DOCSLIB.ORG

Planum Parietale of Chimpanzees and Orangutans: a Comparative Resonance of Human-Like Planum Temporale Asymmetry

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Planum Parietale of Chimpanzees and Orangutans: a Comparative Resonance of Human-Like Planum Temporale Asymmetry THE ANATOMICAL RECORD PART A 287A:1128–1141 (2005) Planum Parietale of Chimpanzees and Orangutans: A Comparative Resonance of Human-Like Planum Temporale Asymmetry 1 2 3 PATRICK J. GANNON, * NANCY M. KHECK, ALLEN R. BRAUN, AND RALPH L. HOLLOWAY4 1Department of Otolaryngology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 2Department of Medical Education, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 3National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, Bethesda, Maryland 4Department of Anthropology, Columbia University, New York, New York ABSTRACT We have previously demonstrated that leftward asymmetry of the planum temporale (PT), a brain language area, was not unique to humans since a similar condition is present in great apes. Here we report on a related area in great apes, the planum parietale (PP). PP in humans has a rightward asymmetry with no correlation to the LϾR PT, which indicates functional independence. The roles of the PT in human language are well known while PP is implicated in dyslexia and communication disorders. Since posterior bifurcation of the syl- vian fissure (SF) is unique to humans and great apes, we used it to determine characteristics of its posterior ascending ramus, an indicator of the PP, in chimpanzee and orangutan brains. Results showed a human-like pattern of RϾLPP(P ϭ 0.04) in chimpanzees with a nonsig- nificant negative correlation of LϾR PT vs. RϾLPP(CCϭϪ0.3; P ϭ 0.39). In orangutans, SF anatomy is more variable, although PP was nonsignificantly RϾL in three of four brains (P ϭ 0.17). We have now demonstrated human-like hemispheric asymmetry of a second language-related brain area in great apes. Our findings persuasively support an argument for addition of a new component to the comparative neuroanatomic complex that defines brain language or polymodal communication areas. PP strengthens the evolutionary links that living great apes may offer to better understand the origins of these progressive parts of the brain. Evidence mounts for the stable expression of a neural foundation for language in species that we recently shared a common ancestor with. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Key words: brain language areas; evolution; polymodal language; primates; dyslexia; comparative neurobiology; great apes Abbreviations: AG, angular gyrus; CS, central sulcus; cm, cen- *Correspondence to: Patrick J. Gannon, Department of Otolar- timeters; G-V, gestural visual communication; HG, Heschl’s gy- yngology, Annenberg 10 (1189), Mount Sinai School of Medicine, rus; HlSF, horizontal limb of the sylvian fissure (lateral fissure); 5th Avenue at 100th Street, New York, NY 10029. Fax: 212-831- IP, inferior parietal gyrus; L, left hemisphere; PCS, postcentral 3700. E-mail: [email protected] sulcus; parSF, posterior ascending ramus (limb) of the sylvian Received 16 August 2005; Accepted 17 August 2005 fissure; pdrSF, posterior descending ramus (limb) of the sylvian fissure (lateral fissure); SMG, supramarginal gyrus; SyP, sylvian DOI 10.1002/ar.a.20256 point; STG, superior temporal gyrus; V-A, vocal auditory commu- Published online 7 October 2005 in Wiley InterScience nication. (www.interscience.wiley.com). © 2005 WILEY-LISS, INC. GREAT APE BRAIN LANGUAGE AREAS 1129 The evolutionary origin of human brain language areas evolutionary foundation of neural specializations for com- is an issue that has captured the interest of many groups munication, or species-specific language in nonhuman pri- of scientists, in particular comparative and paleoneurolo- mates. Here we have continued our comparative anatomic gists, physical anthropologists, primatologists, linguists, analysis of brain language areas in representatives of and paleolinguists. Some have addressed this subject by closely related nonhuman primates, the great apes. Ana- studying the human fossil record to capture the only direct tomic indicators of traditional human-like brain language evidence from human ancestors (Holloway, 1976, 1983; areas such as the sylvian fissure, Heschl’s gyrus, the areas Tobias, 1987; Tattersall, 2004). In this report, we have of Wernicke and Broca, and the plana temporale and used the comparative