Abstract
A central issue in the study of alloprimate vocalizations concerns the extent of the animal's control over vocalization production. Two competing models are the semanticity model which states that vocalizations contain an environmental referent, and the level-of-arousal model which states that vocalizations are an emotional product of differential internal states of arousal. One source of evidence bearing on this issue is the operant control of vocalizations by alloprimates. This paper presents a comprehensive review of 12 attempts to condition operantly alloprimate vocalizations. These 12 experiments are analyzed in terms of various subject and procedural variables, including the age, species and sex of the subject, and the type of task and reward used. The results of this analysis indicate the following: Primates are able to control their own vocal output with considerable success; species, age and sex variables place no restriction upon this ability. In addition, the appropriateness of the reinforcer influenced the success rate of the experiment. These results are interpreted as supporting evidence for the semanticity model of vocal production. Results are discussed in terms of an “ecologically-appropriate hypothesis.”
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This paper was first presented at the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association in April of 1984.
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Pierce, J.D. A review of attempts to condition operantly alloprimate vocalizations. Primates 26, 202–213 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02382019
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02382019