Primate Play Vocalizations and Their Functional Significance

Masataka, Nobuo; Kohda, Masanori

doi:10.1159/000156341

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Nonsocial behaviors measured included eating, sleeping, sitting alone, piloerection and scent-marking behaviors (including gouging, which is characterized by chewing cage furniture and is shown in conjunction with scent marking in this species). Three types of vocalizations were scored: the chatter, twitter and squeal (defined in Table 1; Voland, 1977;Stevenson & Poole, 1982;Masataka & Kohda, 1988;Harris & Newman, 1988). Identity of vocalizers was attributable by distinct facial characteristics and/ or body movements in the case of twittering.…”

Section: Behaviors Scoredmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphine administration selectively facilitates social play in common marmosets*†

Guard

Newman

Roberts

2002

Developmental Psychobiology

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Common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) form extended families, and several cohorts of young may reside together. Play is shown extensively among the offspring. We hypothesized that opiate activity modulates social play, and predicted that administration of morphine (0.5 mg/kg) would facilitate social play, whereas pretreatment with naloxone (0.5 mg/kg) would block morphine's effects. Morphine administration was associated with significantly increased social play, and the effect of morphine was attributable to the focal subject, since play initiated by others was unaffected by treatment. Non-social categories of play, such as object manipulation and locomotor play, and affiliative behaviors, such as time spent huddled, were unaffected by treatment. Twittering and play face, behaviors used by young during play, also increased after morphine administration. Pretreatment with naloxone blocked morphine's effects. Total activity was significantly increased by morphine administration. We conclude that social play is specifically facilitated by opiate activation, whereas other categories of play behavior and social behavior were unaffected by morphine. Thus, social play represents a distinct category of social behavior in juvenile common marmosets with regulatory processes that are unique from other types of social behavior.

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Section: Behaviors Scoredmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphine administration selectively facilitates social play in common marmosets*†

Guard

Newman

Roberts

2002

Developmental Psychobiology

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“…Similarly, in cases in which multiple animals are playing together, it may not be readily observable as to which animal is biting, slapping or pushing, so the playfulness of any given contact may be ambiguous , and such polyadic encounters are accompanied by a greater frequency of play signals compared to dyadic ones (Palagi, 2008). While visual signals, such as the play-face in primates (Van Hooff, 1967) and the play bow in dogs (Bekoff, 1995), are most familiar, play signals occurring in other sensory modalities, such as vocalizations, (Biben and Symmes, 1986;Masataka and Kohda, 1988;Rasa, 1984;Kipper and Todt, 2002) and chemical cues (e.g., Wilson, 1973), have been reported.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are 50-khz calls used as play signals in the playful interactions of rats? III. The effects of devocalization on play with unfamiliar partners as juveniles and as adults

Kisko

Euston

Pellis

2015

Behavioural Processes

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“…While rat USVs clearly represent a unique form of mammalian play vocalisations, there are other acoustic distinctions across species' play vocalisations that suggest theoretical alternatives to being evolved from laboured breathing. For example, among several New World primates (Platyrrhini), play vocalisations are often described as highpitched peeps, whistles, or squeals (Cleveland and Snowdon 1982;Biben and Symmes 1986;Masataka and Kohda 1988). Masataka and Kohda (1988) argued that these vocalisations evolved from a location or contact call given by infants towards their mothers during allomothering, rather than from laboured breathing during play.…”

Section: Acoustic Features Of Play Vocalisationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Play vocalisations and human laughter: a comparative review

Winkler

Bryant

2021

Bioacoustics

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Complex social play is well-documented across many animals. During play, animals often use signals that facilitate beneficial interactions and reduce potential costs, such as escalation to aggression. Although greater focus has been given to visual play signals, here we demonstrate that vocalisations constitute a widespread mode of play signalling across species. Our review indicates that vocal play signals are usually inconspicuous, although loud vocalisations, which suggest a broadcast function, are present in humans and some other species. Spontaneous laughter in humans shares acoustic and functional characteristics with play vocalisations across many species, but most notably with other great apes. Play vocalisations in primates and other mammals often include sounds of panting, supporting the theory that human laughter evolved from an auditory cue of laboured breathing during play. Human social complexity allowed laughter to evolve from a play-specific vocalisation into a sophisticated pragmatic signal that interacts with a large suite of other multimodal social behaviours in both intragroup and intergroup contexts. This review provides a foundation for detailed comparative analyses of play vocalisations across diverse taxa, which can shed light on the form and function of human laughter and, in turn, help us better understand the evolution of human social interaction.

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Primate Play Vocalizations and Their Functional Significance

Cited by 10 publications

References 9 publications

Morphine administration selectively facilitates social play in common marmosets*†

Morphine administration selectively facilitates social play in common marmosets*†

Are 50-khz calls used as play signals in the playful interactions of rats? III. The effects of devocalization on play with unfamiliar partners as juveniles and as adults

Play vocalisations and human laughter: a comparative review

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