Longitudinal data collection to follow social network and language development dynamics at preschool.

DyLNet is a large-scale longitudinal social experiment designed to observe the relations between child socialisation and oral language learning at preschool. During three years, a complete preschool in France was followed to record proximity interactions of about 200 children and adults every 5 seconds using autonomous Radio Frequency Identification Wireless Proximity Sensors. Data was collected monthly with one week-long deployments.

Early life experience and sex influence acoustic repertoire use in wild-born, but hand-reared, captive cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus).

Early deprivation of adult influence is known to have long-lasting effects on social abilities, notably communication skills, as adults play a key role in guiding and regulating the behavior of youngsters, including acoustic repertoire use in species in which vocal production is not learned. Cheetahs grow up alongside their mother for 18 months, thus maternal influences on the development of social skills are likely to be crucial. Here, we investigated the impact of early maternal deprivation on vocal production and use in 12 wild-born cheetahs, rescued and subsequently hand-reared either at an early (less than 2 months) or a later stage of development.

White-handed gibbons discriminate context-specific song compositions.

White-handed gibbons produce loud and acoustically complex songs when interacting with their neighbours or when encountering predators. In both contexts, songs are assembled from a small number of units although their composition differs in context-specific ways. Here, we investigated whether wild gibbons could infer the 'meaning' when hearing exemplars recorded in both contexts (i.

Baby cry recognition is independent of motherhood but improved by experience and exposure.

Neurobiological changes affecting new mothers are known to support the development of the mother-infant relationship (the 'maternal brain'). However, which aspects of parenting are actually mother-specific and which rely on general cognitive abilities remains debated. For example, refuting earlier findings, a recent study demonstrated that fathers identify their own baby from their cries just as well as mothers.

Social complexity parallels vocal complexity: a comparison of three non-human primate species.

Social factors play a key role in the structuring of vocal repertoires at the individual level, notably in non-human primates. Some authors suggested that, at the species level too, social life may have driven the evolution of communicative complexity, but this has rarely been empirically tested. Here, we use a comparative approach to address this issue.

Age- and sex-specific patterns of vocal behavior in De Brazza's monkeys (Cercopithecus neglectus).

Although vocal production is strongly genetically determined in nonhuman primates, vocal usage is more likely to be influenced by experience. Nonetheless, sex differences in both production and usage can be found in the vocal repertoire of adults, but little attention has been paid to their ontogeny. Here, we provide the first comprehensive analysis of the vocal repertoire of De Brazza's monkeys (Cercopithecus neglectus), with particular attention to age- and sex-specific patterns.

Acoustic variability and individual distinctiveness in the vocal repertoire of red-capped mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus).

Acoustic variability and individual distinctiveness of vocal signals are expected to vary with both their communicative function and the need for individual recognition during social interactions. So far, few attempts have been made to comparatively study these features across the different call types within a species' vocal repertoire. We collected recordings of the six most common call types from 14 red-capped mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus) to assess intra- and interindividual acoustic variability, using a range of temporal and frequency parameters.

Speed of call delivery is related to context and caller identity in Campbell's monkey males.

Call rate can be a salient feature in animal communication. Depending on the species, different psychological variables appear to influence call rates but the exact nature of these relationships remains poorly explored. Here, we demonstrate for free-ranging Campbell's monkeys that the call rates of four different alarm series (termed H, K, K(+), and B series) vary systematically as a function of context, associated behaviour, and identity of the caller.

Sex differences in the vocal repertoire of adult red-capped mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus): A multi-level acoustic analysis.

Sex differences in the vocal behavior of nonhuman primates can take various forms: sex-specific call types, differential production of shared call types, or sex discrepancy in phonation. Also, a growing literature is evidencing that systematically analyzing the vocal repertoires of primates at the call level might lead to underestimating their communicative abilities. Here, we present an extensive multi-level analysis of the still unknown vocal repertoire of adult red-capped mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus), with a special emphasis on sex differences.