Multisensory Signal Integration in Great Ape Communication: (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)

Gillian Sebestyen Forrester, University of Sussex

Abstract
Communication is a dynamic and cognitively distributed process that enlists all of our available senses. Like Humans, animals integrate sensory signals to enhance or change the significance of a single signal. However, to date, studies of animal communication have generally focused on a single sensory channel within a limited linear framework. This is partly because neither the technology nor the framework existed to undergo the task of capturing, coding and analyzing multisensory signals. This research introduces a new theoretical method for managing multimodal signals during primate communication. This work endeavours to objectively assess visual, auditory and tactile signals without preconceived notions of meaning, emotion or intention. This is achieved through a data capture and coding system that limits the subjectivity of the human observer. Furthermore, this technique acknowledges the distributed nature of communication by considering the attentional state and spatial proximities of all social participants, rather than a single individual, as well as the social context within which communication takes place. Finally, this model seeks to create a common language for scientists with which to identify significant patterns in signal frequency, sequence and interaction.

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