ABSTRACT
Communicative behavior provides a potential window into problems of intentionality in animals. One elementary but neglected aspect of animal communication is the ability to emit or withhold a signal in the presence of the referent for that signal. Little is known about the degree to which this option is open to animals. We reasoned that presence or absence of appropriate signal receivers might influence the decision to withhold a signal. Alarm and food calls were elicited in cockerels by the appropriate external stimulation – overhead hawk models and favored food items – and studied in the presence and absence of an appropriate audience (e.g., a hen). The results demonstrate that, when an animal is in the presence of a signal referent, there is an ability to modulate signal production according to the appropriateness for communication of the caller’s social circumstances.
