1. Communication is the sharing of ideas or thoughts and requires all parties to send and receive information between them; it can include verbal and non-verbal means (Weiten, 2005). Language is a way to communicate verbally and involves not just understanding meanings, processing information and forming thoughts, but also the physical means for forming words (Lollar, Monsour & Barwind, 2012, p. 78). Language requires the use of grammar rules and syntax, apply them to spoken words to create a comprehensible form of communication (Goldman, 2012).
2. Animals are certainly capable of communication even at limited levels both among their own kind and across species as with human-animal communication (Goldman, 2012). In groups, they warn one another of danger, signal when food has been found, and indicate their readiness to mate. The means for carrying out these types of communication varies from physiological signals to vocalizations. They cannot, however, acquire language. This is a complex skill limited only to humans. Some animals can mimic human words, and animals may understand words and attach them to behaviors or objects, but “there is no evidence that any non-human animal is capable of acquiring and using” language (Anderson, 2004; Goldman, 2012; Weiten, 2005).
3. There is no empirical evidence to support that animals experience emotions (Weiten, 2005). Emotions are subjective and cannot be measured beyond the ability to self-report feelings. Because that requires language communication, it is impossible to say for sure animals feel emotions; there is only anecdotal evidence to support this claim (Weiten). However, the evidence is very strong as the videos demonstrated. For example, Koko the gorilla communicates sadness using sign language and turns away from the television when watching the sad part of the movie (Koko responds, 2011). In the video of elephants, it seems pretty obvious the animals are grieving and expressing sadness over the loss of a baby elephant (Touching footage, 2012). Watching these, it is obvious whether empirical evidence can be collected or not, that animal are not only capable of emotion, but express it as well.
4. The most interesting part of this chapter, and one which I would like to know more about, is the research being done on an animal’s ability to feel emotions. While there seems to be enormous evidence supporting it, empirical evidence is not strong. That does not mean that they don’t, only that we can’t scientifically say that they do yet.
References
Anderson, S. R. (n.d.). Animal communication and human language. Cambridge Encyclopedia of the Linguistic Sciences [online]. Retrieved from http://cowgill.ling.yale.edu/sra/ animals_cell.htm
Goldman, J. G. (2012). Is language unique to humans? BBC.com Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20121016-is-language-unique-to-humans
“Koko responds to a sad movie.” (2011). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= EWxCM6llL60
Lollar, K. Monsour, M., & Barwind, J. (Eds.). (2012). The talk within: Its central role in communication. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt.
“Touching footage of elephants “saying goodbye” to dead young. (2012). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAs-5D6OdGk
Weiten, W. (2005). Psychology: Themes and variations (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
