Document Type
Thesis
Date of Degree Completion
Spring 2022
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Primate Behavior
Committee Chair
Mary Lee Jensvold
Second Committee Member
Jessica Mayhew
Third Committee Member
Susan Lonborg
Abstract
Large-bodied apes have a large repertoire of intentional, flexible gestures. Gestures have a distinct form, production, usage, and comprehension. Large-bodied apes use multiple gestures in sequences while communicating with other individuals. This study analyzed gesture sequences in free-living eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in Gombe National Park, Tanzania, to explore the variation of gestures. I analyzed various gesture form components to investigate if chimpanzees change the form of repeated gestures used in sequences. I described each gesture by twelve morphological form cheremes and more descriptive components. The results suggest that chimpanzees change the form of repeated gestures in sequences. I observed a pattern that some form cheremes changed more often than others. The chimpanzees changed the form of their gesture for each repetition of the gesture in sequence. Additionally, the chimpanzees changed multiple form cheremes simultaneously. The findings align with previous studies indicating chimpanzees flexibly adjust their gestural communication.
Recommended Citation
Ratliff, Caroline, "The Use of Gesture Forms Within Sequence in Free-Living Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) In Gombe National Park, Tanzania" (2022). All Master's Theses. 1753.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/1753
Included in
Animal Studies Commons, Anthropological Linguistics and Sociolinguistics Commons, Communication Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons