We study the following topics using a vocal primate species, marmoset monkey:
1. Vocal communication network and its dynamics
2. Neural computations for the generation of complex calls
3. Adaptive and flexible auditory and vocal behaviors
4. Disorders in vocal production and communication
5. Enrichment and animal welfare
Why Marmosets?
Marmosets (Callithrix jacchus), a small New World monkey species, have emerged as a model system for studying aspects of vocal communication. Marmosets exhibit many human-like familial and social dynamics, including a rich vocal repertoire and social vocal behaviors. Marmosets have been previously found to engage in interactive vocal communication, exchanging long-distance contact calls when isolated from other group members, a behavior known as antiphonal calling.
狨猴是新世界猴类，可作为研究声音交流的模型动物。狨猴有类似于人类的家庭和社会行为，包括丰富的语言和社交种类。之前的研究发现，狨猴参与到与同伴的语言交流互动中，称之为”一应一答“行为，当他们与同伴分开时，会发出长距离往来声音。
Can monkeys flexibly control vocal production?
Historically, the view of non-human primate vocalization has been one of the stereotyped and innate emotional calls. More recent evidence, however, has called this into question and has begun to demonstrate that non-human primates have substantial abilities to control their vocal production, including the ability to produce referential calls for food or different predators. Accumulating evidence has also shown that monkeys can control the timing of vocal production when responding to preceding vocalizations from other animals or when faced with interference by environmental acoustics. A recent our study demonstrated that marmosets change their vocal responses depending upon the type and acoustics of the preceding vocalization, and the identity of the previous caller. This finding suggests that marmosets are able to flexibly control their interactive vocal production depending on the preceding communicative context.
以往认为非人类灵长动物的声音是一种刻板的、表达情绪的叫声。现在越来越多的证据表明，非人类灵长动物其实也可以控制发声，包括发出不同的食物和捕食者的声音。它们还可以根据同伴叫声和环境背景控制发声的时间。近年来，我们的研究发现狨猴会根据叫声类型和特征以及发声者的声音强度来改变自己的应答，表明了狨猴具备灵活控制发声的能力。