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People infer communicative action through an expectation for efficient communication

Author

Listed:
  • Amanda Royka

    (Yale University)

  • Annie Chen

    (Yale University)

  • Rosie Aboody

    (Yale University)

  • Tomas Huanca

    (Centro Boliviano de Desarrollo Socio-Integral)

  • Julian Jara-Ettinger

    (Yale University
    Yale University
    Yale University)

Abstract

Humans often communicate using body movements like winks, waves, and nods. However, it is unclear how we identify when someone’s physical actions are communicative. Given people’s propensity to interpret each other’s behavior as aimed to produce changes in the world, we hypothesize that people expect communicative actions to efficiently reveal that they lack an external goal. Using computational models of goal inference, we predict that movements that are unlikely to be produced when acting towards the world and, in particular, repetitive ought to be seen as communicative. We find support for our account across a variety of paradigms, including graded acceptability tasks, forced-choice tasks, indirect prompts, and open-ended explanation tasks, in both market-integrated and non-market-integrated communities. Our work shows that the recognition of communicative action is grounded in an inferential process that stems from fundamental computations shared across different forms of action interpretation.

Suggested Citation

  • Amanda Royka & Annie Chen & Rosie Aboody & Tomas Huanca & Julian Jara-Ettinger, 2022. "People infer communicative action through an expectation for efficient communication," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-31716-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31716-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Chris L. Baker & Julian Jara-Ettinger & Rebecca Saxe & Joshua B. Tenenbaum, 2017. "Rational quantitative attribution of beliefs, desires and percepts in human mentalizing," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 1(4), pages 1-10, April.
    2. Josh H. McDermott & Alan F. Schultz & Eduardo A. Undurraga & Ricardo A. Godoy, 2016. "Indifference to dissonance in native Amazonians reveals cultural variation in music perception," Nature, Nature, vol. 535(7613), pages 547-550, July.
    3. Giovanni Pezzulo & Francesco Donnarumma & Haris Dindo, 2013. "Human Sensorimotor Communication: A Theory of Signaling in Online Social Interactions," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(11), pages 1-11, November.
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