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Individual recognition during bouts of antiphonal calling in common marmosets

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Abstract

Many vocalizations are encoded with a diversity of acoustic information about the signal producer. Amongst this information content are social categories related to the identity of the caller that are important for determining if and how a signal receiver may interact with that individual. Here, we employed a novel playback method in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) to test individual recognition during bouts of antiphonal calling. These experiments utilized custom, interactive playback software that effectively engaged subjects in antiphonal calling using vocalizations produced by a single individual and presented ‘probe’ vocalization stimuli representing a different individual at specific points within bouts of calling. The aim here was to test whether marmosets would recognize that the probe stimulus was a phee call produced by a different individual. Data indicated that marmosets were able to detect the change in caller identity; subjects produced significantly fewer antiphonal call responses to probe than control stimuli and, in some conditions, exhibited a shorter latency to produce the vocal response. These data suggest that marmosets recognize the identity of the individual during bouts of antiphonal calling. Furthermore, these results provide a methodological foundation for implementing the probe playback procedure to examine a broader range of social categorization during vocal interactions.

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Acknowledgments

This work supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Deafness and Communication Disorders [R00 DC009007]. All experiments were approved by the UCSD Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee [Protocol S09147].

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  1. Cortical Systems and Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of California, 9500 Gilman Dr. #0109, La Jolla, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA

    Cory T. Miller & A. Wren Thomas

  2. Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, USA

    Cory T. Miller

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  1. Cory T. Miller
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Correspondence to Cory T. Miller.

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Miller, C.T., Wren Thomas, A. Individual recognition during bouts of antiphonal calling in common marmosets. J Comp Physiol A 198, 337–346 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-012-0712-7

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