Idiosyncratic gesture use in a mother-infant dyad in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in the wild
Abstract One promising method to tackle the question, “In which modality did language evolve?” is by studying the ontogenetic trajectory of signals in human’s closest living relatives, including chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Concerning gestures, current debates centre on four different hypotheses:...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Springer
2024-10-01
|
| Series: | Animal Cognition |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-024-01904-3 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832585595660009472 |
|---|---|
| author | Bas van Boekholt Isabelle Clark Nicole J. Lahiff Kevin C. Lee Katie E. Slocombe Claudia Wilke Simone Pika |
| author_facet | Bas van Boekholt Isabelle Clark Nicole J. Lahiff Kevin C. Lee Katie E. Slocombe Claudia Wilke Simone Pika |
| author_sort | Bas van Boekholt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract One promising method to tackle the question, “In which modality did language evolve?” is by studying the ontogenetic trajectory of signals in human’s closest living relatives, including chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Concerning gestures, current debates centre on four different hypotheses: “phylogenetic ritualization”, “social transmission through imitation”, “ontogenetic ritualization”, and “social negotiation”. These differ in their predictions regarding idiosyncratic gestures, making such occurrences a crucial area of investigation. Here, we describe a novel and potential idiosyncratic behaviour — ‘hand-on-eye’ — which was initially observed in one mother-infant dyad in a community of chimpanzees living in the wild. We systematically investigated the form, sequential organisation, intentionality, usage, function, and distribution of the behaviour over a five-year period. The results showed that ‘hand-on-eye’ was nearly exclusively deployed in a single mother-infant dyad, was accompanied by hallmarks of intentionality, and served to initiate or resume joint dorsal travel. Although the behaviour was observed once in each of three other mother-infant dyads, these lacked the same frequency and hallmarks of intentionality. ‘Hand-on-eye’ thus qualifies as an idiosyncratic gesture. The proposed developmental pathway gives support to both the “ontogenetic ritualization” and “social negotiation” hypotheses. It also stresses the crucial need for longitudinal approaches to tackle developmental processes that are triggered by unique circumstances and unfold over relatively long time windows. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cc5f7f79e6784964a23384d264fe7647 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1435-9456 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | Springer |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animal Cognition |
| spelling | doaj-art-cc5f7f79e6784964a23384d264fe76472025-01-26T12:43:47ZengSpringerAnimal Cognition1435-94562024-10-0127111210.1007/s10071-024-01904-3Idiosyncratic gesture use in a mother-infant dyad in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in the wildBas van Boekholt0Isabelle Clark1Nicole J. Lahiff2Kevin C. Lee3Katie E. Slocombe4Claudia Wilke5Simone Pika6Comparative BioCognition, Institute of Cognitive Science, Osnabrück UniversityDepartment of Anthropology, University of Texas at AustinDepartment of Psychology, University of YorkSchool of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State UniversityDepartment of Psychology, University of YorkDepartment of Psychology, University of YorkComparative BioCognition, Institute of Cognitive Science, Osnabrück UniversityAbstract One promising method to tackle the question, “In which modality did language evolve?” is by studying the ontogenetic trajectory of signals in human’s closest living relatives, including chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Concerning gestures, current debates centre on four different hypotheses: “phylogenetic ritualization”, “social transmission through imitation”, “ontogenetic ritualization”, and “social negotiation”. These differ in their predictions regarding idiosyncratic gestures, making such occurrences a crucial area of investigation. Here, we describe a novel and potential idiosyncratic behaviour — ‘hand-on-eye’ — which was initially observed in one mother-infant dyad in a community of chimpanzees living in the wild. We systematically investigated the form, sequential organisation, intentionality, usage, function, and distribution of the behaviour over a five-year period. The results showed that ‘hand-on-eye’ was nearly exclusively deployed in a single mother-infant dyad, was accompanied by hallmarks of intentionality, and served to initiate or resume joint dorsal travel. Although the behaviour was observed once in each of three other mother-infant dyads, these lacked the same frequency and hallmarks of intentionality. ‘Hand-on-eye’ thus qualifies as an idiosyncratic gesture. The proposed developmental pathway gives support to both the “ontogenetic ritualization” and “social negotiation” hypotheses. It also stresses the crucial need for longitudinal approaches to tackle developmental processes that are triggered by unique circumstances and unfold over relatively long time windows.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-024-01904-3Idiosyncratic gesturesGesture acquisitionChimpanzeesGesturesMother-infant interactionsEvolution of language |
| spellingShingle | Bas van Boekholt Isabelle Clark Nicole J. Lahiff Kevin C. Lee Katie E. Slocombe Claudia Wilke Simone Pika Idiosyncratic gesture use in a mother-infant dyad in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in the wild Animal Cognition Idiosyncratic gestures Gesture acquisition Chimpanzees Gestures Mother-infant interactions Evolution of language |
| title | Idiosyncratic gesture use in a mother-infant dyad in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in the wild |
| title_full | Idiosyncratic gesture use in a mother-infant dyad in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in the wild |
| title_fullStr | Idiosyncratic gesture use in a mother-infant dyad in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in the wild |
| title_full_unstemmed | Idiosyncratic gesture use in a mother-infant dyad in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in the wild |
| title_short | Idiosyncratic gesture use in a mother-infant dyad in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in the wild |
| title_sort | idiosyncratic gesture use in a mother infant dyad in chimpanzees pan troglodytes schweinfurthii in the wild |
| topic | Idiosyncratic gestures Gesture acquisition Chimpanzees Gestures Mother-infant interactions Evolution of language |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-024-01904-3 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT basvanboekholt idiosyncraticgestureuseinamotherinfantdyadinchimpanzeespantroglodytesschweinfurthiiinthewild AT isabelleclark idiosyncraticgestureuseinamotherinfantdyadinchimpanzeespantroglodytesschweinfurthiiinthewild AT nicolejlahiff idiosyncraticgestureuseinamotherinfantdyadinchimpanzeespantroglodytesschweinfurthiiinthewild AT kevinclee idiosyncraticgestureuseinamotherinfantdyadinchimpanzeespantroglodytesschweinfurthiiinthewild AT katieeslocombe idiosyncraticgestureuseinamotherinfantdyadinchimpanzeespantroglodytesschweinfurthiiinthewild AT claudiawilke idiosyncraticgestureuseinamotherinfantdyadinchimpanzeespantroglodytesschweinfurthiiinthewild AT simonepika idiosyncraticgestureuseinamotherinfantdyadinchimpanzeespantroglodytesschweinfurthiiinthewild |