scholarly journals Evidence of joint commitment in great apes' natural joint actions

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphaela Heesen ◽  
Klaus Zuberbühler ◽  
Adrian Bangerter ◽  
Katia Iglesias ◽  
Federico Rossano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Research ◽  
Social Bonds ◽  
Great Apes ◽  
Body Part ◽  
Joint Commitment ◽  
Joint Actions ◽  
Evolutionary Origins ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Mutual Obligation ◽  
Previous Location

Human joint action seems special, as it is grounded in joint commitment—a sense of mutual obligation participants feel towards each other. Comparative research with humans and non-human great apes has typically investigated joint commitment by experimentally interrupting joint actions to study subjects’ resumption strategies. However, such experimental interruptions are human-induced, and thus the question remains of how great apes naturally handle interruptions. Here, we focus on naturally occurring interruptions of joint actions, grooming and play, in bonobos and chimpanzees. Similar to humans, both species frequently resumed interrupted joint actions (and the previous behaviours, like grooming the same body part region or playing the same play type) with their previous partners and at the previous location. Yet, the probability of resumption attempts was unaffected by social bonds or rank. Our data suggest that great apes experience something akin to joint commitment, for which we discuss possible evolutionary origins.

scholarly journals How apes get into and out of joint actions

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilie Genty ◽  
Raphaela Heesen ◽  
Jean-Pascal Guéry ◽  
Federico Rossano ◽  
Klaus Zuberbühler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Joint Action ◽  
Great Apes ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Joint Commitment ◽  
Shared Intentionality ◽  
Joint Actions ◽  
Joint Activities ◽  
Evolutionary Response ◽  
Action Coordination ◽  
Complex Joint

Abstract Compared to other animals, humans appear to have a special motivation to share experiences and mental states with others (Clark, 2006; Grice, 1975), which enables them to enter a condition of ‘we’ or shared intentionality (Tomasello & Carpenter, 2005). Shared intentionality has been suggested to be an evolutionary response to unique problems faced in complex joint action coordination (Levinson, 2006; Tomasello, Carpenter, Call, Behne, & Moll, 2005) and to be unique to humans (Tomasello, 2014). The theoretical and empirical bases for this claim, however, present several issues and inconsistencies. Here, we suggest that shared intentionality can be approached as an interactional achievement, and that by studying how our closest relatives, the great apes, coordinate joint action with conspecifics, we might demonstrate some correlate abilities of shared intentionality, such as the appreciation of joint commitment. We provide seven examples from bonobo joint activities to illustrate our framework.

scholarly journals Why intergroup variation matters for understanding behaviour

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 20190695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan P. Kaufhold ◽  
Edwin J. C. van Leeuwen
Keyword(s):  
Explanatory Variable ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Great Apes ◽  
Accurate Assessment ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Evolutionary Origins ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Human Animal ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Point Of Reference

Intergroup variation (IGV) refers to variation between different groups of the same species. While its existence in the behavioural realm has been expected and evidenced, the potential effects of IGV are rarely considered in studies that aim to shed light on the evolutionary origins of human socio-cognition, especially in our closest living relatives—the great apes. Here, by taking chimpanzees as a point of reference, we argue that (i) IGV could plausibly explain inconsistent research findings across numerous topics of inquiry (experimental/behavioural studies on chimpanzees), (ii) understanding the evolutionary origins of behaviour requires an accurate assessment of species' modes of behaving across different socio-ecological contexts, which necessitates a reliable estimation of variation across intraspecific groups, and (iii) IGV in the behavioural realm is increasingly likely to be expected owing to the progressive identification of non-human animal cultures. With these points, and by extrapolating from chimpanzees to generic guidelines, we aim to encourage researchers to explicitly consider IGV as an explanatory variable in future studies attempting to understand the socio-cognitive and evolutionary determinants of behaviour in group-living animals.

Laughing bonds

Kybernetes ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (8) ◽  
pp. 1292-1307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Navarro ◽  
Raquel del Moral ◽  
Pedro C. Marijuán
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Social Bonds ◽  
Emotional Problem ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Evolutionary Origins ◽  
The Social ◽  
Physical Form ◽  
Innate Behaviour ◽  
The Individual

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a new core hypothesis on laughter. It has been built by putting together ideas from several disciplines: neurodynamics, evolutionary neurobiology, social networks, and communication studies. The hypothesis focusses on the social nature of laughter and contributes to ascertain its evolutionary origins in connection with the cognitive and social-emotional functions it performs. Design/methodology/approach An in-depth examination of laughter in the social communication context and along the life cycle of the individual is performed. This instinctive behaviour that appears as a “virtual”, non-physical form of “grooming” would serve as a bond-making instrument in human groups. Further, the neurodynamic events underlying laughter production – and particularly the form of the neural entropy gradients – are congruent with a sentic hypothesis about the different emotional contents of laughter and their specific effects on bonding dynamics. Findings The new behavioural and neurodynamic tenets introduced about this unusual sound feature of our species justify the ubiquitous presence it has in social interactions at large and along the life cycle of the individual. Laughter, far from being a curious evolutionary relic or a rather inconsequential innate behaviour, should be considered as a highly efficient tool for inter-individual problem solving and for maintenance of social bonds. Originality/value Laughter, the authors would conclude, has been evolutionarily kept and augmented as an optimized tool for unconscious cognitive-emotional problem solving, and at the same time as a useful way to preserve the essential fabric of social bonds in close-knit groups and within human societies at large.

