Signal coding schemes

in the process of comm, senders prod signals in order to

provide info to receivers

communication involves — — —

signal prod, transmission and reception

what is a signal

coding

how signals convey nfo

4 different cases on how signals convey info

example of continuous signal

age, concentration of (hormone)

coding schemes (5)

no coding, perfect, specific, unique, imperfect

no coding scheme

all prob equal

perfect coding scheme

each signal occurs w 1 condi

specific coding

1 sig per cond, mult cond per sign

unique signal

1 or mo sig per cond, no overlap

imperfect scheme

sig overlap across cond (common)

overall %effectiveness =

sender% x receiver%

meerkat alarm calls signal — and —

predator and urgency

code requirements

signals must be distinct (favor the extremes), must be diverse (with variation)

stereotypy

why is categorical perception common

to better discriminate against signals

code variation can be created by

combining signal elements in series

using mult modalities

mod signal elements or order

• sound (amp, freq, duration)

• light (color, size location)

serial signals

common whales, bats, birds

increase signal complexity using few signal elements by interspersing space

firefly flash patterns indicate

species identity/sex

mapping schemes

parameter mapping, combination mapping, hierarchical/compund mapping

parameter mapping

combination mapping

assign diff combo of signal parameters to each alt condition for each question

(inefficient if there are many cond. or quest.)

carolina chicka dee songs ex of

combination mapping

hierarchical mapping has 2 diff components

static: convey info abt species diff

dynamic: convey info abt individ. diff. females prefer extremes

binary assignment

sex, mated vs unmated

only 2 signals neede

binary comparison

decide own vs other

many signals

binary comparison often uses — signals

continuous

situations where binary comp is used

assessing opponent fighting ability, mate choice

how many paired (binary) comparisions are needed to discriminate among 100 individuals

7

how can we meas the amt of info needed for any qyestion

use # of binary questions H = log_2 M, M is the possible # of equally likely answers

effectiveness of discrete signals is meas by

contingency level