Lomonosov Psychology Journal
ISSN 0137-0936
eISSN 2309-9852
En Ru
ISSN 0137-0936
eISSN 2309-9852

Article

Vartanov A.V., Kosareva Yu.I.(2015). Emotions of a person and a monkey:Subjective scaling of vocalizations. Moscow University Psychology Bulletin, 2, 93-109

Abstract

Four-dimensional spherical model of emotions was built with metric multidimensional scaling method. This model simultaneously describes emotional expressions in the oral human speech (based on the samples of the word “Yes”, spoken with different expressions) and vocalizations of rhesus macaque monkeys in the human listener’s perception. Based on statistical criteria, number of dimensions in the space of the perception of emotional human speech and monkey vocalizations samples was defined to be equal to 4. Stimuli points in the space are positioned in almost equal distance from the center of the hypersphere. Model space axes were interpreted in regard to the contents of human emotions. Orientation of perception of monkey vocalization samples space axes was conducted in a formal procedure based on direct experimental data — cross-assessment of the differences between some human speech samples and all monkey vocalizations samples. As a result, all studied monkey vocalizations samples were quantitatively presented in a unified system of the characteristics, defined for human emotions, and received an anthropomorphic interpretation. Obtained results are not controversial to the data from animal behavior observation and expert analysis of their vocalizations range. We revealed the similarity between emotional expressions in human speech and monkey vocalization range, which, in turn, demonstrates the relation of human and monkey emotions.

Sections: Empirical studies;

Received: 12/20/2014
Pages: 93-109
DOI: 10.11621/vsp.2015.02.93

Keywords: emotions; vocalizations of rhesus macaque monkeys; subjective space;

Available Online 30.06.2015

For citing this article:

Vartanov A.V., Kosareva Yu.I.(2015). Emotions of a person and a monkey:Subjective scaling of vocalizations. Moscow University Psychology Bulletin, 2, 93-109