A mother gorilla’s variable use of touch to guide her infant
-
Marcus Perlman
Abstract
This chapter examines how gestures of the great apes are created from instrumental actions. Ape gestures are generally believed to form through phylogenetic or ontogenetic ritualization, or – at least in humans – “iconic” gestures are created spontaneously during online interaction. These alternatives are evaluated with respect to data on the tactile pushes used by a mother gorilla to direct her infant around their enclosure. Analysis shows that the pushes exhibit variability in form and force in ways that are tuned to the present physical and social context, indicating the underlying activation of afforded instrumental actions and thus iconic processes in the creation of these gestures, opposed to ritualization. We discuss how this variability reveals continuity between gesture and action that is compatible with recent simulation-based accounts of iconic gesture.
Abstract
This chapter examines how gestures of the great apes are created from instrumental actions. Ape gestures are generally believed to form through phylogenetic or ontogenetic ritualization, or – at least in humans – “iconic” gestures are created spontaneously during online interaction. These alternatives are evaluated with respect to data on the tactile pushes used by a mother gorilla to direct her infant around their enclosure. Analysis shows that the pushes exhibit variability in form and force in ways that are tuned to the present physical and social context, indicating the underlying activation of afforded instrumental actions and thus iconic processes in the creation of these gestures, opposed to ritualization. We discuss how this variability reveals continuity between gesture and action that is compatible with recent simulation-based accounts of iconic gesture.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements ix
- About the contributors xi
- Introduction 1
-
Article
- Facial-vocal displays, gestures and language 13
-
Research Studies
- Does ontogenetic ritualization explain early communicative gestures in human infants? 33
-
Non-human primates
- A mother gorilla’s variable use of touch to guide her infant 55
- Spontaneous use of gesture sequences in orangutans 73
- Handedness for manual gestures in great apes 93
- Mandrill visual gestures 113
- Gesture use in consortship 129
-
New trends and debates
- A call for conformity 147
- Cognitivism, adaptationism and pointing 165
- Pointing 181
- Requesting behaviours within episodes of active sharing 199
-
Article
- Hands and faces 223
- Where next? 241
- Index 253
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements ix
- About the contributors xi
- Introduction 1
-
Article
- Facial-vocal displays, gestures and language 13
-
Research Studies
- Does ontogenetic ritualization explain early communicative gestures in human infants? 33
-
Non-human primates
- A mother gorilla’s variable use of touch to guide her infant 55
- Spontaneous use of gesture sequences in orangutans 73
- Handedness for manual gestures in great apes 93
- Mandrill visual gestures 113
- Gesture use in consortship 129
-
New trends and debates
- A call for conformity 147
- Cognitivism, adaptationism and pointing 165
- Pointing 181
- Requesting behaviours within episodes of active sharing 199
-
Article
- Hands and faces 223
- Where next? 241
- Index 253
