Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Wiley Interdiscip Rev Cogn Sci. 2020 Jul;11(4):e1527. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1527. Epub 2020 Mar 16.
While signals in evolutionary biology are usually defined as "acts or traits that have evolved because of their effect on others", work on gestures and vocalizations in various animal taxa have revealed population- or even individual-specific meanings of social signals. These results strongly suggest that communicative acts that are like signals with regard to both form and function (meaning) can also be acquired ontogenetically, and we discuss direct evidence for such plasticity in captive settings with rich opportunities for repeated social interactions with the same individuals. Therefore, in addition to evolved signals, we can recognize invented signals that are acquired during ontogeny (either through ontogenetic ritualization or social transmission). Thus, both gestures and vocalizations can be inventions or innate adaptations. We therefore propose to introduce innate versus invented signals as major distinct categories, with invented signals subdivided into dyad-specific and cultural signals. We suggest that elements of some signals may have mixed origins, and propose criteria to recognize acquired features of signals. We also suggest that invented signals may be most common in species with intentional communication, consistent with their ubiquity in humans, and that the ability to produce them was a necessary condition for the evolution of language. This article is categorized under: Cognitive Biology > Evolutionary Roots of Cognition Linguistics > Evolution of Language Psychology > Comparative Psychology.
虽然进化生物学中的信号通常被定义为“由于对其他生物的影响而进化的行为或特征”，但对各种动物分类群中的手势和发声的研究表明，社会信号具有群体甚至个体特异性的意义。这些结果强烈表明，在具有与相同个体进行重复社会互动丰富机会的圈养环境中，在形式和功能（意义）上与信号相似的交际行为也可以在个体发生过程中获得，我们讨论了这种可塑性的直接证据。因此，除了进化而来的信号，我们还可以识别在个体发生过程中获得的发明信号（通过个体发生仪式化或社会传播）。因此，手势和发声既可以是发明，也可以是先天适应。因此，我们建议将先天信号和发明信号作为主要的不同类别，其中发明信号分为对偶特异性信号和文化信号。我们认为，一些信号的元素可能具有混合的起源，并提出了识别信号获得特征的标准。我们还提出，发明信号可能在具有意向性交流的物种中最为常见，这与它们在人类中的普遍性一致，并且发明信号的能力是语言进化的必要条件。本文归类于：认知生物学>认知进化的根源语言学>语言进化心理学>比较心理学。
