Behavior of Social Animals

Studies of the behavior of social animals have led many scientists to believe that all such animals may be using sophisticated systems of communication that are not yet recognized for what they are. Although animals cannot use language in the human sense, a variety of animals are capable of using sounds, signals, or explicit behavior to exchange information about objects in their natural environment. Scientists are moving closer to accepting the fact that animals communicate with their own species, with other species, and even with human beings.

The simple view of animal communication is that these creatures merely convey evidence of physiological states that are not under their control. For instance, the human action of blinking an eye is different from the human action of winking an eye. The human blink is the result of a physiological process or reaction to some physical stimulus whereas the eye wink is an intentional signal meant to convey a purpose. Animal behaviorists claim that animals are incapable of conscious thinking thus, using the above example, an animal can blink but not wink its eye.

Disbelief in the capacity of animals to communicate thoughts and feelings is based on arguments put forth by French philosopher Descartes in the mid-1600s. Descartes likened animals to machines because nonhuman creatures lacked the ability to reason and think. Animals, who learned only by experience, were inferior to human beings, who possessed the ability to learn thro

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icks exhibit a strong tendency to congregate among chicks of their own color phase: "Chicks that had been reared with an alien breed, however, did not develop a preference for being with strangers" (Honore and Klopfer, 1990, p. 87). Self-recognition is one of the abilities by which psychologists define consciousness. Food calling is common among chickens, and differentiation in this area has also been observed. A study of cockerels found that these animals make more frequent food calls when their favorite foods are presented than in the presence of non-preferred foods (Griffin, 1992). The number of food calls varied depending on the number of other chickens present, and whether these chickens were male or female: "Food-calling cockerels are acutely sensitive to the presence and nature of the audience" (Marler and Mitani, 1988, p. 9). Variation also was observed based on whether the chickens present were familiar or unfamiliar to the cockerel. The roaring of red deer also communicates specific information between caller and recipient. This exchange takes place as a form of contest between an established harem holder and a challenger. Roaring encounters can last more than half an hour. A challenger who is unable to outroa

Category: Psychology - B