Review of Animal Communication Theory: Information and Influence (Edited by U. Stegmann)

Abstract

Do animal signals contain information and have meaning, like words in a language, or are they potent stimuli that influence the sensory systems and behaviors of intended recipients? This book debates the role of information in animal communication by presenting opinion and evidence from diverse disciplines, such as evolutionary biology, ethology, linguistics, and neurophysiology. It also includes valuable philosophical contributions about the nature of information and meaning, although these are overused and consequently somewhat distracting.