Communication is a fundamental aspect of life for most, if not all, species. Although it has been studied extensively in both human and non-human animals, the frameworks used for them differ greatly. This may reflect biases about animal cognition and the difficulty of interpreting systems we cannot directly access. This has led to relatively linear communication models populated with signalers and receivers. Such models are effective in several cases. And yet, simple signaler-receiver models may obscure the complexity of communication in highly social, gregarious species, in others. In particular, such models are limited in their ability to account for the presence of variation in types of social bonds, and interactional nuance that results. This dissertation investigates how communication during social interactions shapes social preferences in the monogamous songbird, the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Using an extended Systems Model of Communication, I examine which elements of vocal behavior contribute to the formation and maintenance of social preferences. I begin by showing that female preferences are sensitive to male responsiveness, and that song preferences do not always match social preferences (Chapter 2). I then show that both internal state and social context influence preference formation and a potential role for dopamine-type 2 receptor signaling in forming associations between social context and female vocal behavior in subsequent interactions (Chapter 3). Finally, I characterize vocal interactions between male and female zebra finches and introduce a novel semi-automated program for detecting and describing these interactions (Chapter 4). Using that program, I identify specific sex differences in the types of interactive vocal elements that inform social preferences. Altogether, this dissertation provides novel insights into the complexity of social interactions, and the interactional, and context-based drivers that shape female social preferences.