Lecture 11 - Animal Models Flashcards
Human cognitive function is similar to other animals
We share faculties like perception, attention, communication, social cognition, action cognition, memory, spatial cognition
And to some extent reasoning and decision making
We can test animals as model organisms to study cognitive function to
- form hypotheses about cognitive function
- make inferences about cognitive function
- study brain systems
Behavioural studies of animal cognition
Developmental psychology:
- brain adaptations to kittens raised in visually deprived environment
Cognitive psychology:
- Tolman’s cognitive map experiments
Ethology:
- studying social behaviour observing wild elephants
Behavioural ecology:
- interaction between species
- studying impact on different species behaviour on ecosystems
Evolutionary psychology:
- studying language (acquisition) abilities in monkeys
Genetics:
- studying genetic components of language acquisition
Neurobiology:
- lesioning in monkey object perception brain areas for double dissociation
Studying animal behaviour
We can observe behavioural analogues to our own behaviours in animals, e.g. learning, perception, spatial cognition
Some examples include:
- Tolman’s cognitive map experiments (spatial navigation)
- vertical lines vs horizontal lines in kittens (perception)
Behavioural neuroscience and neurobiology
We can look at brain function in different species, inducing:
- localisation of function (including causality)
- plasticity
- work division
- connectivity
- signal progression
- micro level neuronal behaviour
- general principles of brain functionality
Animals we can study for language
- elephants
- dolphins
- songbirds
- mice
- sea lions
- bats
These are good to be investigated as their ‘language analogues’ are most likely candidates to be similar to human language
What about primates?
Visual language as a bridge to overcome physical limitations of animals vocal tract
Most animals cannot produce speech same sound since their vocal tract has not evolved for human language
Sign language is used an an analogue since it solves to problem of vocal tract limitations but still has properties of spoken language:
- signs are literally produced
- fixed relationship between sign and meaning
- signs are discrete
- signs can be infinitely combined
- signs are rapid and fading
- intent to communicate
Baboons can read
Reading is not as advanced a skill as we thought
6 baboon learned letter like pattern recognition and learned within 6 weeks to distinguish ‘words’ and ‘non-words’ in artificial language created for them
Reading is based on pattern recognition, a skill that many animals evolved to master
Washoe & Nim Chimpsky
Washoe was the first non-human to learn to communicate using ASL as a part of a research experiment on animal language acquisition
Washoe learned approx 350 signs of ASL and even produced some new combinations of words (e.g. ‘water bird’ for swan)
Learned some signals also without being instructed by observing her caretakers signing to each other (e.g. the sign for toothbrush)
She even started teaching her adoptive son Louis some signs and creatively signed to other chimpanzees capabilities of ASL
Showed empathy and adaption to novice human ASL speakers by signing slower
Nim Chimpsky was a failed replication attempt of the Washoe project
Nim was brought into a sterile lab setting and raised in a cage and taught sign once a day
Only learned 125 signs and never used them creatively, only pragmatically
Project heavily criticised to Washoe project
However, the Nim project in turn has been heavily criticised that the lab upbringing and instruction failed to create a nurturing, motivating environment that negatively affected Nim’s intellectual abilities, similar to human children suffering from neglect
Animal models to research genetic and neural components of the human language faculty
Some mammals such as bats, whales and elephants use complex and varied vocalisations that share some characteristics with human speech, e.g. the ability to learn vocalisations from other members of their social group
These animals models can be useful to study language ability, evolutionary basis of language and disordered language
Animal models for investigating language
Songbirds
- genes linked to syntax and hierarchical processing of linear signals (song and speech)
- different dialects of the same species (indicated learning instead of innate ness)
- candidate gene editing to text syntax and social components of gene contribution to communication
Bats
- genes linked to signal decoding and signal communication
- different communication modalities (complexity)
- candidate gene editing to test social components of gene contribution to communication
Mice
- genes linked to vocal communication and organising social interaction by vocal immunisation
- candidate gene editing to test social components of gene contribution to communication
These animal models are used to test acoustic, syntactic and genetic aspects of communication systems and generational transmission (teaching vs learning to offspring over generations)
Example FOXP2 gene
Identified as a candidate gene for language function
It shows mutations in several speech and language disorders, including childhood apraxia (lack of tongue/lip/Jae motor control impairing speech)
Those gene mutations correlated with brain abnormalities in several brain areas where FOXP2 regulated neurone, maturation, connectivity and plasticity
Mice have an equivalent to the human FOXP2 gene and disruptions to this gene also lead to implications in learning of motor skills and sequencing of the ultrasonic vocalisations typical for mice communication
Such models enable us to map the relative contributions of this gene onto the functions of the brain
