Question 1

Herntenstein and colleagues (2006) describe a study in which human subjects were asked to send a tactile signal to another person that conveyed one of 12 different emotions. The recipient of the signal was then supposed to choose which of the 12 the sender was trying to communicate. Subjects tended to associate specific types of touch with specific emotions. For example, pushing tended to be associated with

Accepted Answer

Pushing was most commonly associated with disgust, as the study found specific types of touch to correlate with specific emotions.

Question 2

Since electrical signals are not carried away from the sender, they

Accepted Answer

Electrical signals, when not carried away from the sender, can be effective for only short distances, are less likely to be distorted during transmission, and may serve as a reliable indicator of the sender's identity, making all of the provided options correct.

Question 3

Electrical signals, such as those produced by weakly electric fish,

Accepted Answer

Electrical signals produced by weakly electric fish are specifically adapted to their aquatic environments, allowing them to communicate and navigate effectively even in murky waters where visual cues are limited. These signals are designed to be undisturbed by suspended particles in water, which would otherwise interfere with other forms of sensory input like vision.

Question 4

If it were crucial that you quickly communicate with one particular conspecific in a way that would guarantee that you would not attract the attention of a nearby predator, you should probably use a(n) ______ signal.

Accepted Answer

Tactile signals involve physical contact and are less likely to be detected by predators compared to auditory, chemical, or visual signals, which can be intercepted or observed from a distance.

Question 5

Presenting each component of a multimodal display individually to a recipient and seeing how the recipient responds will allow you to determine whether the messages conveyed in the display are

Accepted Answer

Presenting each component individually and observing the recipient's response helps in determining if the messages are redundant (repeating the same information) or nonredundant (providing different information). This method does not directly assess the other options listed.

Question 6

Uetz and colleagues (2002, 2008) presented isolated visual and seismic components of the male brush-legged wolf spider's multimodal courtship display to females and concluded that the components in both channels appear to contain largely redundant information. They concluded this because

Accepted Answer

Uetz and colleagues found that both isolated visual and seismic components of the courtship display could independently elicit sexual receptivity in female spiders, indicating redundancy in the information conveyed through these channels.

Question 7

Which of the following would NOT be considered a cost of multimodal communication?

Accepted Answer

Multimodal communication, involving the use of multiple channels or modes to convey information, generally increases the efficiency and effectiveness of communication. Option A, being able to send more information per unit time, especially for nonredundant signals, is actually a benefit of multimodal communication rather than a cost. It enhances the ability to convey complex or nuanced information. In contrast, options B, C, and D describe costs associated with the increased demands on both senders and receivers in terms of energy expenditure and the allocation of sensory and processing resources.

Question 8

There is some research evidence that natural selection for distinctly different signals has been strongest

Accepted Answer

Natural selection for distinctly different signals is strongest where related but different species occur in the same place, to avoid inter-species communication errors and competition, promoting species-specific signals for more effective mating and survival strategies.

Question 9

When animals that spend most of their time alone need to find a mate, they need to send a signal that is easy to locate and effective over long distances. For this reason, ________ signals are frequently used for mate attraction.

Accepted Answer

Chemical and auditory signals are often used by animals for mate attraction because they can be effective over long distances and are easy for potential mates to locate. Chemical signals, such as pheromones, can disperse widely and persist in the environment, allowing animals to detect potential mates even if they are not in direct contact. Auditory signals, such as calls or songs, can travel long distances and can be used to attract mates even when visual contact is not possible.

Question 10

When a female common tern (Sterna hirundo) compares the quantities of fish provided by her various suitors, she is most likely using his courtship fishing display as a means of

Accepted Answer

The courtship fishing display in common terns is a behavior where the male presents fish to the female, which serves as an indicator of his ability to provide resources. This behavior allows the female to assess the male's quality as a potential mate, including his foraging ability and overall health, which are critical for the survival of their offspring.

Question 11

A male mountain dusky salamander (Desmognathus ochrophaeus) normally injects a courtship pheromone into the female's circulatory system with his teeth. When Houck and Reagan (1990) artificially treated females with either a pheromone-containing elixir or a saline solution, they found that the females that received the pheromone

Accepted Answer

The females that received the pheromone became sexually receptive and mated faster than those that received the saline solution, indicating the effectiveness of the pheromone in accelerating sexual receptivity and mating behavior.

Question 12

Pairs of monogamous pipefish (Corythoichthys haematopterus) perform an elaborate greeting ceremony every morning, even during the nonreproductive season, and then have no further contact the rest of the day. It has been suggested that this "off-season" greeting ritual provides a means of

Accepted Answer

The "off-season" greeting ritual among monogamous pipefish is likely a behavior aimed at maintaining their pair bond, ensuring the stability of their relationship even when not actively reproducing.

Question 13

Members of a social group, such as wild dogs or chimpanzees, not just mated pairs, frequently engage in communicative behaviors that serve to reinforce their social bonds. Many of these signals serve as an assurance of nonaggression. These signals are frequently

Accepted Answer

Tactile communication, such as grooming or physical touch, is commonly used among social animals like chimpanzees and wild dogs to reinforce social bonds and assure nonaggression.

Question 14

Many alarm signals cause those who hear them to flee or take cover. They tend to be

Accepted Answer

Alarm signals are often designed to be recognized by a wide range of species, not just the one producing the signal. This cross-species recognition can enhance survival by creating a broader alert system in the ecosystem.

Question 15

If you were a vervet monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops) and heard an adult perform a "leopard" call, you would probably

Accepted Answer

Vervet monkeys have specific alarm calls for different predators. A "leopard" call triggers a response to climb up into the trees, as this is a safer location away from the ground-dwelling predator.

Question 16

Some alarm calls cause those who hear it to congregate into a group to defend a resource or drive off a predator rather than causing the others to flee. These assembly calls, when compared to "flee" signals, tend to be

Accepted Answer

Assembly calls are typically designed to be easily localized, longer-lasting, and repetitive to effectively gather individuals together for a collective response, unlike flee signals which may prompt immediate dispersal.

Question 17

The name most closely associated with the study of bee communication is

Accepted Answer

Karl von Frisch is renowned for his extensive studies on bee communication, particularly his discovery of the waggle dance, which is a means by which bees communicate the location of food sources to each other.

Question 18

If honeybees are provided with a scented sucrose solution only 10 meters east of the hive, the scout will return to the hive and performed a round dance. During the test period, if scented plates are placed north, south, east, and west of the hive, the recruits are likely to arrive

Accepted Answer

The round dance indicates that food is nearby but does not provide a specific direction, so recruits will search in all directions equally.

Question 19

If honeybees are provided with a scented sucrose solution 150 meters east of the hive, the scout will return to the hive and performed a waggle dance. During the test period, if scented plates are placed north, south, east, and west of the hive, the recruits are likely to arrive

Accepted Answer

The waggle dance of honeybees communicates the direction and distance of food sources from the hive. Since the scout bee found food to the east, it would perform a waggle dance that indicates this direction. Therefore, recruits would be directed almost exclusively to the east plate, expecting to find the scented sucrose solution there.

Question 20

Srinivasa and colleagues (2000) found that bees use visual cues to estimate how far they have traveled so that information regarding distance to the food source can be communicated to the other bees once they return to the hive. The researchers determined this by training bees to fly into tunnels in order to reach a feeder and then manipulated the

Accepted Answer

Srinivasa and colleagues discovered that bees use the pattern of stripes within the tunnels as visual cues to estimate the distance they have traveled. By manipulating these patterns, they were able to determine how bees communicate information about the distance to food sources to their hive mates.

Quiz 16: Communications: Channels and Functions