Exploring Social Markets, Partner Debt, and Mimetic Currency in Dolphins
Dynamic models of “Biological Markets” can provide a systematic and ecologically-valid approach to studying communication and social cognition in dolphins. These market models view interacting animals as traders engaged in a negotiation for social commodities, whose values vary with the state of t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Animal Behavior and Cognition
2016-11-01
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| Series: | Animal Behavior and Cognition |
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| Online Access: | http://www.animalbehaviorandcognition.org/uploads/journals/13/03.Nov2016-Johnson_Final.pdf |
| _version_ | 1811322166846685184 |
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| author | Christine M. Johnson |
| author_facet | Christine M. Johnson |
| author_sort | Christine M. Johnson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Dynamic models of “Biological Markets” can provide a systematic and ecologically-valid approach to
studying communication and social cognition in dolphins. These market models view interacting animals as traders
engaged in a negotiation for social commodities, whose values vary with the state of their current market. Across the
phyla, factors like the supply and demand of social resources can impact on investment and partner choice. Such
models map well to the polyadic nature of typical social interactions, generating predictions based on configurations
of participants, and enabling us to use behavioral observations to address issues of cognitive organization. Plus, by
positing communicative signals as social currency, these models provide tools to discern which aspects of dolphins’
vocal and gestural repertoires impact on their social relationships. Adapting these models for dolphins highlights the
premise that “partnerhood is good,” wherein both players gain when they partner. When considered over time, the
gains and losses of valued partners may accumulate into “wealth” or “debt” for a particular player, altering its
threshold for responding to its market’s odds. For example, “Partner Debt” could motivate a player to more readily
take action to destabilize its current market. In dolphins, one type of social currency that bears further investigation
is the use of vocal and/or gestural mimicry. Such mimesis may promote prosociality, cooperation, and even the
coordination of third party information. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T13:31:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-824a5c49f76b4508af4196dab7de588d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2372-5052 2372-4323 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T13:31:33Z |
| publishDate | 2016-11-01 |
| publisher | Animal Behavior and Cognition |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animal Behavior and Cognition |
| spelling | doaj.art-824a5c49f76b4508af4196dab7de588d2022-12-22T02:44:58ZengAnimal Behavior and CognitionAnimal Behavior and Cognition2372-50522372-43232016-11-013422424210.12966/abc.03.11.2016Exploring Social Markets, Partner Debt, and Mimetic Currency in DolphinsChristine M. JohnsonDynamic models of “Biological Markets” can provide a systematic and ecologically-valid approach to studying communication and social cognition in dolphins. These market models view interacting animals as traders engaged in a negotiation for social commodities, whose values vary with the state of their current market. Across the phyla, factors like the supply and demand of social resources can impact on investment and partner choice. Such models map well to the polyadic nature of typical social interactions, generating predictions based on configurations of participants, and enabling us to use behavioral observations to address issues of cognitive organization. Plus, by positing communicative signals as social currency, these models provide tools to discern which aspects of dolphins’ vocal and gestural repertoires impact on their social relationships. Adapting these models for dolphins highlights the premise that “partnerhood is good,” wherein both players gain when they partner. When considered over time, the gains and losses of valued partners may accumulate into “wealth” or “debt” for a particular player, altering its threshold for responding to its market’s odds. For example, “Partner Debt” could motivate a player to more readily take action to destabilize its current market. In dolphins, one type of social currency that bears further investigation is the use of vocal and/or gestural mimicry. Such mimesis may promote prosociality, cooperation, and even the coordination of third party information.http://www.animalbehaviorandcognition.org/uploads/journals/13/03.Nov2016-Johnson_Final.pdfBiological MarketsDolphinsSocial cognitionCommunicationImitation |
| spellingShingle | Christine M. Johnson Exploring Social Markets, Partner Debt, and Mimetic Currency in Dolphins Animal Behavior and Cognition Biological Markets Dolphins Social cognition Communication Imitation |
| title | Exploring Social Markets, Partner Debt, and Mimetic Currency in Dolphins |
| title_full | Exploring Social Markets, Partner Debt, and Mimetic Currency in Dolphins |
| title_fullStr | Exploring Social Markets, Partner Debt, and Mimetic Currency in Dolphins |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring Social Markets, Partner Debt, and Mimetic Currency in Dolphins |
| title_short | Exploring Social Markets, Partner Debt, and Mimetic Currency in Dolphins |
| title_sort | exploring social markets partner debt and mimetic currency in dolphins |
| topic | Biological Markets Dolphins Social cognition Communication Imitation |
| url | http://www.animalbehaviorandcognition.org/uploads/journals/13/03.Nov2016-Johnson_Final.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT christinemjohnson exploringsocialmarketspartnerdebtandmimeticcurrencyindolphins |