insects ◽  
Attine Ants ◽  
Reproductive Division Of Labour ◽  
Complexity Hypothesis ◽  
Reproductive Division

Division of labour is central to the ecological success of eusocial insects, yet the evolutionary factors driving increases in complexity in division of labour are little known. The size–complexity hypothesis proposes that, as larger colonies evolve, both non-reproductive and reproductive division of labour become more complex as workers and queens act to maximize inclusive fitness. Using a statistically robust phylogenetic comparative analysis of social and environmental traits of species within the ant tribe Attini, we show that colony size is positively related to both non-reproductive (worker size variation) and reproductive (queen–worker dimorphism) division of labour. The results also suggested that colony size acts on non-reproductive and reproductive division of labour in different ways. Environmental factors, including measures of variation in temperature and precipitation, had no significant effects on any division of labour measure or colony size. Overall, these results support the size–complexity hypothesis for the evolution of social complexity and division of labour in eusocial insects. Determining the evolutionary drivers of colony size may help contribute to our understanding of the evolution of social complexity.

New research frameworks in the study of chimpanzee and gorilla sociality and communication

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam G. B. Roberts ◽  
Anna Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Social Evolution ◽  
Social Complexity ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
The Social ◽  
Human Social Evolution ◽  
Research Frameworks ◽  
New Research ◽  
Large Groups

Group size in primates is strongly correlated with brain size, but exactly what makes larger groups more ‘socially complex’ than smaller groups is still poorly understood. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) are among our closest living relatives and are excellent model species to investigate patterns of sociality and social complexity in primates, and to inform models of human social evolution. The aim of this paper is to propose new research frameworks, particularly the use of social network analysis, to examine how social structure differs in small, medium and large groups of chimpanzees and gorillas, to explore what makes larger groups more socially complex than smaller groups. Given a fission-fusion system is likely to have characterised hominins, a comparison of the social complexity involved in fission-fusion and more stable social systems is likely to provide important new insights into human social evolution

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