%0 Journal Article
%A Amici, Federica
%A Liebal, Katja
%+ Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society
Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society
%T Testing hypotheses for the emergence of gestural communication in great and small apes (Pan troglodytes, Pongo abelii, Symphalangus syndactylus)  : 
%G eng
%U https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-000C-7A1A-F
%R 10.1007/s10764-022-00342-7
%D 2023
%* Review method: peer-reviewed
%X Gestural communication is crucial for primates. However, little is known about how gestural repertoires emerge through development. We conducted behavioural observations on captive apes, including 18 siamangs (Symphalangus syndactylus), 16 Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii), and 19 chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), to test different hypotheses for the emergence of gestures (i.e., Phylogenetic Ritualization, Ontogenetic Ritualization, Social Negotiation, and Social Transmission hypotheses). Our results showed little variation in individual gestural repertories, and only one idiosyncratic gesture. Moreover, across subjects (N = 53), repertoire size did not increase with age and social centrality. When comparing repertoires across all possible combinations of conspecifics, including apes in different groups (N=273) for the four groups of siamangs and the two of orangutans, repertoire similarity was higher in dyads of the same group than of different groups, but it also increased with more observational effort and lower age difference between group members. Finally, when comparing repertoires across all dyads of conspecifics in the same group (N = 260), we found no differences in repertoire similarity depending on dyadic relationship quality. Overall, these results provide support for the Phylogenetic Ritualization hypothesis, according to which individuals are endowed with complete gestural repertories from birth. These repertoires are largely similar across individuals and groups, although they may be partially refined through social experiences.
%K Phylogenetic Ritualization hypothesis ,  Ontogenetic Ritualization
hypothesis, Social Negotiation hypothesis, Social Transmission hypothesis, 
Gestural communication
%J International Journal of Primatology
%V 44
%& 319
%P 319 - 340
%@ 0164-02911573-8604