approach to assess the anatomic parietale may allow us to build a platform on which the representation of a newly described area of the brain, the cross-specific neurobiological origins of language can be planum parietale, which is thought to be involved with logically reconstructed. As we review some of these ana- polymodal language functions in humans. First we will tomic indicators and examples of the functions and disor- briefly review current thinking of some key components in ders that help characterize them in humans, the subse- the comparative functional anatomy armamentarium for quent step to a comparative link is inherently speculative. evolutionary origins of brain language areas, the sylvian However, in many cases, new avenues of exploration such fissure, the planum temporale, and the planum parietale. as novel behavioral paradigms or utilization of functional The comparative approach has proven to be a useful imaging (PET or MRI) in living nonhuman primates may complement to assess the expression and transition of key be strongly indicated to provide functional correlates of neural elements within an evolutionary framework. Using anatomic homologs. this approach, the expression of human-like features in homologous brain regions of primates may indicate that a Sylvian Fissure precursor condition was present in a common ancestor A wealth of information has been derived from reports possibly many millions of years ago. However, the com- of the symmetry vs. asymmetry status of the sylvian fis- parative approach also recognizes the fact that evolution sure that adjoins receptive brain language area homologs is based on the concept of a foundation that underlies a in hominoids and other primates. As stated by LeMay subsequent species-specific and progressive building plan. (1976): “The most striking and consistently present cere- As such, homologous brain regions, although similarly bral asymmetries found in adult and fetal brains are in rooted, may have adapted differently to encompass the the region of the posterior end of the sylvian fissures—the unique form of the communication demands within other- areas generally regarded as being of major importance in wise closely genetically related species. language function.” A study of humans demonstrated that At the higher cognitive level, the key research issues are sylvian fissure (SF) LϾR asymmetry was present in al- not related to whether complex vocal-auditory (V-A; spo- most 70% of brains (Rubens et al., 1976). This pronounced ken-heard) or gestural-visual (G-V; gestured/signed/writ- asymmetry, although present in newborns (Witelson and ten-seen) language is unique to humans since of course it Pallie, 1973), becomes progressively pronounced through is. Evolutionarily, the seminal question, at least for homi- adolescence to adulthood and may be related to later ex- noids, is when might the neural foundation have become pression of cognitive advancements during maturation specialized to conduct lateralized higher-order associative (Sowell et al., 2002). This developmental occurrence has processing of V-A, G-V, or even polymodal communication. yet to be studied in great apes. One of the earliest com- This is particularly compelling since functional activation parative studies of the cerebral cortex of great apes and of human brain language areas seems to be equipotential New and Old World monkeys showed no consistent pat- across modalities (Emmorey et al., 2003). tern of SF asymmetry in apes where it was longer on the A recent timely review and synthesis (Hauser et al., right in orangutans but on the left in chimpanzees (Cun- 2002) dealt with these important issues by separating the ningham, 1892). Another comparative report demon- communicative repertoire of humans and nonhuman pri- strated that although humans showed marked leftward mates into two major categories, the faculty of language in asymmetry of the SF, chimpanzees did also but to a lesser the broad sense (FLB) and the narrow sense (FLN) (see degree, whereas macaques showed no asymmetry (Yeni- also Pinker and Jackendoff, 2005). FLN alone was consid- Komshian and Benson, 1976). Similarly, it was reported ered human-like since it involves recursive processes that that this condition was present in great apes, particularly provide “the capacity to generate an infinite range of ex- common in orangutans and not surprisingly also in “fossil pressions from a finite set of elements,” which may per- man” (LeMay, 