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Purpose: This study examines the influence of voice quality and multi-talker babble noise on processing and storage performance in a working memory task performed by children using cochlear implants (CI) and/or hearing aids (HA). Methods: Twenty-three children with a hearing impairment using CI and/or HA participated. Age range was between 6 and 13 years. The Competing Language Processing Task (CL

Across many species, a major function of vocal communication is to convey formidability, with low voice frequencies traditionally considered the main vehicle for projecting large size and aggression. Vocal loudness is often ignored, yet it might explain some puzzling exceptions to this frequency code. Here we demonstrate, through acoustic analyses of over 3000 human vocalizations and four perceptu

Humans have evolved voluntary control over vocal production for speaking and singing, while preserving the phylogenetically older system of spontaneous nonverbal vocalizations such as laughs and screams. To test for systematic acoustic differences between these vocal domains, we analyzed a broad, cross-cultural corpus representing over 2 h of speech, singing, and nonverbal vocalizations. We show t

The ability to perform genomic sequencing on long-dead organisms is opening new frontiers in evolutionary research. These opportunities are especially notable in the case of museum collections, from which countless documented specimens may now be suitable for genomic analysis-if data of sufficient quality can be obtained. Here, we report 25 newly sequenced genomes from museum specimens of the mode

Brain size variability in primates has been attributed to various domain-specific socio-ecological factors. A recently published large-scale study of short-term memory abilities in 41 primate species [1] did not find any correlations with 11 different proxies of external cognitive demands. Here we found that the interspecific variation in test performance shows correlated evolution with total brai

Humans have an irresistible inclination to coordinate actions with others, leading to species-unique forms of cooperation. According to the highly influential Shared intentionality theory (SITh), human cooperation is made possible by shared intentionality (SI), typically defined as a suite of socio-cognitive and motivational traits for sharing psychological states with others, thereby enabling ind

What information is encoded in the cries of human babies? While it is widely recognized that cries can encode distress levels, whether cries reliably encode the cause of crying remains disputed. Here, we collected 39201 cries from 24 babies recorded in their homes longitudinally, from 15 days to 3.5 months of age, a database we share publicly for reuse. Based on the parental action that stopped th

Gaze following refers to the ability to co-orient with others’ gaze directions. Ontogenetic studies on gaze following in animals have predominantly used human experimenters as demonstrators. It is, however, likely that developing animals are initially more attuned to individuals from their own species, which might result in differences in the ontogenetic onset of gaze following with human and cons

Taking someone else’s visual perspective marks an evolutionary shift in the formation of advanced social cognition. It enables using others’ attention to discover otherwise hidden aspects of the surroundings and is foundational for human communication and understanding of others. Visual perspective taking has also been found in some other primates, a few songbirds, and some canids. However, despit

The idea to create pictorial narratives seems to have occurred long after humans learned to produce iconic images, that is, depictions based on visual similarity to external objects. In Scandinavia, e.g., in Gärde, Sweden or Stykket and Bøla, Norway, early Mesolithic images (e.g., rock carvings from before c. 5000 BCE) often feature animals that are solitary or without suggestion of causal or narr

Preening behaviours are widespread in extant birds. While most birds appear to autopreen (self-directed preening), allopreening (preening directed at conspecifics) seems to have emerged only in certain species, but across many families. Allopreening has been hypothesised to reinforce mutual relationships and cooperation between individuals, and to underpin various socio-cognitive abilities. Palaeo

Even if there is evidence of play from all vertebrate classes suggesting origins in deep time, descriptions of the evolution of play are surprisingly patchy. To bridge this gap, one must study play comparatively and include taxa from key phylogenetic positions. This study is the first systematic description of play in greater rheas, and thereby the first such report on any palaeognath bird. Palaeo

Acoustic correlates of physical effort are still poorly understood, even though effort is vocally communicated in a variety of contexts with crucial fitness consequences, including both confrontational and reproductive social interactions. In this study 33 lay participants spoke during a brief, but intense isometric hold (L-sit), first without any voice-related instructions, and then asked either

Across many species, a major function of vocal communication is to convey formidability, with low voice frequencies traditionally considered the main vehicle for projecting large size and aggression. Vocal loudness is often ignored, yet it might explain some puzzling exceptions to this frequency code. Here we demonstrate, through acoustic analyses of over 3,000 human vocalizations and four percept

Cat purring, the unusual, pulsed vibration that epitomizes comfort, enjoys a special status in the world of vocal communication research. Indeed, it has long been flagged as a rare exception to the dominant theory of voice production in mammals. A new study presents histological and biomechanical evidence that purring can occur passively, without needing muscle vibration in the larynx controlled b

Roughness is a perceptual characteristic of sound that was first applied to musical consonance and dissonance, but it is increasingly recognized as a central aspect of voice quality in human and animal communication. It may be particularly important for asserting social dominance or attracting attention in urgent signals such as screams. To ensure that the results of roughness research are valid a

Relational memory retrieval entails a dynamic interplay between eye movements and neural activity, yet the temporal coordination of these processes remains unclear. We examined how theta- and alpha-band EEG activity relates to sequential fixations during relational memory retrieval. Participants performed a two-alternative forced-choice associative memory task while eye movements and EEG were reco

The study discussed in this article aimed to understanding how pre-activity formulations are designed and accomplished by mothers in play interactions as everyday interactional business. Here, we report specifically on instances during the lab-based interactions where the mother orients to the lab-based task of singing with their infant, and discuss potential implications of such participant orien