title: Influence of sound specificity and familiarity on Japanese macaques' (Macaca fuscata) auditory laterality.
abstract: Despite attempts to generalise the left hemisphere-speech association of humans to animal communication, the debate remains open. More studies on primates are needed to explore the potential effects of sound specificity and familiarity. Familiar and non-familiar nonhuman primate contact calls, bird calls and non-biological sounds were broadcast to Japanese macaques. Macaques turned their heads preferentially towards the left (right hemisphere) when hearing conspecific or familiar primates supporting hemispheric specialisation. Our results support the role of experience in brain organisation and the importance of social factors to understand laterality evolution.
authors.affiliation: Ethologie animale et humaine, UMR 6552 - C.N.R.S., Université de Rennes 1, France. alban.lemasson@univ-rennes1.fr
authors.forename: Alban
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lemasson
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koda
authors.forename: Akemi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Chisako
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oyakawa
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Blois-Heulin
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Masataka
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000818:Animals; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D008252:Macaca fascicularis / Q000502:physiology*; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014828:Vocalization, Animal / Q000502:physiology*