Effect of others' attentional states on vocalizations in Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata)

We investigated the effects of other's attentional states on vocalizations in monkeys. The subjects were 14 Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata), which vocalized spontaneously in the feeding context. In the initial experiment, an experimenter moved towards and away from the subject monkeys. The monkeys vocalized more frequently when the experimenter moved away rather than towards them. To examine the effects of the experimenter's body orientations and moving directions separately, additional experiments were conducted. When the experimenter stood facing towards and facing away from the subject monkeys, the monkeys vocalized more frequently when the experimenter stood facing away rather than facing towards. When the experimenter moved towards and away from the subject monkeys while facing them, the monkeys vocalized more frequently when the experimenter moved away from them rather than towards them. These results suggested that the monkeys vocalized more frequently when the situation changed to that where the monkeys were not likely get food from the experimenter. It seems that monkeys recognize the attentional states of others by body orientation and modify their vocalizing behavior accordingly.