1976). Our more recent studies of the syl- haps represent interpretations of Chomsky’s (1975) ear- vian fissure and the planum temporale (PT) area homolog lier compelling theories of the language organ and (area Tpt) in two species of Old World monkeys showed transformational grammar, in broader, more utilizable that although there were no asymmetries at the gross comparative terms. More recently, a newly conceptualized anatomic level that would indicate leftward predominance perspective on the human language organ was presented of the homolog, there were significant LϾR asymmetries (Anderson and Lightfoot, 2000). However, here we use the and heterogeneity at the cytoarchitectonic level (Gannon standard Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of lan- et al., 1999, 2001a, 2001b; Kheck et al., 2000). guage as “a systematic means of communicating ideas or It is well accepted that in humans
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Use of Non-Human Primates in Research in Primates Non-Human of Use The
    The use of non-human primates in research The use of non-human primates in research A working group report chaired by Sir David Weatherall FRS FMedSci Report sponsored by: Academy of Medical Sciences Medical Research Council The Royal Society Wellcome Trust 10 Carlton House Terrace 20 Park Crescent 6-9 Carlton House Terrace 215 Euston Road London, SW1Y 5AH London, W1B 1AL London, SW1Y 5AG London, NW1 2BE December 2006 December Tel: +44(0)20 7969 5288 Tel: +44(0)20 7636 5422 Tel: +44(0)20 7451 2590 Tel: +44(0)20 7611 8888 Fax: +44(0)20 7969 5298 Fax: +44(0)20 7436 6179 Fax: +44(0)20 7451 2692 Fax: +44(0)20 7611 8545 Email: E-mail: E-mail: E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Web: www.acmedsci.ac.uk Web: www.mrc.ac.uk Web: www.royalsoc.ac.uk Web: www.wellcome.ac.uk December 2006 The use of non-human primates in research A working group report chaired by Sir David Weatheall FRS FMedSci December 2006 Sponsors’ statement The use of non-human primates continues to be one the most contentious areas of biological and medical research. The publication of this independent report into the scientific basis for the past, current and future role of non-human primates in research is both a necessary and timely contribution to the debate. We emphasise that members of the working group have worked independently of the four sponsoring organisations. Our organisations did not provide input into the report’s content, conclusions or recommendations.
    [Show full text]
  • Bonobos and Chimpanzees: How Similar Is Their Cognition and Temperament? a Large, Continuous, and Stable Population of Eastern C
    window, the owner removed the monkey seconds after the killing and thus the eating of the prey was interrupted. Here, we report that pygmy marmosets in the Kristiansand Zoo in Norway reg- ularly kill and eat different species of healthy, free-living birds. We present what, to our knowl- edge, are the first systematic data collected on this behaviour. We describe the patterns of bird consumption by the monkeys. Pygmy marmosets are the smallest monkey species and thus their bird hunting behaviour is especially interesting since they are about the same size as the birds they prey upon. It has been proposed that humans are unique among primates for their ability to hunt prey that equals or exceeds their own body size. We discuss the implications that hunting of prey of equal body size by pygmy marmosets has for human evolution. Bonobos and Chimpanzees: How Similar Is Their Cognition and Temperament? Esther Herrmann Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany E-Mail: eherrman @ eva.mpg.de Key Words: Cognition · Temperament · Chimpanzees · Bonobos Despite the evolutionary closeness of bonobos (Pan paniscus) and chimpanzees (Pan tro- glodytes) , the behaviour of these two Pan species differs in crucial ways. A few key differences were revealed when both species were compared on a wide range of cognitive problems testing their understanding of the physical and social world (Herrmann et al., 2010). The tests of physi- cal cognition consisted of problems concerning space, quantity, tools and causality, while those of social cognition covered social learning, communication, and Theory of Mind tasks. A further comparison of bonobos and chimpanzees in two main temperamental components, reactivity and self-regulation (Rothbart and Derryberry, 1981), was conducted to investigate other possible species differences.
