Differences Between Human & Animal Communication (AQA GCSE Psychology): Flashcards
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Define alarm signals.
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Define alarm signals.
Alarm signals are given off by animals to promote survival by allowing conspecifics to escape from a predator.
What are the four main types of animal communication?
Visual, auditory, olfactory and tactile.
True or False?
Alarm calls only benefit the animal giving the warning, with no downside.
False.
Alarm calls also signal to the predator that prey is close by, which may decrease the prey’s chances of survival.
Define display signals.
Display signals are used by an animal to show off the reproductive advantages of mating with them, to other animals of the same species.
Which species produces acoustically distinct alarm calls for different predators such as pythons, eagles and leopards?
Vervet monkeys.
Female guppy fish prefer males with brighter orange spots because it means they are better at finding food.
Female guppy fish prefer males with brighter orange spots because it means they are better at finding high-quality food.
Define scent marking.
Scent marking ensures that other animals know a territory is ‘taken’, and that the animal who has laid down the scent is the ‘owner’ of that territory.
True or False?
Dominant males tend to mark territory more than any other animals.
True.
Males mark territory more than females, with dominant males marking it the most.
How do lemurs compete to win the rights to a specific territory?
They engage in ‘stink fights’.
White rhinos mark territory by depositing piles of which they then drag their feet through.
White rhinos mark territory by depositing piles of dung which they then drag their feet through.
Define pheromones.
Pheromones are used by some animals to communicate a range of signals, including the location of food.
Why is scent marking more evolutionarily useful than fighting for territory?
Fighting can result in serious injury or death, which would diminish the herd and may result in their extinction.
True or False?
Sharks have a very refined sense of smell and can detect minuscule drops of blood up to a mile away.
True.
Sharks can detect tiny drops of blood up to a mile away.
How do snakes detect scent particles in the air?
They flick out their tongue and press it against specialised scent receptors on the roof of their mouth.
Define the circular dance (round dance).
The circular dance is performed by a bee when food is less than 100 metres from the hive; it indicates to other bees that food is close by, and they set off to find it.
What idea did Von Frisch disagree with regarding honey bees?
He disagreed with the idea that honey bees were colour-blind.
True or False?
Von Frisch observed bee behaviour when bees were attracted by a glass of sugar syrup laid out on different coloured platforms.
True.
This controlled setup led to his discovery of the bees’ ‘dance’.
Define the waggle dance.
The waggle dance is more complex than the circular dance; it communicates the location and distance of a food source to other bees in the hive.
Von Frisch investigated how honey bees communicate the location of food sources by placing bees in hives.
Von Frisch investigated how honey bees communicate the location of food sources by placing bees in glass hives.
What pattern does a bee trace out during the waggle dance?
It performs a figure of eight pattern, waggling its abdomen in the middle section.
True or False?
A slow waggle dance indicates that food is close to the hive.
False.
A slow waggle dance indicates that the food is some distance away from the hive.
What did Von Frisch conclude about bees’ communication system?
That bees have an advanced and sophisticated communication system with clear evolutionary advantages, since finding food via a reliable method has clear links to survival.
Von Frisch placed food sources both close to the hive (10–20 metres away) and further away (up to metres).
Von Frisch placed food sources both close to the hive (10–20 metres away) and further away (up to 300 metres).
How many observations did Von Frisch make?
Over 6,000 observations of honey bees, made over a period of 20 years.
True or False?
Around 60% of bees who watched a dance went to food sources at the distance the dance indicated.
True.
This suggests the watching bees understood the signal.
Give one strength of Von Frisch’s study, relating to its scientific contribution.
It made an important scientific contribution, based on careful, long-term, objective observation, revealing something previously unknown about bee behaviour — Von Frisch was awarded the Nobel Prize for it.
What did Esch (1967) find about bees dancing in silence?
Bees dancing in silence were not followed to the food source by others, suggesting sound is also part of the communication — the dance alone may not be the whole picture.
What did Gould (1992) find about bees and nectar placed on a boat in the middle of a lake?
Bees would not fly to the nectar, even when the waggle dance correctly indicated its location — showing that other factors can override what the dance communicates.
Define displacement.
Displacement is the ability to communicate about events which are imaginary or exist only in the future.
Give an example of humans planning and discussing a future event.
For example, deciding where to go on holiday, or discussing which university course to apply for.
True or False?
Animals are able to plan and communicate about future events in the same way that humans can.
False.
Animals can only exist in the present, and be alert to threats, food, water and mating opportunities.
Define ambiguity, as it applies to human language.
Ambiguity means human language can be interpreted in many different ways.
Animal signals must be because if they are not, the animal could be eaten by a predator.
Animal signals must be unambiguous because if they are not, the animal could be eaten by a predator.
What structures does human language use that animal communication entirely lacks?
Grammatical structures; animals have no grammar.
Define a closed system of communication.
A closed system is one in which animals can only use a fixed, limited set of signals with fixed meanings.
Why is human language considered an open system?
Because words can be combined in entirely new ways to produce a potentially infinite number of new sentences, including ones nobody has ever said before.
Define cultural transmission.
Cultural transmission means that language is learned and modified via a person’s culture and environment.
True or False?
Animal communication is affected by variables such as culture, in the same way human language is.
False.
Animals communicate innately; they are not affected by variables such as culture.
Give two examples of ways in which humans can ‘play’ with language.
For example, trying new blends of words, different accents, and different forms such as poetry, song, email or texting.
New words are continually introduced into the of human language, such as ‘selfie’ or ‘download’.
New words are continually introduced into the lexicon of human language, such as ‘selfie’ or ‘download’.
How do animal communication systems change over time, compared to human language?
Animals have to go through centuries of evolution for any change in their communication system to take place, whereas humans can be creative and introduce change quickly.
Animal communication tends to be restricted to a channel — e.g. ants can only communicate about food using pheromones.
Animal communication tends to be restricted to a single channel — e.g. ants can only communicate about food using pheromones.
Name three channels humans can use to communicate the same message, that animals cannot switch between.
For example speech, writing, sign language, Braille, text or email.
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