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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 20, 2026

Author Spotlight: Investigating Vocal Information Representation in Small Primates and Its Alteration by Psychiatric Disorders Using Noninvasive EEG

Author Spotlight: Investigating Vocal Information Representation in Small Primates and Its Alteration by Psychiatric Disorders Using Noninvasive EEG

Published on: July 26, 2024

Developmental changes of cognitive vocal control in monkeys.

Steffen R Hage¹, Natalja Gavrilov², Andreas Nieder²

¹Animal Physiology, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany steffen.hage@uni-tuebingen.de.

The Journal of Experimental Biology

|June 3, 2016

Summary

Monkeys can voluntarily control vocalizations as juveniles but lose this ability in adulthood, supporting the neoteny hypothesis for human language evolution by suggesting an extended juvenile period enabled linguistic skills.

Keywords:

Communication Macaca mulatta Speech evolution Vocal flexibility Vocal utterance Volitional call initiation

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Published on: November 26, 2012

Area of Science:

Primate communication
Evolutionary linguistics
Developmental biology

Background:

Human language evolution is poorly understood due to limited evidence in primate communication.
Volitional control over vocalizations is a key feature distinguishing human language.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the development of volitional vocal control in non-human primates.
To test the neoteny hypothesis regarding the evolution of human linguistic capabilities.

Main Methods:

Longitudinal study of two monkeys over several years.
Assessed ability to produce species-specific calls on command.
Monitored spontaneous vocalizations and manual responses to commands.

Main Results:

Monkeys demonstrated reliable volitional vocal control during juvenile stages.
This ability to vocalize on command was lost in adulthood.
Spontaneous vocalizations and learned manual responses remained intact in adulthood.

Conclusions:

Vocal flexibility in juvenile primates supports the neoteny hypothesis.
An extended juvenile period in human development may have facilitated the emergence of language.
Developmental changes in vocal control offer insights into human language origins.