Do Now: What is the ultimate form of communication?

 Defines language as a skill limited to humans  Possess the cognitive hardware which makes language possible  Neural requirements for language developed after the evolutionary split between humans and primates

 Primates can be trained to do many things  Trained behaviors do not signify language ability  He believes the primates simply ‘press certain buttons’ to receive rewards

 Language was initially dependent on contextual clues  Could eventually respond to novel commands  Not proof of language because crucial element in language ability is production, not comprehension

 Most advanced primate system of communication  Sounds produced are instinctive and not learned  Respond differently to different alarm calls

 Robert Yerkes - inability to acquire verbal language because primates not inclined to imitation of sounds  The vocal cords of primates are not capable of supporting the production of language

 Learned “more” in relation to tickling but was able to apply it to other situations  Could combine signs  Similar to ability of human children to connect words in sentences to which they have never been exposed

 No sign language used in first 5 years  Acquired signs by watching other chimps  Little active teaching  Reflects the manner in which human children acquire language

 Raised Nim like a human child  Demonstrated use of arbitrary symbols to represent physical actions  Used signs “angry” and “bite” to express displeasure  Decided Nim incapable of combining words to create novel ideas

 Chimps use one sign to refer to general categories  Similar to children  Able to create novel signs to convey a metaphorically different concept

 Many animals can receive signal  Predators  Conspecific interactions  Dishonest signaling

 Arises because of constraints on the signal reception and processing machinery  Testosterone important  Manipulate conspecifics

 Detect electricity  “see prey”  Produce electricity  Electric eels  Smaller river fish  Live in muddy water  Active at night

 Sense minute changes in these electric fields, the fields of other electric fish, and the weak fields produced by all living things  Can determine  Size  Sex  Maturity  Identity (Possibly)

 Limited to about ½ a body length  Serves dominance hierarchy  Dominant male at extreme high or low frequency  Dominant female at other extreme  Electric fish can change frequency and will challenge dominance by doing so