PSY 3136 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Foxp2, Bird Vocalization, Kanzi

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 3136
• Professor: Christopher Fennell

Document Summary

Greater heritability estimates for impaired and for grammar -> grammar skills seems to be genetic. Presence of biological family member with sli increases chances for sli. Compared genetic code -> for those with an impairment the only gene that was different was foxp2. Concluded that foxp2 was responsible for lang. Big 3: reference(using symbols that represent things in our world ex. symbol of chair represents all the possible chairs in our world), syntax (structure), intentionality (can"t be by reflex ex. dogs bark only out of reflex) Arbitrary, productivity, multi-layered, cultural, discreteness, displacement (talk about things that aren"t there), metalinguistics. Bees produce unique messages, but lack productivity, message is only about food and direction. Birds: studied for acquisition and cp (alex the parrot and the clever hand effect) Birds do have a critical period to prod. the bird song in adulthood. Reading: dogs have a hard time inserting the difference between intentional and unintentional movements.