ORIGINAL PAPER Use of gesture sequences in captive chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) play

Abstract This study examined the use of sensory modalities relative to a partner’s behavior in gesture sequences during captive chimpanzee play at the Chim-panzee and Human Communication Institute. We hypoth-esized that chimpanzees would use visual gestures toward attentive recipients and auditory/tactile gestures toward inattentive recipients. We also hypothesized that gesture sequences would be more prevalent toward unresponsive rather than responsive recipients. The chimpanzees used significantly more auditory/tactile rather than visual ges-tures first in sequences with both attentive and inattentive recipients. They rarely used visual gestures toward inat-tentive recipients. Auditory/tactile gestures were effective with and used with both attentive and inattentive recipients. Recipients responded significantly more to single gestures than to first gestures in sequences. Sequences often indi-cated that recipients did not respond to initial gestures, whereas effective single gestures made more gestures unnecessary. The chimpanzees thus gestured appropriately relative to a recipient’s behavior and modified their inter-actions according to contextual social cues