1. Primatech's Cognitive Model of Ape Language Use
Jim Davies
Cognitive Science Brownbag, Georgia Tech

2. What is Primatech? Chantek: an orangutan who can use signs
First of his kind at a zoo. Anyone can talk to him
He will be overloaded. Primatech simulates having a conversation with him.

3. Schematic

4. Perception Module
150 signs to recognize (Starner et al. program recognized 40)
Any background we like
probably relatively few signs will be used
triangulation with speech

5. Graphics Module Tim Keenan will work on it Memory of sign animations
home positions
“essence” with on-the-fly transformations
remember every transition? (22500)

6. Ape Language Research
Language-trained apes learn 140 signs, deaf child of 3 knows 132
Nim (failure of teaching method?)
Pinker says it’s not science
Chantek
Dr. Lyn Miles
anthropological approach
150 signs (strict criterion)

7. Chantek

8. Cognitive Models Start simple- Memory retrieval Episodic
More complex- Grammar

9. Memory model ACT-R uses spreading activation
Relevance links only (from WordNet)
distinguish words, signs, concepts
Retrieve anything, let spreading activation from goal do the work

10. What will people ask? (Collected by Tara Stoinski)
1. What do you like to eat? (5 people asked)
2. What do you like to do? (3)
3. Are you bored? (3)
4. What is it like to have fur? (1)
5. Do you like the animals that you live with? (1)
6. What is it like to live in a cage? (1)
7. Do you mind people staring at you all the time? (1)
8. Do you have a favorite keeper? (1)
9. Are you happy? (7)
10. What do you want that you don't have? (4)
11. Do you want to go back to the wild? (2)
12. Tell me about evolution (1)

11. Results 1. What do you like to eat? response: food-eat-sign
3. Are you bored?
response: you-sign
5. Do you like the animals that you live with?
9. Are you happy?
11. Do you want to go back to the wild?
response: go-sign

12. Why so bad? definitions too dictionary-like Only 20% of words linked
banana n 1: any of several tropical and subtropical treelike herbs of the genus Musa having a terminal crown of large entire leaves and usually bearing hanging clusters ofelongated fruits
What about being yellow? Eating it? Delisciousness?
Only 20% of words linked
“You” “eat” and “go” were the only words in questions that were in memory.

13. Future models
What more should I try before going to the next level of complexity?
Link words my way
Increase lexicon size

14. URL