Grace Zhu
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Thore Bergman
Co-Presenter:
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Psychology / LSA
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Oral5
Session: Session 6 – 4:40pm – 5:30 pm
Room: Breakout room 5
Authors: Nicki Guisneuf, Grace Zhu
Presenter: 2
Abstract
Human have a unique flexibility and ability to learn and modify language throughout our lives, and this raises an important evolutionary question: where did this come from? On the other hand, primate vocalizations are largely considered innate and inflexible. One area that does show some flexibility and ontogenetic plasticity is the usage and context of calls, with evidence across primate species that this aspect of communication develops more slowly than the vocal repertoire itself. Monkeys and apes show an extensive ability to modify their use of calls in different social contexts. We study this developmental plasticity using twitter vocalizations of white-face capuchins. A twitter (also referred to as trill) is a high frequency call consisting of rapid, pulsed elements. It is one of the first vocalizations produced by infants; among adults, it is commonly used to maintain contact and cohesion within a group and to initiate social function. It is also used during close range social interactions, apparently serving an important social function. We know much less about how juveniles use twitters, so the change from a largely social call in infants to a largely movement coordination call in adults remains unexplored. This raises the question: are twitter calls used in different contexts and for different purposes across developmental stages? In this project, we approach this question using two main data types—acoustic structure (from recordings), and contextual information, behaviors around the calls, and use or function (from focal data).
Interdisciplinary, Natural/Life Sciences
