Animal vocal sequences:not the Markov chains we thought they were
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 ass...
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ftunstandrewcris:oai:risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk:publications/160b2825-a7e5-4bb5-b1fc-c5562932d940 2023-05-15T17:53:51+02:00 Animal vocal sequences:not the Markov chains we thought they were Kershenbaum, Arik Bowles, Ann E. Freeberg, Todd M. Jin, Dezhe Z. Lameira, Adriano R. Bohn, Kirsten 2014-08-20 https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk/portal/en/researchoutput/animal-vocal-sequences(160b2825-a7e5-4bb5-b1fc-c5562932d940).html https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.1370 eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess Kershenbaum , A , Bowles , A E , Freeberg , T M , Jin , D Z , Lameira , A R & Bohn , K 2014 , ' Animal vocal sequences : not the Markov chains we thought they were ' , Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences , vol. 281 , no. 1792 . https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.1370 Language evolution Renewal process Vocal complexity article 2014 ftunstandrewcris https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.1370 2021-12-26T14:31:27Z 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. Article in Journal/Newspaper Orca Orcinus orca University of St Andrews: Research Portal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 281 1792 20141370 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of St Andrews: Research Portal |
op_collection_id |
ftunstandrewcris |
language |
English |
topic |
Language evolution Renewal process Vocal complexity |
spellingShingle |
Language evolution Renewal process Vocal complexity Kershenbaum, Arik Bowles, Ann E. Freeberg, Todd M. Jin, Dezhe Z. Lameira, Adriano R. Bohn, Kirsten Animal vocal sequences:not the Markov chains we thought they were |
topic_facet |
Language evolution Renewal process Vocal complexity |
description |
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. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Kershenbaum, Arik Bowles, Ann E. Freeberg, Todd M. Jin, Dezhe Z. Lameira, Adriano R. Bohn, Kirsten |
author_facet |
Kershenbaum, Arik Bowles, Ann E. Freeberg, Todd M. Jin, Dezhe Z. Lameira, Adriano R. Bohn, Kirsten |
author_sort |
Kershenbaum, Arik |
title |
Animal vocal sequences:not the Markov chains we thought they were |
title_short |
Animal vocal sequences:not the Markov chains we thought they were |
title_full |
Animal vocal sequences:not the Markov chains we thought they were |
title_fullStr |
Animal vocal sequences:not the Markov chains we thought they were |
title_full_unstemmed |
Animal vocal sequences:not the Markov chains we thought they were |
title_sort |
animal vocal sequences:not the markov chains we thought they were |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk/portal/en/researchoutput/animal-vocal-sequences(160b2825-a7e5-4bb5-b1fc-c5562932d940).html https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.1370 |
genre |
Orca Orcinus orca |
genre_facet |
Orca Orcinus orca |
op_source |
Kershenbaum , A , Bowles , A E , Freeberg , T M , Jin , D Z , Lameira , A R & Bohn , K 2014 , ' Animal vocal sequences : not the Markov chains we thought they were ' , Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences , vol. 281 , no. 1792 . https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.1370 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.1370 |
container_title |
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
container_volume |
281 |
container_issue |
1792 |
container_start_page |
20141370 |
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1766161557473984512 |