154 research outputs found
Speech Communication
Contains research objectives and summary of research.National Institutes of Health (Grant 2 RO1 NS04332-11)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 RO1 NS04332-11)U. S. Navy Office of Naval Research (Contract ONR N00014-67-A-0204-0069
Givingâ and ârespondingâ differences in gestural communication between nonhuman great ape mothers and infants
In the first comparative analysis of its kind, we investigated gesture behavior and response
patterns in 25 captive ape mother-infant dyads (six bonobos, eight chimpanzees, three
gorillas, and eight orangutans). We examined i) how frequently mothers and infants gestured
to each other and to other group members; and ii) to what extent infants and mothers
responded to the gestural attempts of others. Our findings confirmed the hypothesis that
bonobo mothers were more proactive in their gesturing to their infants than the other species.
Yet mothers (from all four species) often did not respond to the gestures of their infants and
other group members. In contrast, infants âpervasivelyâ responded to gestures they received
from their mothers and other group members. We propose that infantsâ pervasive
responsiveness rather than the quality of mother investment and her responsiveness may be
crucial to communication development in nonhuman great apes
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