Review by Choice Review
Signal detection theory, fundamental in many branches of science, is central to this volume. Researchers have studied the adverse impacts of noise on wildlife and how the physical environment attenuates signals. Wiley (emer., Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) treats "noise" as a primary factor in shaping acoustic communication and addresses both its evolution and day-to-day applications. Part 1 (six chapters) describes noise in general and acoustic signals in particular, how signals are sent and received under different noisy conditions, and what a communicator can do about it (e.g., loudness, perch choice). This section could be a book in itself. Part 2 (five chapters) offers a general evolutionary model of signaling and receiving in the context of true and false detection or receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (i.e., what is the optimal signaling to keep messages from being corrupted?). Part 3 (five chapters) addresses honesty in communication and its role in sexual selection, cooperation, and social organization. It crosses all levels of organization from molecular to societal. Part 4 (four chapters), which focuses on human communication, is more far-reaching and speculative. One quibble is that Wiley covers deafness but not tinnitus, which affects about 10 percent of Americans. Parts of the book are technical but well-explained enough for all readers. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. --Joanna Burger, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
