A multimodal analysis of the communicative utterances of a language competent bonobo (Pan paniscus)

Abstract

Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Literature Review 10 Chapter 3: Methods Chapter 4: Results Chapter 5: Discussion Chapter 6: Conclusions Bibliography Appendix 1: Coding Data them, and for always having my back. Your unwavering support, whether from abroad or right on campus, was always a source of great comfort and security in an otherwise tumultuous couple years for me outside of the classroom. I could not have chosen a better environment or advisor with which to pursue my masters. Perhaps most importantly, I must thank all the families that, when put together, comprise my one family. To my Mom, who may at one time have said I might not be made for scientific work, thank you for your continued emotional and financial support. To my Dad, thank you for your emotional support and continued amazement at both my studies and this specific research. To Rye, Claire, and Sophie, thank you for making me grow up and for teaching me how to take responsibility. To the Perkins family, thank you for making Iowa actually feel like my home. Thank you for the dinners, the holidays, and your constant questions which helped me develop and refine my ideas about apes and how to communicate about them. And thank you for raising such a wonderful daughter, who has kept me sane while researching and writing. Lastly, I have to thank, with all my heart, Kanzi and his family of bonobos because without them none of this would have been possible. My time with them has taught me more about what it means to be human, and how to be a good person, than any amount of formal education could even dream of imparting on me. They have given me a home, friendship, and a purpose for over six years. It was with great anxiety that I took on this project, knowing that any lapses, problems, or misjudgments would have more consequences for v them than for me going forward. It was this thought that helped to propel me through this project. To Kanzi, even though you threw hot oatmeal all over me that one time; Panbanisha, with your shyness and depths of caring in your eyes; Nyota, for your skills with the ladies and the way that, if no one was looking, you could be so sweet to me; Elikya, for how much more you understand than you are ever given credit for; Maisha, with your simple overriding desire to be loved and nothing more; Teco, for your nap times and sleepy hugs; Matata, with your constant plotting, planning, and conniving and for taking me under your wing and trying to teach me how to behave the right way; P-suke, for your real smile, not the one you were taught to perform, and for your children; and lastly Nathan, for everything, but especially for teaching me how to tickle. Thank you.

Linguistic competency of bonobos (Pan paniscus) raised in a language-enriched environment

“…Non-vocal signaling also differs between the two species of Pan, as interactions between bonobos include a greater instance of eye gaze and tactile gestures than those of chimpanzees (Pollick and de Waal, 2007;Pollick et al, 2008;de Waal, 1988). Multimodal communication is often observed as apes combine types of communicative symbols, including vocalization, facial expression, posture, and gesture, allowing for increased contextual flexibility (Musgraves, 2012;Pollick et al, 2008). Although field studies of wild populations are vital to the understanding of nonhuman primate species, it is challenging to clearly examine the acquisition of such communicative abilities without the experimental control provided by captive settings.…”