Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Complementation Tests

Complementation Tests

A complementation test is a simple cross to identify whether the two mutations are located on the same gene or different genes. It was first performed by Edward Lewis in the 1940s while working on fruit flies. He developed the test to identify the location and arrangement of different mutations on chromosomes.
Organisms heterozygous for different mutations are crossed pairwise in all combinations. If present on different genes, the mutations can complement each other by providing the missing...

Chunking

Chunking

Chunking is a powerful cognitive technique that improves short-term memory retention by organizing information into smaller, more manageable units. The brain, limited by working memory capacity, can more easily process and store information when it is divided into "chunks" rather than presented as discrete, unrelated elements. Chunking is especially useful when dealing with large amounts of information, such as numerical sequences, words, or complex ideas.
The principle behind chunking...

Cognitive Learning

Cognitive Learning

Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...

Combinatorial Gene Control

Combinatorial Gene Control

Combinatorial gene control is the synergistic action of several transcriptional factors to regulate the expression of a single gene. The absence of one or more of these factors may lead to a significant difference in the level of gene expression or repression.
The expression of more than 30,000 genes is controlled by approximately 2000-3000 transcription factors. This is possible because a single transcription factor can recognize more than one regulatory sequence. The specificity in gene...

Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory

Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory

Improving short-term memory can be achieved through techniques like chunking and rehearsal. Chunking involves organizing information into larger, more manageable units. This technique is particularly useful for information that exceeds the typical memory span of between five and nine items. For instance, logging into an online account with a password like "ta89vq0179gz" involves grouping letters and numbers into three chunks—ta89, vq01, and 79gz. It makes large amounts of...

Nonconscious Mimicry

Nonconscious Mimicry

Nonconscious mimicry occurs when individuals alter their mannerisms to match the behaviors and expressions of those nearby, without intention.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Chimpanzee culture beyond the conspicuous: Evidence for broad-scale observational social learning in wild individuals.

iScience·2026

Same author

Why primatology needs local knowledge.

Primates; journal of primatology·2026

Same author

The evolutionary transition from intentional to overt communication: The role of script recognition.

Psychological review·2026

Same author

Postural Infant Carrying Adaptations by Wild Eastern Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) With Limb Disabilities.

American journal of primatology·2026

Same author

Languages evolve ergodically: Clarifications and responses.

Physics of life reviews·2026

Same author

Dogs' reactions to motivations and emotions in conspecific and heterospecific vocalizations.

Scientific reports·2026

Same journal

The BRCA1-A complex restricts replication fork reversal-dependent DNA repair in ATM deficient cells.

Nature communications·2026

Same journal

Signaling downstream of tumor-stroma interaction regulates mucinous colorectal adenocarcinoma apicobasal polarity.

Nature communications·2026

Same journal

Click-polymerized polyenamine membranes for efficient lithium extraction.

Nature communications·2026

Same journal

Joint trajectories of brain atrophy, white matter hyperintensities and cognition quantify brain maintenance.

Nature communications·2026

Same journal

Proton shuttling at electrochemical interfaces under alkaline hydrogen evolution.

Nature communications·2026

Same journal

metilene<sup>3</sup>: identifying DMRs across multiple conditions with auto-classification.

Nature communications·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 31, 2025

Assessment of Social Cognition in Non-human Primates Using a Network of Computerized Automated Learning Device ALDM Test Systems

Assessment of Social Cognition in Non-human Primates Using a Network of Computerized Automated Learning Device ALDM Test Systems

Published on: May 5, 2015

Call combinations and compositional processing in wild chimpanzees.

Maël Leroux^1,2,3, Anne M Schel⁴, Claudia Wilke^5,6,7

¹Department of Comparative Language Science, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland. maelmaodez.leroux@gmail.com.

Nature Communications

|May 4, 2023

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Chimpanzees combine calls, like "alarm-huu" and "waa-bark," to convey specific meanings, suggesting early forms of syntax in communication. This finding indicates that the building blocks for complex language may predate human evolution.

More Related Videos

Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism

Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism

Published on: October 3, 2018

Holistic Facial Composite Creation and Subsequent Video Line-up Eyewitness Identification Paradigm

Holistic Facial Composite Creation and Subsequent Video Line-up Eyewitness Identification Paradigm

Published on: December 24, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 31, 2025

Assessment of Social Cognition in Non-human Primates Using a Network of Computerized Automated Learning Device ALDM Test Systems

Assessment of Social Cognition in Non-human Primates Using a Network of Computerized Automated Learning Device ALDM Test Systems

Published on: May 5, 2015

Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism

Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism

Published on: October 3, 2018

Holistic Facial Composite Creation and Subsequent Video Line-up Eyewitness Identification Paradigm

Holistic Facial Composite Creation and Subsequent Video Line-up Eyewitness Identification Paradigm

Published on: December 24, 2015

Area of Science:

Primate communication
Evolution of language
Animal behavior

Background:

Syntax, the combination of words, enables limitless message expression in human language.
Understanding syntax's origins requires data from non-human primates, particularly great apes.
Current data on syntactic-like structures in great ape communication is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate syntactic-like structuring in chimpanzee communication.
To determine if chimpanzees combine calls compositionally to convey meaning.
To explore the phylogenetic origins of syntax.

Main Methods:

Observing chimpanzee vocalizations during naturalistic and experimental snake encounters.
Analyzing the structure and context of chimpanzee call combinations, specifically "alarm-huu" and "waa-bark".
Conducting playback experiments using independent calls and combined call sequences to elicit behavioral responses.

Main Results:

Chimpanzees produce "alarm-huu + waa-bark" combinations when encountering snakes.
Call combinations attract more individuals to the caller compared to independent calls.
Chimpanzees exhibit stronger reactions, including longer looking times, to call combinations than to individual calls.

Conclusions:

The "alarm-huu + waa-bark" combination functions as a compositional, syntactic-like structure in chimpanzees.
The meaning of the combined call is derived from the meanings of its constituent parts.
Cognitive foundations for syntax may have existed in the last common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees, not evolving solely within the human lineage.