New Study Reveals Chimpanzees Follow Human-Like Communication Patterns with Rapid Turn-Taking

14% of chimp interactions involve a two-part exchange.
Average timing between gesture and response is 120 milliseconds for chimps.
Chimpanzees exhibit human-like communication patterns through rapid turn-taking.
New Study Reveals Chimpanzees Follow Human-Like Communication Patterns with Rapid Turn-Taking

Chimpanzees, our closest living relatives in the animal kingdom, exhibit rapid back-and-forth communication through gestures and sounds that resemble human conversations. A recent study published in Current Biology reveals that chimpanzees follow a similar communication pattern structured around turn-taking, with responses following pauses of up to a second. This finding sheds new light on the evolutionary mechanisms driving social interactions between humans and primates.

Researchers from the University of St Andrews in Scotland analyzed video footage of five wild communities of East African chimpanzees in Uganda and Tanzania, focusing on instances of communication between chimps. They found that 14% of all interactions involved an exchange of gestures between interacting chimps, with the vast majority (83%) consisting of a two-part exchange.

The researchers also noted slight variations in response timing among different chimp communities, which mirrors cultural variations in human conversation pace. However, the similarities between chimpanzee communication and human conversation suggest shared mechanisms that may have evolved to strengthen social bonds and align both members of the exchange.

Chimpanzees use gestures to clarify where to begin grooming or start traveling together. They may also gesture to greet each other after a long time, shake hands, hug, or kiss. The average timing between a gesture and response was 120 milliseconds for chimpanzees.

The speed of human conversation is also rapid-fire volley, with conversational turn-taking averaging 200 milliseconds between responses. This finding raises the possibility that back-and-forth communication may have evolved before humans split off from great apes.

Previous studies have shown that captive chimpanzees could utter human words like 'mama' and 'papa.' These findings offer important clues as to how speech evolved in our common ancestors with chimpanzees, who had brains already equipped with some of the building blocks needed for talking.


Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image

Confidence

95%

Doubts
  • Are there any potential confounding factors that could influence the chimps' communication patterns?
  • Could other primates exhibit similar communication patterns?

Sources

98%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Scientists delve into the give-and-take of chimp conversations

The Fixing Site: A Summary of the Article. Erin Blakemore Saturday, 27 July 2024 10:30
  • Unique Points
    • Study suggests chimpanzees communicate with rapid-fire speech and turn-taking like humans
    • 14% of all interactions involved an exchange of gestures between chimps
    • Chimps exhibit rapid back-and-forth communication with gestures and sounds.
    • Researchers observed responses following pauses up to a second in chimpanzee gestures.
    • Similarities in timing of chimpanzee gesture and human conversational turn-taking suggest evolutionary mechanisms driving social interactions.
  • Accuracy
    • ]Study suggests chimpanzees communicate with rapid-fire speech and turn-taking like humans[
    • Chimpanzees use gestures in back-and-forth communication similar to humans taking turns speaking.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    The author makes no explicit fallacious statements in the article. However, there is an implicit appeal to authority with the mention of 'Current Biology' and the researchers' findings being published in it. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric by describing some human cultures as having 'slower or faster talkers'. This could be seen as a way to elicit an emotional response from the reader, but it does not directly affect the validity of the information presented.
    • ][Gal Badihi] We did see a little variation among different chimp communities, which again matches what we see in people where there are slight cultural variations in conversation pace: some cultures have slower or faster talkers.[/
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

92%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

The Chimps Who Learned to Say ‘Mama’

The Name Of The NZ Prefix. I PWA NZI.P.Was Dropped. Carl Zimmer Thursday, 25 July 2024 19:43
  • Unique Points
    • Scientists have found recordings of captive chimps uttering the word ‘mama’
    • Viki, a chimpanzee raised by psychologist Keith Hayes and his wife in the 1940s, was able to say ‘papa’, ‘mama’, ‘up’ and ‘cup’ after two years of training
  • Accuracy
    • Chimps exhibit rapid back-and-forth communication with gestures and sounds.
    • Researchers believe that our common ancestors with chimpanzees had brains equipped with some of the building blocks needed for talking
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    The author makes several statements that are not fallacious. However, there is an instance of an appeal to authority when the author quotes Adriano Lameira stating that 'Talking to each other allowed early humans to cooperate and amass knowledge over generations.' This statement is not a logical conclusion based on the evidence provided in the article, but rather an opinion by Lameira. Therefore, I can only give a score of 95.
    • 'Talking to each other allowed early humans to cooperate and amass knowledge over generations.' - Adriano Lameira
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

99%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Chimps Have 'Conversations' Just Like Humans, Scientists Find

ScienceAlert Tessa Koumoundouros Friday, 26 July 2024 23:00
  • Unique Points
    • Chimps exhibit rapid back-and-forth communication with gestures and sounds.
    • Chimps display cultural variations in communication between communities.
    • Kanyawara chimpanzees are observed to be faster communicators compared to Sonso chimpanzees.
    • Gestures help chimpanzees avoid conflict and coordinate with each other, allowing them to communicate over short distances to achieve social goals.
    • Chimps use gestures to reestablish harmony after physical conflicts.
  • Accuracy
    • ]Chimps exhibit rapid back-and-forth communication with gestures and sounds.[
    • Similarities in timing of chimpanzee gesture and human conversational turn-taking suggest evolutionary mechanisms driving social interactions.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

98%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

What chimpanzee gestures reveal about human communication

National Public Radio (NPR) Friday, 26 July 2024 00:00
  • Unique Points
    • Chimpanzees use gestures in back-and-forth communication similar to humans taking turns speaking.
    • Grooming is a behavior that involves several gestures in chimpanzee communication.
    • Chimps gesture to clarify where to begin grooming or start traveling together. They may also shake hands, hug, or kiss.
  • Accuracy
    • 14% of communicative interactions between chimpanzees involve gestural exchanges.
    • The average timing between a gesture and response in chimpanzee communication is 120 milliseconds.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

99%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Chimpanzees Take Turns in Fast-Paced Conversations, Just Like Humans Do

Smithsonian Magazine Online Edition (www.smithsonianmag.com) Margherita Bassi Saturday, 27 July 2024 18:06
  • Unique Points
    • Chimpanzees at Budongo Conservation Field Station in Uganda follow a communication pattern structured around back-and-forth, fast-paced turns.
    • Researchers collected footage of 8,559 gestures from 252 individuals in five chimp communities in eastern Africa and found that 14% of the recorded interactions included at least one response to a gesture.
    • Chimps took an average of 120 milliseconds to reply with a gesture, similar to the human average of 200 milliseconds.
  • Accuracy
    • Chimpanzees take turns in fast-paced conversations, just like humans do.
    • 14% of recorded interactions included at least one response to a gesture.
    • Chimps took an average of 120 milliseconds to reply with a gesture.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication