Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland.
Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, U.K.
Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2017 Aug;92(3):1427-1433. doi: 10.1111/brv.12289. Epub 2016 Aug 2.
Language's intentional nature has been highlighted as a crucial feature distinguishing it from other communication systems. Specifically, language is often thought to depend on highly structured intentional action and mutual mindreading by a communicator and recipient. Whilst similar abilities in animals can shed light on the evolution of intentionality, they remain challenging to detect unambiguously. We revisit animal intentional communication and suggest that progress in identifying analogous capacities has been complicated by (i) the assumption that intentional (that is, voluntary) production of communicative acts requires mental-state attribution, and (ii) variation in approaches investigating communication across sensory modalities. To move forward, we argue that a framework fusing research across modalities and species is required. We structure intentional communication into a series of requirements, each of which can be operationalised, investigated empirically, and must be met for purposive, intentionally communicative acts to be demonstrated. Our unified approach helps elucidate the distribution of animal intentional communication and subsequently serves to clarify what is meant by attributions of intentional communication in animals and humans.
语言的意向性本质已被强调为将其与其他交流系统区分开来的关键特征。具体而言，语言通常被认为依赖于交际者和接收者高度结构化的意向行动和相互心理解读。虽然动物身上类似的能力可以揭示意向性的进化，但这些能力仍然难以明确地探测到。我们重新审视动物的意向性交流，并认为在识别类似能力方面的进展之所以受到阻碍，是因为（i）人们假设有意（即自愿）产生交际行为需要进行心理状态归因，以及（ii）不同的研究方法在研究跨感觉模态的交流时存在差异。为了取得进展，我们认为需要融合跨模态和物种的研究框架。我们将意向性交流构建为一系列要求，其中每一个要求都可以被操作化、进行实证研究，并且必须满足这些要求，才能证明有目的的、有意的交际行为。我们的统一方法有助于阐明动物意向性交流的分布情况，随后有助于澄清在动物和人类中，意向性交流归因的含义。