    [Show full text]
  • A Developmental Model for the Evolution of Language And
    rilE BEHAVIORAL AND BRAIN SCIENCES (1979), 2, 367-408 Printed in the United States of Amenca A develOI)mental model for the evolution of language and intelliJgence in early hominids Sue Taylor Parker Department of Anthropology, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, Calif. 94928 Kathleen Rita Gibson Department of Anatomy, University of Texas, Dental Branch, Houston, Texas 77025 Abstract: This paper presents a model for the nature and adaptive significance of intelligence and language in early hominids based on comparative developmental, ecological, and neurological data. We propose that the common ancestor of the great apes and man displayed rudimentary forms of late sensorimotor and early preoperational intelligence similar to that of one- to four-year-old children. These abilities arose as adaptations for extractive foraging with tools, which requires a long postweaning apprenticeship. They were elaborated in the first hominids with the: shift to primary dependence on this feeding strategy. These first hominids evolved a protolanguage, similar to that of two-year-old human children, with which they could describe the nature and location of food and request help in obtaining it. The descendents of the first hominJids displayed intuitive intelligence, similar to that of four- to seven-year-old children, which arose as an adaptation for complex hunting involving aimed-missile throwing, stone-tool manufacture, animal butchery, food division, and shelter construction. The comparative developmental and paleontological data are consistent
    [Show full text]
  • Durham Research Online
    Durham Research Online Deposited in DRO: 19 July 2016 Version of attached le: Accepted Version Peer-review status of attached le: Peer-reviewed Citation for published item: Lameira, A. and Hardus, M.E. and Mielke, A. and Wich, S.A. and Shumaker, R.W. (2016) 'Vocal fold control beyond the species-specic repertoire in an orang-utan.', Scientic reports., 6 . p. 30315. Further information on publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep30315 Publisher's copyright statement: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Additional information: Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. Durham University Library, Stockton Road, Durham DH1 3LY, United Kingdom Tel : +44 (0)191 334 3042 | Fax : +44 (0)191 334 2971 https://dro.dur.ac.uk 1 Vocal fold control beyond the species-specific repertoire in an orang-utan 2 3 4 Authors: Adriano R.
    [Show full text]
  • 5Th Congress of the European Federation for Primatology
    Abstracts Folia Primatol 2013;84:239–346 Published online: August 10, 2013 DOI: 10.1159/000354129 5th Congress of the European Federation for Primatology Antwerp, Belgium, September 10–13, 2013 Editors: Kristiaan D’Août, Jeroen Stevens, Antwerp, Belgium Prevalence of Helminthes Infection among Non-Human Primates in Southwest Nigeria Aderotimi Adejiyigbe a , Babafemi Ogunjemite b a Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, and b Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria E-Mail: ogunjemitebg @ conserveteam.org Key Words: Zoological gardens · Parasitic infection · Season We sampled three selected zoological gardens in southwestern Nigeria with the aim of docu- menting the prevalence of helminth parasite infections in their non-human primates and assessing the risk of transmission to humans. We subjected freshly voided faecal samples of the primates to diagnostic tests, namely modified formal ether sedimentation, floatation technique and larvae fae- cal culture method to facilitate helminth identification. Six helminths were identified in the pri- mates. These were Taenia sp., Strongyloides sp . , Heterodera sp . , Trichuris trichuria , Ancylostoma duodenale and Ascaris sp . We observed the highest prevalence (40%) in the primates at Oyo Themes Parks and Gardens Zoo, followed by 16.6% in the primates at the University of Ibadan Zoo, while 0% was recorded in primates at the Obafemi Awolowo University Zoo. We recorded a high preva- lence in the wet season and a low one in the dry season. We also observed that the zoo setting and the number of animals housed influenced the prevalence of helminth infections in the primates. Gastrointestinal Parasites and Ectoparasites in Wild Javajjn Slow Loris (Nycticebus javanicus) Marlies Albers a , Ivona Foitova b , Abi Abinawanto c , K.A.I.
    [Show full text]
  • Languages and Classification
    LANGUAGES AND CLASSIFICATION John Scales Avery October 27, 2017 Introduction As children, many of us have played the game, “20 Questions”. In this game, someone thinks of a word. Then the other players try to guess the word by asking questions, to which the answer can only be “yes” or “no”. Only 20 questions are allowed, but the word is almost always found correctly with this number of questions or less. This may seem surprising, unless we happen to know that 220 = 1, 048, 576, whereas the Second Edition of the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary contains full entries for only 171,476 words in current use. Now I hope that the reader will forgive me if I indulge in some personal memories. Between 1950 and 1954, I was an undergraduate student of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During this period, it occurred to me that an international language like Esperanto could be based on a system similar to “20 Questions”. The words in my invented language would be pronounceable, since they would alternate between vowels and consonants. The first few letters of the word would define the meaning in a rough way, and the following letters would specify the meaning more and more precisely. I believed that my invented international language would be very easy to learn because a learner would know the approximate meaning of a word from the first few letters. I wrote an article about my idea, and it was published in MIT’s Tech Engineering News. However, I later realized that no invented language, neither Esperanto, nor any other, would be able to compete as an international language with English, which happens to be very widely used at the precise moment that communication has become global.
