Amotz and Avishag Zahavi ; with Naama Zahavi-Ely and Melvin Patrick Ely ; illustrations by Amir Balaban.
New York :
Oxford University Press,
1999.
xvi, 286 pages :
illustrations ;
24 cm
Originally published in 1997.
Translated from Hebrew.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 245-260) and index.
pt. 1. Partners in communication : Prey-predator interactions -- Communication between rivals -- Mate selection. pt. 2. Methods of communication : The fallacy of species-specific signals -- Movements and ritualization -- Vocalizations -- Body parts that serve as signals -- The use of color for showing off -- Chemical communications. pt. 3. The handicap principle in social systems : Testing the bond -- Parents and offspring -- Babblers, competition for prestige, and the evolution of altruism -- The social insects : why help the queen? -- The parenting couple -- Social amebas (cellular slime molds) -- Parasite and host -- Information centers. pt. 4. Humans : Humans.
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The handicap principle is that signals are only taken seriously if the signal itself imposes a handicap on the signaller that would make cheating impossible or unprofitable. The Zahavis explore the wide-ranging implications of this theory.