scholarly journals Meaningful call combinations and compositional processing in the southern pied babbler

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (21) ◽  
pp. 5976-5981 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Engesser ◽  
Amanda R. Ridley ◽  
Simon W. Townsend
Keyword(s):  
Expressive Power ◽  
Evolutionary Origins ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Dangerous Situation ◽  
Vocal System ◽  
Group Members ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Work Supports ◽  
Viable Mechanism ◽  
Order Structures

Language’s expressive power is largely attributable to its compositionality: meaningful words are combined into larger/higher-order structures with derived meaning. Despite its importance, little is known regarding the evolutionary origins and emergence of this syntactic ability. Although previous research has shown a rudimentary capability to combine meaningful calls in primates, because of a scarcity of comparative data, it is unclear to what extent analog forms might also exist outside of primates. Here, we address this ambiguity and provide evidence for rudimentary compositionality in the discrete vocal system of a social passerine, the pied babbler (Turdoides bicolor). Natural observations and predator presentations revealed that babblers produce acoustically distinct alert calls in response to close, low-urgency threats and recruitment calls when recruiting group members during locomotion. On encountering terrestrial predators, both vocalizations are combined into a “mobbing sequence,” potentially to recruit group members in a dangerous situation. To investigate whether babblers process the sequence in a compositional way, we conducted systematic experiments, playing back the individual calls in isolation as well as naturally occurring and artificial sequences. Babblers reacted most strongly to mobbing sequence playbacks, showing a greater attentiveness and a quicker approach to the loudspeaker, compared with individual calls or control sequences. We conclude that the sequence constitutes a compositional structure, communicating information on both the context and the requested action. Our work supports previous research suggesting combinatoriality as a viable mechanism to increase communicative output and indicates that the ability to combine and process meaningful vocal structures, a basic syntax, may be more widespread than previously thought.

scholarly journals Bonobos engage in joint commitment

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (51) ◽  
pp. eabd1306
Author(s):  
Raphaela Heesen ◽  
Adrian Bangerter ◽  
Klaus Zuberbühler ◽  
Federico Rossano ◽  
Katia Iglesias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Joint Action ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Social Activities ◽  
Joint Commitment ◽  
Joint Actions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Nonhuman Animals

Joint action is central to human nature, enabling collectives to achieve goals otherwise unreachable by individuals. It is enabled by humans’ capacity to understand and engage in joint commitments. Joint commitments are evidenced when partners in interrupted joint actions reengage one another. To date, there is no clear evidence whether nonhuman animals understand joint commitment, suggesting that only humans experience it. Here, we revisit this claim by interrupting bonobos engaged in social activities. Bonobos reliably resumed the activity, and the likelihood of resumption was higher for social compared to solitary activities. Furthermore, communicative efforts deployed to suspend and resume social activities varied depending on partners’ social relationships and interactive roles. Our results suggest that bonobos, like humans, engage in joint commitment and have some awareness of the social consequences of breaking it.

The Paracingulate Sulcus Is a Unique Feature of the Medial Frontal Cortex Shared by Great Apes and Humans

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Elaine N. Miller ◽  
Patrick R. Hof ◽  
Chet C. Sherwood ◽  
William D. Hopkins
Keyword(s):  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Great Apes ◽  
Hemispheric Lateralization ◽  
Medial Frontal Cortex ◽  
Evolutionary Origins ◽  
High Resolution Mri ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Variable Feature ◽  
Mri Scans

Primate brains display a wide range of variation in size and cerebral gyrification, leading to the appearance of novel sulci in particular groups of species. We investigated sulcal organization in the medial frontal cortex of great apes, with a particular focus on the paracingulate sulcus (PCGS). Until recently, the presence of the PCGS was thought to be a structural feature unique to the human brain. However, upon closer examination, the PCGS has been observed as a variable feature that also may appear in chimpanzee brains. To understand the evolutionary origins of the sulcal anatomy in the medial frontal cortex of apes, we examined high-resolution MRI scans for the presence or absence of the PCGS and, when present, measured its length in a sample of ape brains (chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, orangutans, gibbons, and siamangs). We found that the PCGS is variable in its appearance among these species, being present in 23 to 50% of great ape individuals depending on the species, but not present in gibbons or siamangs. We did not find population level hemispheric lateralization patterns or sex differences in PCGS presence across species, and we did not detect a relationship between cerebral volume and PCGS occurrence or length. Our data suggest that the PCGS is a common sulcal variant present in great apes and humans due to a shared evolutionary ancestry.

