Do marmosets use “names”? Our reply to Jaakkola (2025)

In a new commentary in Learning & Behavior (2025), we address concerns raised by Jaakkola about our Science paper and clarify: common marmosets use socially learned, arbitrary vocal labels for specific individuals. These labels are not imitations of the receiver’s calls. Classifier analyses show that callers reliably aim their labels at the intended receiver, and “family dialects” explain where across-caller generalization is limited. The behavior is not explained by vocal accommodation and points to a stable, identity–call mapping—a precursor to name-like referential communication in a nonhuman primate.

link to the commentary: https://rdcu.be/eCNw4

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