Vocal turn-taking in a non-human primate is learned during ontogeny.

ABSTRACT: Conversational turn-taking is an integral part of language development, as it reflects a confluence of social factors that mitigate communication. Humans coordinate the timing of speech based on the behaviour of another speaker, a behaviour that is learned during infancy. While adults in several primate species engage in vocal turn-taking, the degree to which similar learning processes underlie its development in these non-human species or are unique to language is not clear. We recorded the natural vocal interactions of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) occurring with both their sibling twins and parents over the first year of life and observed at least two parallels with language development. First, marmoset turn-taking is a learned vocal behaviour. Second, marmoset parents potential

SUBMITTER: Chow CP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4424641 | biostudies-literature | 2015 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature