PSYC21H3 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Neocortex, Cognitive Module, Mnemonic
Document Summary
Week 6 reading: evolutionary origins of social communication. Development of imitation: a comparative cognitive science approach. humans must appropriately extract key elements from the info of other"s body movements. control our own bodies to replicate the actions accurately. by imitating actions of others, observer can efficiently acquire the adaptive skills specific to their group. w/o depending only on t rial and error, or individual learning. ensures successful communication with others in order to ensure survival of group members. effective communication requires ability to predict & understand behavior of others with the same mental state as oneself. tom: ability to understand intentions, goals, beliefs, & thoughts of others. product of evol"n that has enabled humans to survive in complex social environments. imitation = believed to serve as found"n for development of these kinds of mental structures. infants can learn that they share certain physical traits with others.
