I presented a poster last April with my colleagues Thore Bergman and Jacinta Beehner at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists in Chicago. The poster was entitled "The Facial Display Repertoire of Geladas."
This research was supported by the Claire Garber Goodman Fund (Dartmouth College) and the University of Michigan.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Facial Mobility and Group Cohesion
My article entitled "Socioecological correlates of facial mobility in nonhuman anthropoids" has been accepted for publication in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. A preprint version of the paper is available here.
Abstract:
Facial mobility, or the variety of facial movements a species can produce, is likely influenced by selection for facial expression in diurnal anthropoids. The purpose of this study is to examine socioecological correlates of facial mobility independent of body size, focusing on social group size and arboreality as possible evolutionary agents. Group size was chosen because facial expressions are important for group cohesion, while arboreality may limit the utility of facial expressions. Data for 12 nonhuman anthropoid species were taken from previous studies and analyzed using a phylogenetic generalized least-squares approach. Regression results indicate that group size is a good predictor of facial mobility independent of body size. No statistical support was found for the hypothesis that arboreality constrains the evolution of facial mobility. The correlation between facial mobility and group size may be a consequence of selection for more effective facial expression to help manage conflicts and facilitate bonding in larger groups. These findings support the hypothesis that the ultimate function of facial expression is related to group cohesion.
UPDATE (2/24/09): The print version of this article is now online.
Abstract:
Facial mobility, or the variety of facial movements a species can produce, is likely influenced by selection for facial expression in diurnal anthropoids. The purpose of this study is to examine socioecological correlates of facial mobility independent of body size, focusing on social group size and arboreality as possible evolutionary agents. Group size was chosen because facial expressions are important for group cohesion, while arboreality may limit the utility of facial expressions. Data for 12 nonhuman anthropoid species were taken from previous studies and analyzed using a phylogenetic generalized least-squares approach. Regression results indicate that group size is a good predictor of facial mobility independent of body size. No statistical support was found for the hypothesis that arboreality constrains the evolution of facial mobility. The correlation between facial mobility and group size may be a consequence of selection for more effective facial expression to help manage conflicts and facilitate bonding in larger groups. These findings support the hypothesis that the ultimate function of facial expression is related to group cohesion.
UPDATE (2/24/09): The print version of this article is now online.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Discover Magazine Article
Renowned science journalist Carl Zimmer has recently published an article on facial expression in Discover Magazine. The article describes my own research on facial mobility, as well as research by Bridget Waller and Anne Burrows.
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