| Title |
Group size, vocal grooming and the origins of language
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, July 2016
|
| DOI | 10.3758/s13423-016-1122-6 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
R. I. M. Dunbar |
| Abstract |
I argue that speech and language evolved through a series of stages individually designed to break through successive glass ceilings on group size. Language was simply the last of these (and hence evolved late in hominin evolution), but its precursors (laughter and singing) each played a crucial role in preparing the way for speech production. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 32 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 7 | 22% |
| United Kingdom | 3 | 9% |
| Philippines | 1 | 3% |
| Hong Kong | 1 | 3% |
| Norway | 1 | 3% |
| Sweden | 1 | 3% |
| Germany | 1 | 3% |
| Unknown | 17 | 53% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 28 | 88% |
| Scientists | 3 | 9% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 3% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 121 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 1 | <1% |
| Netherlands | 1 | <1% |
| Denmark | 1 | <1% |
| Luxembourg | 1 | <1% |
| Unknown | 117 | 97% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 25 | 21% |
| Student > Bachelor | 15 | 12% |
| Student > Master | 14 | 12% |
| Researcher | 13 | 11% |
| Other | 8 | 7% |
| Other | 25 | 21% |
| Unknown | 21 | 17% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 21 | 17% |
| Arts and Humanities | 15 | 12% |
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 13 | 11% |
| Social Sciences | 11 | 9% |
| Neuroscience | 7 | 6% |
| Other | 24 | 20% |
| Unknown | 30 | 25% |