PSY 3364 Animal Communication – Fall 2005

Instructor: Dr. Peter Assmann Office: GR 4.126

Class meetings: MW 11:00 am - 12:15 pm Office hours: Tues 11:00 am-12:00 noon
Classroom: GR 4.428 Tel: 972-883-2435
Web: http://www.utdallas.edu/~assmann/PSY3364/ Email: assmann@utdallas.edu

Textbooks:
(1) Leslie J. Rogers and Gisela Kaplan (2002). Songs, Roars, and Rituals: Communication in
Birds, Mammals, and Other Animals. Harvard University Press.
(2) Peter J. B. Slater (1999). Essentials of Animal Behaviour. Cambridge University Press.

Animal Communication is a Psychology elective for students interested in animal behavior and
the nature of communication. Animals use a variety of methods to communicate with each other,
such as visual gestures and displays, vocal calls and songs, chemical signals and odor trails. This
course surveys the diverse forms of communication used throughout the animal kingdom,
including insects, frogs, birds, bats, monkeys, apes and humans. The course will investigate the
design features that characterize communication systems, as well as the unique adaptations that
are required in different environmental settings. Sensory and neural mechanisms that underlie
the production and perception of communication signals will be considered, as well as the
evolutionary and ecological forces that have shaped these systems in their natural environments.

Course requirements:

• Midterm exam (40%). Short-answer and medium-length questions. Study questions will be
made available on the class web page. No makeup exams will be provided.
• Final exam (40%). Same format as the midterm.
• Class participation and quizzes (20%). Several classes will start with a brief quiz covering
material from preceding classes. Their purpose is to help prepare for the exams. No makeup
quizzes are provided.
• Extra credit assignment (up to 5%). An optional extra credit assignment may be chosen on
a topic of your choice (topic must be cleared with instructor by Oct 27). Due on the same
day as the final exam.

Each student in this course is expected to exercise independent scholarly thought, expression and
aptitude. See http://www.utdallas.edu/student/slife/chapter49.html for UTD’s policy on
scholastic integrity.
 Dates Topics Readings
Aug 22 Definitions of communication; historical background
Aug 24 Ethology: evolutionary studies of animal behavior Rogers & Kaplan, Ch. 1
Aug 29 Natural selection and evolution Slater, Ch. 1
Aug 31 Movement and motor control Slater, Ch. 2
Sept 5 No class - Labor Day
Sept 7 Acoustic communication I Rogers & Kaplan, Ch. 2
Sept 12 Acoustic communication I Rogers & Kaplan, Ch. 4
Sept 14 Visual communication I Slater, Ch. 3
Sept 19 Visual communication II
Sept 21 Chemical and electrical communication
Sept 26 Information and deception Rogers & Kaplan, Ch. 3; Slater Ch. 8
Sept 28 Warning, mimicry, and alarm signals
Oct 3 Predator-prey relationships Review
Oct 5 Midterm Exam
Oct 10 Competition and territory Rogers & Kaplan, Ch. 5
Oct 12 Courtship and mate selection
Oct 17 Social organization and communication Rogers & Kaplan, Ch. 9; Slater Ch. 9
Oct 19 Development of communication Slater, Ch. 5
Oct 24 Vocal learning in birds Rogers & Kaplan, Ch. 6
Oct 26 Vocal learning in mammals Proposals for extra credit due*
Oct 31 Evolution of communication Rogers & Kaplan, Ch. 7
Nov 2 Evolutionary pathways Slater, Ch. 6 & 7
Nov 7 Primate communication
Nov 9 Primate communication
Nov 14 Interspecies communication Rogers & Kaplan, Ch. 8
Nov 16 Human communication and language
Nov 21 Animal communication and human language
Nov 23 Animal communication and human language
Nov 28 Discussion Review
Dec 5 Final Exam Turn in extra credit project*
*
Optional assignment