Utilizing evidence from various species of social animals (including humans) ill
ID: 178657 • Letter: U
Question
Utilizing evidence from various species of social animals (including humans) illustrate the following features of animal communication: (1) that signal-senders manipulate the behavior of signal-receivers in ways that benefit the former, (2) that signal-senders often communicate deceptively, and (3) that signal-senders at times are characterized by self-deception. Support or dismiss the claim that human societies organized beyond the level of close kinship ties are impossible to maintain without the mechanisms of deception and self-deception.
Explanation / Answer
1) Signal-senders manipulate the behavior of signal-receivers in the way that benefit the former:
Signaler's fitness increases at the expense of the receiver, example: anglerfish. A case of deception such as the one constituted by the dangling of lures by the anglerfish. These lures are worm-like objects designed to attract prey. The receiver response to the lure of the anglerfish and approach towards it and anglerfish eat it that leads to receiver's death.
2) Deceit is a common in signals which function between species. In general, these are modifications or adaptations of signals used in intraspecific communication in order to exploit that species. Carnivorous fireflies mimic the mate attraction signals of other species, attracting males looking for would-be mates and eat them leading to the death. Bolas spiders use moth sex pheromones in a similar way. "Guests" in ant nests acquire the pheromone used by the ants to discriminate nest members from non-members.
3) Self-signaling when the entire dynamic signaling is internalized, and messages conveying desired, characteristics are reinterpreted as messages to oneself. If the receiver takes the sender's signal at the face value, not discounting for ulterior motives, then attempted self-deception will succeed. However, the receiver may also discount the signal. This might occur because the receiver has some prior expectation of an ulterior sender motive, or because the deceptive sender misjudges the signal strength. Self-deceptive speech becomes mandatory not because it is believed, but because deviating from the self-deceptive norm could lead to a catastrophic loss in self-esteem. Self-signaling can therefore lead to ritualistic expression that appears self-deceptive on the surface, but that may not truly reflect what a person feels.
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