Ethology

Comparative Development of Communication: An Evolutionary Perspective

by Adolfo Perinat

2007. In J. Valsiner & A. Rosa (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Sociocultural Psychology (pp. 140-163). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to discuss the comparative development of commu- nication except from a... more It is difficult, if not impossible, to discuss the comparative development of commu- nication except from a phylogenetic standpoint. In this sense, the title ofthis chapter is redundant. Moreover, the comparative task is highly complicated. Is there any basis for comparison between the forms of communication used by arthropods, anurans, birds, or aquatic mammals, or between human or non-human primates7 And if there is, what is it? In an attempt to encompass the great diversity ofthe forms of communication that exist in the animal world, the definitions that have been proposed inevitably fall back upon generalities, making use of concepts like "transmission of information", "probability of response to a signal", "sharing elements of behavior", or "the means of achieving coordinated action". We are immediately confronted by a further difficulty: each species has evolved forms of communication that make use of the particular properties of its physical environment. Some species use a single dimension: visual, sonorous, olfactory, electrical, or echolocation. Others (the higher species) make simultaneous use of various dimensions. The type of communication found among organisms with simple nervous systems does not - and cannot - have the same properties and complexity as communication produced by central nervous systems. The immense diversity of communicative "forms" makes it impossible to define even minimally acceptable comparative criteria.

Axiomatizing Umwelt Normativity

by Marc Champagne

Published in Sign Systems Studies, vol. 39, no. 1 (2011), pp. 9-59.

Prompted by the thesis that an organism’s umwelt possesses not just a descriptive dimension, but a normative one as... more Prompted by the thesis that an organism’s umwelt possesses not just a descriptive dimension, but a normative one as well, some have sought to annex semiotics with ethics. Yet the pronouncements made in this vein have consisted mainly in rehearsing accepted moral intuitions, and have failed to concretely further our knowledge of why or how a creature comes to order objects in its environment in accordance with axiological charges of value or disvalue. For want of a more explicit account, theorists writing on the topic have relied almost exclusively on semiotic insights about perception originally designed as part of a sophisticated refutation of idealism. The end result, which has been a form of direct givenness, has thus been far from convincing. In an effort to bring substance to the right-headed suggestion that values are rooted in the biological and conform to species-specific requirements, we present a novel conception that strives to make explicit the elemental structure underlying umwelt normativity. Building and expanding on the seminal work of Ayn Rand in metaethics, we describe values as an intertwined lattice which takes a creature’s own embodied life as its ultimate standard; and endeavour to show how, from this, all subsequent valuations can in principle be determined.

Advertising and the Predation Loop: A Biosemiotic Model

by James Carney

Published in Biosemiotics, 2008 Published in Biosemiotics, 2008

Can the parthenogenetic marbled crayfish Marmorkrebs compete with other crayfish species in fights?

by Zen Faulkes

The locomotor toolbox of the spanner crab, Ranina ranina (brachyura, Raninidae)

by Zen Faulkes

Review of Anatomy of a Controversy: the Question of a'Language'Among Bees, by AM Wenner & PH Wells

by Zen Faulkes

Loss of escape responses and giant neurons in the tailflipping circuits of slipper lobsters, Ibacus spp.(Decapoda, Palinura, Scyllaridae)

by Zen Faulkes

Post-conflict behavior in brown capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella)

by João Daniel

Dominância e atracção social num grupo de macacos verdes (Cercopithecus aethiops) em cativeiro.

by João Daniel

Métodos de observação e análise para identificação das estruturas afiliativas de grupos de crianças em meio pré-escolar (*)

by João Daniel

Correlates of self-directed behaviors in captive Cercopithecus aethiops

by João Daniel

The role of contextual associations in producing the partial reinforcement acquisition deficit

by Gonzalo Miguez

Miguez, G., Witnauer, J., & Miller, R. R. (2012). The role of contextual associations in producing the partial reinforcement acquisition deficit. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes,38, 40-51.

Three conditioned suppression experiments with rats as subjects assessed the contributions of the conditioned stimulus... more Three conditioned suppression experiments with rats as subjects assessed the contributions of the conditioned stimulus (CS)– context and context– unconditioned stimulus (US) associations to the degraded stimulus control by the CS that is observed following partial reinforcement relative to continuous reinforcement training. In Experiment 1, posttraining associative deflation (i.e., extinction) of the training context after partial reinforcement restored responding to a level comparable to the one produced by continuous reinforcement. In Experiment 2, posttraining associative inflation of the context (achieved by administering unsignaled outcome presentations in the context) enhanced the detrimental effect of partial reinforcement. Experiment 3 found that the training context must be an effective competitor to produce the partial reinforcement acquisition deficit. When the context was down-modulated, the target regained behavioral control thereby demonstrating higher-order retrospective revaluation. The results are discussed in terms of retrospective revaluation, and are used to contrast the predictions of a performancefocused model with those of an acquisition-focused model.

Cross-modal individual recognition in domestic horses (Equus caballus)

by Leanne Proops

Attributing attention: the use of human-given cues by domestic horses (Equus caballus)

by Leanne Proops

Attributing attention: the use of human-given cues by domestic horses (Equus caballus)

by Leanne Proops

The use of human-given cues by domestic horses, Equus caballus, during an object choice task

by Leanne Proops

Mule cognition: a case of hybrid vigour?

by Leanne Proops

Gaspar, A.D. (1988). Estudo do Comportamento de uma Espécie de Peixes (Parablennius sanguinolentus) em Cativeiro. Revista Universitária de Psicologia 1(2):3-11.

by Augusta Gaspar

Compreender o comportamento animal

by Augusta Gaspar

Sexual differences in food re-caching by New Zealand robins

by Jayden van Horik

Burns, K.C & van Horik, J. 2007. Sexual differences in food re-caching by New Zealand robins (Petroica australis). Journal of Avian Biology. Vol. 38 (3): 394–398.