Cog sci test 3 Flashcards
what are linguists interested in
speakers’ knowledge and use of language
what is linguistics
the study of language
- describe and analyze language
grammar
the rules that describe a language
phonology
the study of sound patterns in language
phonotactic constraints
restrictions on possible combinations of sounds
complementary distribution
two sounds that never occur in the same environment
contrastive distribution
found in the same environment but contrast in meaning
- minimal pairs
allophone
different ways that one can say a word
- another way to pronounce phoneme
phoneme
similar sounds that a language treats as being the same
morphology
the study of the structure of words
morpheme
the smallest unit that can have meaning
roots
root word cannot break down into similar units
- the basic meaning of a word
compounds
two roots combined together (waterfall)
inflectional morphemes
serve only grammatical function
- does not change the syntactic category
derivational morpheme
change the syntactic category of a word
syntax
the study of how words are together into phrases, clauses and sentences
auxiliary verbs
occur together with another verb
lexicon
mental store of words (not static)
productivity
creating more
- sentences
Noam Chomsky
- challenged behaviourists
- universal grammar (innate)
Language Acquisition device
- allows humans to learn language
- the set of common grammatical rules are hard-wired into this device
- people need exposure until the critical period to activate the LAD
- human specific
critical period
proposed by Eric Lenneberg
- after this period language cannot be acquired in a natural fashion (Genie)
- closes after puberty
generative grammar
- developed by Noam Chomsky
- a set of rules that can predict which combinations of words are able to make grammatically correct sentences
Principles and parameters
A framework within generative linguistics
- all languages must have some things in common
- children are born with pre-existing knowledge of language
principles
- absolute rules and generalizations about the way that languages are structured
- true for every single human language
parameters
- a limited set of options that language
must choose among - finite
the minimalist program
It is a conceptual framework to guide the developmental grammatical theory
- understand the nature of language
- what is it, and what properties of language
- what is conceptually necessary for language
what is natural language processing
a branch of AI focused on the interaction between computers and humans through language
- main goal is to enable machines to understand, interpret and generate human language in a way that’s both meaningful and useful
application of NLP
- chatbots, virtual assistants and automated costumer support etc..
limitations
- lack a true understanding
- struggle with ambiguity (metaphor, sarcasm and context)
- biased or incorrect outputs
why did cognitive traits evolve
- not random
- they evolved because that provided survival or reproductive advantages to our ancestors
variation
- variation in traits
- can be physical or cognitive
heritability
- traits that have a genetic basis can be passed down to offspring
differential survival and reproduction
- individuals with traits that are advantageous in their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce
- passing those traits on
threats and fear
solutions to specific problems faced by our ancestors (help avoid danger)
modern threats
haven’t existed long enough for our brains to develop an instinctual fear of them
why is evolution important
bridges the gap between biology and cognition
- evolutionary function of mental abilities
- understand our behaviours (traced back to ancient challenges)
- survival and reproductive success
Ancestral Environment and model minds
refers to the prehistoric environment where human cognition evolved
- optimized for ancient environment conflicts with modern time
social cognition
- cooperative (groups)
- reading emotions
theory of the mind
ability to understand that others have different thoughts and feelings
problem solving
- finding food (memory and spatial navigation) and avoiding danger (quick decision-making)
decision making biases
cognitive shortcuts like heuristics helped our ancestors survive
- loss aversion (losses weighed more)
comparative cognition
It examines how different species process information, solve problems, and adapt to their environments.
- similarities and differences
crows
use tools
- demonstrate problem-solving
- planning and understanding cause and effect relationships
Scrub jays
- hiding food
- memory
- episodic-like memory and social cognition
Great apes
- self-recognition
- mirror test
which traits are shared across species
memory, problem-solving, and communication
- many animals demonstrate cognitive flexibility
what traits are unique to humans
- complex languages
- abstract reasoning
- cultural transmission
shared brain structure
- cortex, hippocampus and amygdala involved in memory, learning and emotions
functional analogies
While brain structures differ in size and organization, the functions they serve can be remarkably similar across species
why is it important to study simpler brains
understand fundamental building blocks of cognition
cognition is adaptable
Cognitive traits often evolve to address specific echolocation pressures
parallel evolution
Similar cognitive abilities sometimes evolve independently in unrelated species, a phenomenon known as convergent evolution
cognitive specialization
Each species develops cognitive skills suited to its niche.
domain specific mechanisms
evolved to handle specific tasks
general purpose mechanisms
allow flexibility across diverse situations
complex communication
we can communicate expression, abstract, symbolic and novel ideas
- discuss the future and the past
social brain hypothesis
It suggests that languages evolve to manage the complexities of larger social groups.
adaptation
trait evolved from a specific function
exaptation
trait repurposed for a new function
critiques of evolutionary approach
- overemphasis on adaptionism
- lack of empirical evidence
- ignore cultural and environmental influences
