Download or read book Self directed Behaviors Handedness Lateralization in the Bonobo Pan Paniscus written by Elysa Anne Everson and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 143 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The bonobo, Pan paniscus, originated from central African chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) 1-2 million years ago and has been used as a model for the ancestral human condition. This study focuses on the handedness and directional lateralization of a set of behaviors known as self-directed behaviors, which are often used as an index of emotional arousal with regards to the stress response. They arise from unconscious defense mechanisms that are thought to serve as arousal-inhibiting systems within the central nervous system during the stress response. This study was based on the nonintrusive videotaping of a group of 10 captive bonobos living at the San Diego Zoo during two periods about ten years apart. 1,174 self-directed behavior events were identified and micro-analyzed, in nearly 20 hours of recorded observation. The directional laterality and population-level handedness for each self-directed behaviors were calculated, along with individual handedness scores for each bonobo, which were compared to the handedness scores reported previously by others for these same individuals. It was predicted that, on an individual level, there would be a shift away from symmetrical control in the brain of self-directed behaviors. This prediction was confirmed by the observation of several significant individual-level preference determinations in the execution of self-directed behaviors, presumably reflecting a corresponding asymmetrical functional lateralization in the cerebral management of stress. Significant population-level handedness was neither expected nor observed, confirming a lack of population-level bias in this species and supporting the idea that the alignment of lateralization may not be under selective pressure.
Download or read book Handedness and Brain Asymmetry written by Marian Annett and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 2013-04-15 with total page 405 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Brain asymmetry for speech is moderately related to handedness but what are the rules? Are symmetries for hand and brain associated with characteristics such as intelligence, motor skill, spatial reasoning or skill at sports? In this follow up to the influential Left, Right Hand and Brain (1985) Marian Annett draws on a working lifetime of research to help provide answers to crucial questions. Central to her argument is the Right Shift Theory - her original and innovative contribution to the field that seeks to explain the relationships between left-and right-handedness and left-and right-brain specialisation. The theory proposes that handedness in humans and our non-human primate relations depends on chance but that chance is weighted towards right-handedness in most people by an agent of right-hemisphere disadvantage. It argues for the existence of a single gene for right shift (RS+) that evolved in humans to aid the growth of speech in the left hemisphere of the brain. The Right Shift Theory has possible implications for a wide range of questions about human abilities and disabilities, including verbal and non verbal intelligence, educational progress and dyslexia, spatial reasoning, sporting skills and mental illness. It continues to be at the cutting edge of research, solving problems and generating new avenues of investigation - most recently the surprising idea that a mutant RS+ gene might be involved in the causes of schizophrenia and autism. Handedness and Brain Asymmetry will make fascinating reading for students and researchers in psychology and neurology, educationalists, and anyone with a keen interest in why people have different talents and weaknesses.
Download or read book Cognitive Evolution written by David B. Boles and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-05-09 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cognitive Evolution provides an in-depth exploration of the history and development of cognition, from the beginning of life on Earth to present-day humans. Drawing together evolutionary and comparative research, this book presents a unique perspective on the evolution of human cognition. Adopting an information processing perspective – that is, from inputs to outputs, with all the mental processes in between, Boles provides a systematic overview of the evolutionary development of cognition and of its sensation, movement, and perception components. The book is supported by long-established evolutionary theories and backed up by a wealth of recent research from the growing field of cognitive evolution and cognitive neuroscience to provide a comprehensive text on the subject. Cognitive Evolution is an essential read for advanced undergraduates and postgraduate students of cognitive and evolutionary psychology.
