A model of marmoset monkey vocal turn-taking

Abstract

Vocal turn-taking has been described in a diversity of species. Yet a model that captures the various processes underlying this social behavior across species has not been developed. To this end, here we recorded a large and diverse dataset of marmoset monkey vocal behavior in social contexts comprising one, two and three callers and developed a model to determine the keystone factors that affect the dynamics of these natural communicative interactions. While a coupled oscillator model failed to account for turn-taking in marmosets, our model alternatively revealed four key factors that encapsulate much of patterns evident in the behavior, ranging from internal processes, such as the state of the individual, to social context driven suppression of calling. In addition, we show that the same key factors apply to the meerkat, a carnivorous species, in a multicaller setting. These findings indicate that vocal turn-taking is affected by a broader suite of mechanisms than previously considered and that our model provides a predictive framework with which to further explicate this natural behavior in marmosets and for direct comparisons with the analogous behavior in other species.