In the domain of gestural communication, the gestural signals of a complex group of chimpanzees have been documented at four time points over a 14 year period, permitting a longitudinal analysis of patterns of communication in this species. A comparison between a long-standing and a newly formed social group has been added that revealed specific learning processes underlying the expression of gestural signals. In the domain of social cognition, work has focused on the ability of various species to follow the gaze of conspecifics or humans to interesting and important items in the environment. The results have documented that such following occurs reliably in some primates and the current focus is on determining specific parameters that affect the process. Primate use of gaze as a source of information about the environment is a potentially important social cognitive skill that may be useful in a variety of social contexts.
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