    [Show full text]
  • Quietism (Philosophy) from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia Contents
    Quietism (philosophy) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Contents 1 Cratylism 1 1.1 See also ................................................ 1 1.2 External links ............................................. 1 2 Language 2 2.1 Definitions ............................................... 4 2.1.1 Mental faculty, organ or instinct ............................... 4 2.1.2 Formal symbolic system ................................... 5 2.1.3 Tool for communication ................................... 5 2.1.4 Unique status of human language ............................... 6 2.2 Origin ................................................. 6 2.3 The study of language ......................................... 8 2.3.1 Subdisciplines ......................................... 10 2.3.2 Early history ......................................... 11 2.3.3 Contemporary linguistics ................................... 11 2.4 Physiological and neural architecture of language and speech ..................... 11 2.4.1 The brain and language .................................... 11 2.4.2 Anatomy of speech ...................................... 13 2.5 Structure ................................................ 14 2.5.1 Semantics ........................................... 14 2.5.2 Sounds and symbols ...................................... 15 2.5.3 Grammar ........................................... 17 2.5.4 Typology and universals .................................... 20 2.6 Social contexts of use and transmission ................................ 20 2.6.1 Usage and meaning
    [Show full text]
  • Linguistic Competency of Bonobos (Pan Paniscus) Raised in a Language-Enriched Environment Andrea Rabinowitz Iowa State University
    Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Graduate Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2016 Linguistic competency of bonobos (Pan paniscus) raised in a language-enriched environment Andrea Rabinowitz Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd Part of the Biological and Physical Anthropology Commons, Biology Commons, and the Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Rabinowitz, Andrea, "Linguistic competency of bonobos (Pan paniscus) raised in a language-enriched environment" (2016). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 15794. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/15794 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Linguistic competency of bonobos (Pan paniscus) raised in a language-enriched environment by Andrea Rabinowitz A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Major: Anthropology Program of Study Committee: Jill Pruetz, Major Professor Maximilian Viatori Douglass Gentile Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2016 Copyright © Andrea Rabinowitz, 2016. All rights reserved. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................................................................... iii
    [Show full text]
  • Bidding Evidence for Primate Vocal Learning and the Cultural Substrates for Speech Evolution
    Accepted Manuscript Title: Bidding evidence for primate vocal learning and the cultural substrates for speech evolution Author: Adriano R. Lameira PII: S0149-7634(17)30068-4 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.09.021 Reference: NBR 2950 To appear in: Received date: 24-1-2017 Revised date: 19-9-2017 Accepted date: 21-9-2017 Please cite this article as: Lameira, Adriano R., Bidding evidence for primate vocal learning and the cultural substrates for speech evolution.Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.09.021 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Bidding evidence for primate vocal learning and the cultural substrates for speech evolution Adriano R. Lameira1,2* 1 Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, St. Andrews University, Scotland, UK 2 Evolutionary Anthropology Research Group and Centre for the Co-Evolution of Biology and Evolution, Department of Anthropology, Durham University, UK * Corresponding author: [email protected] Address: St Mary's Quad, South Street St Andrews, Fife KY16 9JP Scotland, United Kingdom Highlights: . Vocal traditions are more resistant to criticism than other traditions (e.g.
