COG 301 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Sea Lion, Animal Cognition, Vocal Folds
5 May 2018
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CThe brain region involved in language comprehension and production is the Broca. This brain
region is still used in the deaf as used as speakers and the evidence is the brain scanners show
similar activity. the nervous system that serve as transducers for hearing is the cochlea.
(phonology & syntax not covered – no questions)
● just as in speakers you find different types of aphasia or different types of loss of speech. if there
is damage to brocas area you cant have fluid speech. damage to the area posterior to brocas
causes lexicon errors. sometimes they lose comprehension too (wernicke’s area).
● Ear sound waves transduction → sound
● Eardrum vibrates bones that transmits into more vibrations in a liquid medium in the
cochlea (nervous system) hairs convert vibrations to electrical signals at synapses and
bring to brain
● Wernicke's area comprehension “word salad” grammer is right, semantically wrong
○ Word access/ remembering words is impaired
○ “I cut the bread with my fork”
● Broca’s area speech production, primary motor cortex, set motor instructions that guide
vocal cords
○ Articulation, labored certain parts of speech
● Double dissociation b/w the two
● the Broca's area is lit up in deaf signers when they sign as it is lit up in speakers as well
as parts of the left frontal lobe and Wernicke's area, exhibits the brain is organized for
language rather than speech
Animal cognition
("Animal Einsteins" http://chedd-angier.com/frontiers/season9.html)
24. Describe in brief the sorts of language abilities that the video showed in Hamlet the
pig, Rocky the sea lion (the sea lion who dealt with objects floating in the water), and Alex
the parrot. What were some of the important differences among their respective language
abilities? How were their language abilities like and unlike human language abilities?
● Hamlet, the pig, was able to identify objects based on certain signs given. Like
hands arched above head means ball. But… “These simple associations” are all he
can do. “He can’t use the signs in other ways. We can’t see his mind work” couldnt
grap concepts. Like humans morphology. Lacked all others
● Rocky, the sea lion, was also able to identify signs (like a kick of the wall) for
objects. But he could also associate signs for objects to signs for actions. And could
mix those actions applied to different objects at will. Rio could even be asked
questions like “football; is it here?” And Rio could answer the question by hitting a
buzzer. Couldnt grap concepts. Like humans morphology and syntax. Lacked all
others
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Document Summary
Cthe brain region involved in language comprehension and production is the broca. Eardrum vibrates bones that transmits into more vibrations in a liquid medium in the cochlea (nervous system) hairs convert vibrations to electrical signals at synapses and bring to brain. Wernicke"s area comprehension word salad grammer is right, semantically wrong. Broca"s area speech production, primary motor cortex, set motor instructions that guide vocal cords. Hamlet, the pig, was able to identify objects based on certain signs given. But these simple associations are all he can do. He can"t use the signs in other ways. We can"t see his mind work couldnt grap concepts. Rocky, the sea lion, was also able to identify signs (like a kick of the wall) for objects. But he could also associate signs for objects to signs for actions. And could mix those actions applied to different objects at will.
