LCC Language cognitive evolution

Natural selection (Darwin)

Variation in a species reproduce and depending on the environment and what traits are more beneficial to the species in that environment,  the offsprings inherit said varied genes

How is natural slection present in vocalization

Darwin argues that vocalization used by our ancestors was mean for sexual selection — the ‘singing ape’; this behavior of singing was taught to the offspring which generates an adaptation over time. Those that sing better would mate quicker and better and pass their genes further. Therefore, different variations in singing skills determined which genes were passed on more 

rrBaldwin effect

the process in vocalization of singing apes who teach songs to their offsprings, they adapt to the skill and so on.

who marked the beginning of psychological research

gWilhelm Wundt in 1879

what was the 1866 taboo

It was forbidden to publish anything about language evolution because it was deemed ridiculous

Societe de Linguistique de Paris – gatekeeper on what people could show about linguistics 

Chomsky did not want to recognize the evolution of language and argued that FLN may have evolved for reasons other than language and comparitive studies were carried out to test out the history of language

the linguistic revival

(1990) language is described as a gradual adaptation in natural selection, there should have been cognitive mechanisms (preadaptation) present for language to exist and evolve; language (with many modules) can be represented in a spandrel and the grammar module, e.g. syntax, is the module that was used for selection (the more information we can combined, the more we convey) 

The cognitive niche

definition - a space/environment that is constructed by the organism, found in the mind.

within the cognitive niche:

Intelligence: understanding the world e.g. physics, bilogy, geometry, etc —> creating tools

Sociality: collaborating with others , we often collaborate with unrelated humans (reciprocal altrusim - benefiting others with the expectation of a return in the future. i.e. payment of fitness between individuals)

Language: communicating the knowledge using limited elements ( units of meaning, AKA words and symbols) to produce unlimited new information

With this internal mental space the better we adapt to these aspects, the better chance at surviving natural selection

Computational modeling involves

individual learning, cultural transmission and Biological evolution

Individual learning in computational modeling

involves machine learning, observing other agents, biases in learning creates linguistic evolution, i.e. language

cultural transmission in computaitonal modeling

multi-agent modeling - how language could have randomly occurred

linguistic structure changes fitness landscape

e.g. Kirby 2000, agents learned to convert the same strings for the same meaning

Biological evolution in Computational modeling

Biological evolution of agents == Evolutionary computation

features of agents are gene determined

natural selection evolves based on the landscape of fitness and determines learning mechanisms for further learning of agents(machine learning again) and so on

types of consensus

symbols, preadaptations

consensus: symbol

different information types

Icon → similarity token & object; animals have iconic manifestations like having a red face when mad

Index → physical or temporary connection token & object; linking smoke to fire or animal calls of signals

Symbols → formal or agreed upon connection token & object; only occurs in language; increase in symbolic complexity = syntax and increase auditory memory for sound sequences (with better brains we are able to hold more sounds in our memory and recall better)

Concensus: Preadaptations

the white part (sclera) of the eyes in humans show different preadaptation of the eyes

• joint attention - Grand apes prefer head movement over gaze while human children from 12-18 months prefer eye gaze over head movement 

• Represent others as agent and intentional beings -->> ToM (theory of mind) which most 4yrds have 

• Mirror neurons - action imitation in learning; understanding the intention of others

controversy between gesture and speech

which one came first??

for gesture → little vocal control in animal calls, tools were used as we switched from gestures to calls, humans know the complex ability of imitation, and we still use vocalization to associate with gestures 

There’s suggestions of gesture and speech being used closely together

against gesture → gestures require daylight, phonetic gestures like chewing, sucking and swallowing  showed what one was doing, vocal calls became holistic words 

FOXP2 language and genes

• 1991 KE family: had verbal dyspraxia and language impairment due to mutations in FOXP2 (showing the use of gestures) 

• But this gene was also found in rats, monkeys and apes; this was a transcription gene that turns other genes on and off in the development of neural circuits for language 

Controversy regarding handedness

• 90% of humans are right handed, 95% of right-handed have left-cerebral dominance for language 

• 75% left-handed also have left cerebral dominance for language 

• Birds, frogs and mammals use vocalization through left-hemisphere 

• Left hemisphere controls right side of body