Animal Language and Communication Flashcards
1. Evaluate claims that human language is “innate”. 2. Explain what we learn about language through studies of home sign and Nicaragua Sign Language. 3. Describe attempts to teach human language to primates. 4. Contrast human language to animal communication systems. ◦ Honey Bees ◦ Songbirds ◦ Dolphins
what is language?
the mainstream view
A systematic, shared, symbolic system used for communicating thoughts.
features of language
Semanticity
Arbitrariness
Displacement
Productivity
Home sign
System of gestures and hand shapes developed by deaf children of hearing parents without a language model.
at what age are babies participating in learning to speak through babbling
6 months
at what age are babies learning to name everything?
1-2 years
what age do babies speak in phrases
2 years
what ages are babies talking in sentences?
3 years
what ages are babies telling stories?
4 years
what ages are babies using grammar at an almost adult level?
5 years
what capabilities did the great apes who learned human signing have?
- learn symbols they could repeat to humans
- comprehension of conversational spoken language
- 2-3 symbol utterances
- some unique words and phrases
what inabilities did the great apes who learned human signing have?
- lack of complex syntax
- no displacement
- no cultural transmission
what is cultural transmission?
were those learning a language share and teach others the language e.g parents to children or child to child.
how can AI be used in cognitive science?
it can be used to find patterns in sounds and to analyse complex behaviours
what language properties do Zebra Finches show?
cultural transmission - younger males learn their songs from their father’s
productivity - males have their own unique song with aspects learnt from the father.
phonemes - song consists of 8 syllables
what language properties do honey bees show
- displacement
- arbitrariness
- semanticity
- cultural transmission
