more information – www.cambridge.org/9781107013100 Animal Communication Theory Information and Influence Theexplanationofanimalcommunicationbymeansofconceptssuchas information,meaningandreferenceisoneofthecentralfoundationalissuesin animalbehaviourstudies.Thisbookexplorestheseissues,revolvingaround questionssuchas: (cid:1) Whatisthenatureofinformation? (cid:1) Whattheoreticalrolesdoesinformationplayinanimalcommunication studies? (cid:1) Isitjustifiedtoemploytheseconceptsinordertoexplainanimal communication? (cid:1) Whatistherelationbetweenanimalsignalsandhumanlanguage? Thebookapproachesthetopicfromavarietyofdisciplinaryperspectives, includingethology,animalcognition,theoreticalbiology,evolutionarybiology, philosophyofbiologyandphilosophyofmind.Acomprehensiveintroduction familiarisesnon-specialistswiththefieldandleadsontochaptersrangingfrom philosophicalandtheoreticalanalysestocasestudiesinvolvingprimates,birds andinsects.Theresultingsurveyofnewandestablishedconceptsand methodologieswillguidefutureempiricalandtheoreticalresearch. ULRICH E. STEGMANN isaLecturerinPhilosophyattheUniversityof Aberdeen,UK.Aftertraininginitiallyasabiologist,hesubsequentlyswitchedto philosophyandnowspecialisesinPhilosophyofBiology.Hewasawardeda BritishAcademyPostdoctoralResearchFellowshipandhaspreviouslyworked atKing’sCollegeLondonandattheUniversitiesofCambridgeandBristol. Animal Communication Theory Information and Influence Edited by Ulrich E. Stegmann UniversityofAberdeen,UK cambridge university press Cambridge,NewYork,Melbourne,Madrid,CapeTown, Singapore,Sa˜oPaulo,Delhi,MexicoCity CambridgeUniversityPress TheEdinburghBuilding,CambridgeCB28RU,UK PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyCambridgeUniversityPress,NewYork www.cambridge.org Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107013100 ©CambridgeUniversityPress2013 Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements, noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress. Firstpublished2013 PrintedandboundintheUnitedKingdombytheMPGBooksGroup AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary LibraryofCongressCataloguinginPublicationdata Animalcommunicationtheory:informationandinfluence/editedbyUlrichStegmann, UniversityofAberdeen. pages cm ISBN978-1-107-01310-0 1. Animalcommunication. I. Stegmann,Ulrich,E.1968– QL776.A537 2013 591.59–dc23 2012036000 ISBN978-1-107-01310-0Hardback CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceor accuracyofURLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredto inthispublication,anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuch websitesis,orwillremain,accurateorappropriate. Contents Preface ix Listofcontributors xiii Introduction:Aprimeroninformationandinfluence inanimalcommunication 1 ULRICH E. STEGMANN PartI Varietiesofinformation 41 1 Influenceandinformationincommunicationnetworks 43 ANDREW G. HORN AND PETER K. MCGREGOR 2 Animalcommunicationasinformation-mediatedinfluence 63 ANDREA SCARANTINO 3 Communicationasinformationuse:insightsfromstatistical decisiontheory 89 CAITLIN R. KIGHT, JOHN M. MCNAMARA, DAVID W. STEPHENS AND SASHA R. X. DALL 4 Communicationasatransferofinformation:measurement, mechanismandmeaning 113 R. HAVEN WILEY 5 Naturalinformation,intentionalsignsandanimal communication 133 RUTH G. MILLIKAN v vi Contents PartII Influenceandmanipulation 149 6 Communicationwithoutmeaningorinformation:abandoning language-basedandinformationalconstructsinanimal communicationtheory 151 DREW RENDALL AND MICHAEL J. OWREN 7 Informationinanimalcommunication:whenandwhydoesit matter? 189 SAHOTRA SARKAR 8 Mitogeneticraysandtheinformationmetaphor:transmitted informationhashaditsday 207 EUGENE S. MORTON AND RICHARD G. COSS 9 Theimportanceofintegrativebiologytosexualselectionand communication 233 MICHAEL J. RYAN PartIII Casestudies 257 10 Animalsignals:alwaysinfluence,sometimesinformation 259 CLAIRE HORISK AND REGINALD B. COCROFT 11 Learnedsignalsandconsistencyofdelivery:acaseagainstreceiver manipulationinanimalcommunication 281 CARLOS A. BOTERO AND SELVINO R. DE KORT 12 Information,inferenceandmeaninginprimatevocal behaviour 297 JULIA FISCHER 13 Informationanduncertaintyinmeerkatsandmonkeys 319 COLIN ALLEN 14 Theneuralrepresentationofvocalisationperception 337 KATE L. CHRISTISON-LAGAY AND YALE E. COHEN PartIV Animalsignalsinevolutionaryperspective 355 15 Thevalueofinformationinsignalsandcues 357 MICHAEL LACHMANN Contents vii 16 Informationandinfluenceinsender–receivermodels,with applicationstoanimalbehaviour 377 PETER GODFREY-SMITH PartV Fromanimalsignalstohumanlanguage 397 17 Information,meaningandanimalcommunication 399 FRED ADAMS AND STEVE M. BEIGHLEY 18 Information,influenceandinferenceinlanguageevolution 421 THOMAS C. SCOTT-PHILLIPS AND SIMON KIRBY Index 443