How Do Vervet Monkeys React to False Alarm Calls?
Daphna Buchsbaum Abstract: Vervet Monkeys are known to give several distinct alarm calls in response to the presence of different types predators (aerial, snake, terrestrial), and the responses to these alarm calls are predator specific. It’s also known that they can distinguish between the calls of different individuals within the group. In this paper I will propose an experiment to test whether Vervet Monkey’s reactions to alarm calls change when they are repeatedly presented with false alarms by one group member. The experiment will focus particularly on whether changes in response apply across all three types of alarm calls, and whether these changes are specific to the calls of the monkey giving the false alarms. I will then look at possible experimental outcomes, and discuss what they might show us about learning mechanisms and cognitive processes in Vervets. Finally, I will briefly address alternative explanations, and possible problems in experimental design. Mechanisms Causing