    [Show full text]
  • Orangutan Call Communication and the Puzzle of Speech Evolution
    Orangutan call communication and the puzzle of speech evolution © Adriano Reis e Lameira 2013 Orangutan call communication and the puzzle of speech evolution PhD dissertation, Utrecht University, the Netherlands, January 2013 ISBN: 978-94-6191-583-2 Cover design & lay-out: Adriano R. Lameira Cover illustrations: Aloys Zötl, 1831-1887 Printing: Ipskamp Drukkers, Enschede, the Netherlands Printed on FSC paper Voor Madeleine To Izzy Untuk mawas Aos meus pais Orangutan call communication and the puzzle of speech evolution Orang-oetan geluidscommunicatie en de evolutionaire puzzel van spraak (met een samenvatting in het Nederlands) PROEFSCHRIFT ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Universiteit Utrecht op gezag van de rector magnificus, prof.dr. G.J. van der Zwaan, ingevolge het besluit van het college voor promoties in het openbaar te verdedigen op woensdag 23 januari 2013 des ochtends te 10.30 uur door Adriano Reis e Lameira geboren op 1 september 1982 te Lisbon, Portugal Promotoren: Prof.dr. B.M. Spruijt Prof.dr. S.A. Wich Co-promotor: Dr. E.H.M. Sterck This thesis was (partly) accomplished with financial support from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (SFRH/BD/44437/2008, Portugal), Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research (USA), Dr. J.L. Dobberke voor Vergelijkende Psychologie (the Netherlands), Lucie Burgers Foundation for Comparative Behaviour Research, Arnhem, the Netherlands, Schure-Beijerinck-Popping Fonds (the Netherlands), Ruggles-Gates Fund for Anthropological Scholarship of the Royal Anthropological Institute
    [Show full text]
  • Pantomime in Great Apes: Evidence and Implications
    WellBeing International WBI Studies Repository 2011 Pantomime in Great Apes: Evidence and Implications Ann E. Russon Kristin Andrews York University Follow this and additional works at: https://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/acwp_asie Part of the Animal Studies Commons, Comparative Psychology Commons, and the Other Animal Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Russon, A. E., & Andrews, K. (2011). Pantomime in great apes: Evidence and implications. Communicative & integrative biology, 4(3), 315-317. This material is brought to you for free and open access by WellBeing International. It has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of the WBI Studies Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ARTICLE ADDENDUM Communicative & Integrative Biology 4:3, 315-317; May/June 2011; ©2011 Landes Bioscience Pantomime in great apes Evidence and implications Anne E. Russon* and Kristin Andrews 1Psychology; Glendon College; Toronto, BC Canada 2Philosophy; York University; Toronto, BC Canada e recently demonstrated, by one deceiving and the other acting as if Wmining observational data, that deceived.14 forest-living orangutans can commu- Orangutans feigned inability to solve a nicate using gestures that qualify as task to solicit help. So did a home-reared pantomime.1 Pantomimes, like other chimpanzee, Viki, when about 18 months iconic gestures, physically resemble their old.15 Viki often pretend-dragged an imag- referents.2,3 More elaborately, panto- inary pull toy and got its imaginary cord mimes involve enacting their referents.4 “stuck” on a handle. She usually “freed” Holding thumb and finger together at it herself and then resumed her pretend- the lips and blowing between them to dragging.
    [Show full text]
  • Vocal Fold Control Beyond the Species-Specific Repertoire in an Orang-Utan Received: 25 February 2016 Adriano R
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Vocal fold control beyond the species-specific repertoire in an orang-utan Received: 25 February 2016 Adriano R. Lameira1,2, Madeleine E. Hardus3, Alexander Mielke4, Serge A. Wich5,6 & Accepted: 29 June 2016 Robert W. Shumaker7,8,9 Published: 27 July 2016 Vocal fold control was critical to the evolution of spoken language, much as it today allows us to learn vowel systems. It has, however, never been demonstrated directly in a non-human primate, leading to the suggestion that it evolved in the human lineage after divergence from great apes. Here, we provide the first evidence for real-time, dynamic and interactive vocal fold control in a great ape during an imitation “do-as-I-do” game with a human demonstrator. Notably, the orang-utan subject skilfully produced “wookies” – an idiosyncratic vocalization exhibiting a unique spectral profile among the orang-utan vocal repertoire. The subject instantaneously matched human-produced wookies as they were randomly modulated in pitch, adjusting his voice frequency up or down when the human demonstrator did so, readily generating distinct low vs. high frequency sub-variants. These sub-variants were significantly different from spontaneous ones (not produced in matching trials). Results indicate a latent capacity for vocal fold exercise in a great ape (i) in real-time, (ii) up and down the frequency spectrum, (iii) across a register range beyond the species-repertoire and, (iv) in a co-operative turn- taking social setup. Such ancestral capacity likely provided the neuro-behavioural basis of the more fine-tuned vocal fold control that is a human hallmark.
    [Show full text]