Read more
An exploration of key concepts in the study of animal communication, covering case studies as well as more theoretical issues.
List of contents
List of contributors; A primer on information and influence in animal communication Ulrich E. Stegmann; Part I. Varieties of Information: 1. Influence and information in communication networks Andrew G. Horn and Peter McGregor; 2. Animal communication as information-mediated influence Andrea Scarantino; 3. Communication as information use: insights from statistical decision theory Caitlin R. Kight, John M. McNamara, David W. Stephens and Sasha R. X. Dall; 4. Communication as a transfer of information: measurement, mechanism, and meaning R. Haven Wiley; 5. Natural information, intentional signs and animal communication Ruth G. Millikan; Part II. Influence and Manipulation: 6. Communication without meaning or information: abandoning language-based and informational constructs in animal communication Drew Rendall and Michael J. Owren; 7. Information in animal communication: when and why does it matter? Sahotra Sarkar; 8. Mitogenetic rays and the information metaphor: transmitted information has seen its day Eugene S. Morton and Richard G. Coss; 9. The importance of integrative biology to sexual selection and communication Michael J. Ryan; Part III. Case Studies: 10. Animal signals: always influence, sometimes information Claire Horisk and Reginald B. Cocroft; 11. Learned signals and consistency of delivery: a case against receiver manipulation in animal communication Carlos A. Botero and Selvino R. de Kort; 12. Information, inference and meaning in primate vocal behaviour Julia Fischer; 13. Information and uncertainty in meerkats and monkeys Colin Allen; 14. The neural representation of vocalisation perception Kate L. Christison-Lagay and Yale E. Cohen; Part IV. Animal Signals in Evolutionary Perspective: 15. The value of information in biology Michael Lachmann; 16. Information and influence in sender-receiver models, with applications to animal behaviour Peter Godfrey-Smith; Part V. From Animal Signals to Human Language: 17. Information, meaning, and animal communication Fred Adams and Steve Beighley; 18. Information, influence and inference in language evolution Thomas C. Scott-Phillips and Simon Kirby; Index.
About the author
Ulrich E. Stegmann is a Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Aberdeen. After training initially as a biologist, he subsequently switched to philosophy and now specialises in philosophy of biology. He was awarded a British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and has previously worked at the Universities of Cambridge and Bristol.
Summary
A valuable overview and analysis of foundational concepts in animal behaviour studies, including information, meaning, communication, signals and cues. Its comprehensive introduction and numerous illustrations will make it accessible to students and researchers from a wide variety of academic backgrounds, ranging from ethology and evolutionary biology to philosophy of mind.