scholarly journals Evolutionary origins of music. Classical and recent hypotheses

2021 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-231
Author(s):  
Kasper Kalinowski ◽  
Agata Kozłowska ◽  
Marta Malesza ◽  
Dariusz P. Danel
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Social Bonds ◽  
Social Bonding ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Evolutionary Origins

Abstract The aim of this paper is to review recent hypotheses on the evolutionary origins of music in Homo sapiens, taking into account the most influential traditional hypotheses. To date, theories derived from evolution have focused primarily on the importance that music carries in solving detailed adaptive problems. The three most influential theoretical concepts have described the evolution of human music in terms of 1) sexual selection, 2) the formation of social bonds, or treated it 3) as a byproduct. According to recent proposals, traditional hypotheses are flawed or insufficient in fully explaining the complexity of music in Homo sapiens. This paper will critically discuss three traditional hypotheses of music evolution (music as an effect of sexual selection, a mechanism of social bonding, and a byproduct), as well as and two recent concepts of music evolution - music as a credible signal and Music and Social Bonding (MSB) hypothesis.

scholarly journals The natural history of musical rhythm: functional and mechanistic theories on the evolution of human rhythm cognition and the relevance of rhythmic animal behaviors

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela-Alina Sauciuc ◽  
Tomas Persson ◽  
Elainie Madsen
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Research ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Systematic Observation ◽  
Research Focus ◽  
Musical Rhythm ◽  
Evolutionary Study ◽  
Evolutionary Origins ◽  
History Of ◽  
Theoretical Proposal

There has recently been a growing interest to investigate rhythm cognition in nonhuman animals as a way of tracking the evolutionary origins of human musicality - i.e., the ability to perceive, enjoy and produce music. During the last two decades, there has been an explosion of theoretical proposals aimed at explaining why and how humans have evolved into musical beings, and the empirical comparative research has also gained momentum. In this paper, we focus on the rhythmic component of musicality, and review functional and mechanistic theoretical proposals on abilities regarded as prerequisites for perceiving and producing rhythmic structures similar to those encountered in music. For each theoretical proposal we also review supporting and contradictory empirical findings. To acknowledge that the evolutionary study of musicality requires an interdisciplinary approach, our review strives to cover perspectives and findings from as many disciplines as possible. We conclude with a research agenda that highlights relevant, yet thus far neglected topics in the comparative and evolutionary study of rhythm cognition. Specifically, we call for a widened research focus that will include additional rhythmic abilities besides entrainment, additional channels of perception and production besides the auditory and vocal ones, and a systematic focus on the functional contexts in which rhythmic signals spontaneously occur. With this expanded focus, and drawing from systematic observation and experimentation anchored in multiple disciplines, animal research is bound to generate many important insights into the adaptive pressures that forged the component abilities of human rhythm cognition and their (socio-)cognitive and (neuro-)biological underpinnings.

Aging, Life History, and Human Evolution

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard G. Bribiescas
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Comparative Research ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Great Apes ◽  
Population Variation ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Evolution Of Aging ◽  
Physical Degradation ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Over Time

Aging occurs in all sexually reproducing organisms. That is, physical degradation over time occurs from conception until death. While the life span of a species is often viewed as a benchmark of aging, the pace and intensity of physical degradation over time varies owing to environmental influences, genetics, allocation of energetic investment, and phylogenetic history. Significant variation in aging within mammals, primates, and great apes, including humans, is therefore common across species. The evolution of aging in the hominin lineage is poorly known; however, clues can be derived from the fossil record. Ongoing advances continue to shed light on the interactions between life-history variables such as reproductive effort and aging. This review presents our current understanding of the evolution of aging in humans, drawing on population variation, comparative research, trade-offs, and sex differences, as well as tissue-specific patterns of physical degradation. Implications for contemporary health challenges and the future of human evolutionary anthropology research are also discussed.

scholarly journals A split sex ratio in solitary and social nests of a facultatively social bee

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 20180740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam R. Smith ◽  
Karen M. Kapheim ◽  
Callum J. Kingwell ◽  
William T. Wcislo
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Kin Selection ◽  
Sweat Bee ◽  
Offspring Sex Ratio ◽  
Evolutionary Origins ◽  
Megalopta Genalis ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Offspring Sex ◽  
Reproductive Altruism ◽  
Social Bee

A classic prediction of kin selection theory is that a mixed population of social and solitary nests of haplodiploid insects should exhibit a split sex ratio among offspring: female biased in social nests, male biased in solitary nests. Here, we provide the first evidence of a solitary–social split sex ratio, using the sweat bee Megalopta genalis (Halictidae). Data from 2502 offspring collected from naturally occurring nests across 6 years spanning the range of the M. genalis reproductive season show that despite significant yearly and seasonal variation, the offspring sex ratio of social nests is consistently more female biased than in solitary nests. This suggests that split sex ratios may facilitate the evolutionary origins of cooperation based on reproductive altruism via kin selection.

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