Download or read book Turn taking in human communicative interaction written by Judith Holler and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2016-05-09 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The core use of language is in face-to-face conversation. This is characterized by rapid turn-taking. This turn-taking poses a number central puzzles for the psychology of language. Consider, for example, that in large corpora the gap between turns is on the order of 100 to 300 ms, but the latencies involved in language production require minimally between 600 ms (for a single word) or 1500 ms (for as simple sentence). This implies that participants in conversation are predicting the ends of the incoming turn and preparing in advance. But how is this done? What aspects of this prediction are done when? What happens when the prediction is wrong? What stops participants coming in too early? If the system is running on prediction, why is there consistently a mode of 100 to 300 ms in response time? The timing puzzle raises further puzzles: it seems that comprehension must run parallel with the preparation for production, but it has been presumed that there are strict cognitive limitations on more than one central process running at a time. How is this bottleneck overcome? Far from being 'easy' as some psychologists have suggested, conversation may be one of the most demanding cognitive tasks in our everyday lives. Further questions naturally arise: how do children learn to master this demanding task, and what is the developmental trajectory in this domain? Research shows that aspects of turn-taking, such as its timing, are remarkably stable across languages and cultures, but the word order of languages varies enormously. How then does prediction of the incoming turn work when the verb (often the informational nugget in a clause) is at the end? Conversely, how can production work fast enough in languages that have the verb at the beginning, thereby requiring early planning of the whole clause? What happens when one changes modality, as in sign languages – with the loss of channel constraints is turn-taking much freer? And what about face-to-face communication amongst hearing individuals – do gestures, gaze, and other body behaviors facilitate turn-taking? One can also ask the phylogenetic question: how did such a system evolve? There seem to be parallels (analogies) in duetting bird species, and in a variety of monkey species, but there is little evidence of anything like this among the great apes. All this constitutes a neglected set of problems at the heart of the psychology of language and of the language sciences. This Research Topic contributes to advancing our understanding of these problems by summarizing recent work from psycholinguists, developmental psychologists, students of dialog and conversation analysis, linguists, phoneticians, and comparative ethologists.
Download or read book The Emergence of Culture written by Philip Chase and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2006-09-27 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book describes the emergent nature of human culture, based on the human ability to create and pass on social codes through instruction and example. It proposes hypotheses to explain how a phenomenon that is potentially maladaptive for individuals could have evolved, and to explain why culture plays such a pervasive role in human life. It then reviews the primatological, fossil, and archaeological data to test these hypotheses.
Download or read book Behavioral Lateralization in Vertebrates written by Davide Csermely and published by Springer. This book was released on 2012-07-17 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Functional lateralization in the human brain was first identified in the classic observations by Broca in the 19th century. Only one hundred years later, however, research on this topic began anew, discovering that humans share brain lateralization not only with other mammals, but with other vertebrates and even invertebrates. Studies on lateralization have also received considerable attention in recent years due to their important evolutionary implications, becoming an important and flourishing field of investigation worldwide among ethnologists and psychologists. The chapters of this book concern the emergence and adaptive function of lateralization in several aspects of behavior for a wide range of vertebrate taxa. These studies span from how lateralization affects some aspects of fitness in fishes, or how it affects the predatory and the exploratory behavior of lizards, to navigation in the homing flights of pigeons, social learning in chicks, the influence of lateralization on the ontogeny process of chicks, and the similarity of manual lateralization (handedness) between humans and apes, our closest relatives.
Download or read book Talking the Talk written by Trevor A. Harley and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 2017-02-02 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Talking the Talk provides a comprehensive introduction to the psychology of language, written for the reader with no background in the field or any prior knowledge of psychology. Written in an accessible and friendly style, the book answers the questions people actually have about language; how do we speak, listen, read, and learn language? The book advocates an experimental approach, explaining how psychologists can use experiments to build models of language processing. Considering the full breadth of psycholinguistics, the book covers core topics including how children acquire language, how language is related to the brain, and what can go wrong with it. Fully updated throughout, this edition also includes: Additional coverage on the genetics of language Insight into potential cognitive advantages of bilingualism New content on brain imaging and neuroscience Increased emphasis on recursion and what is special about language Talking the Talk is written in an engaging style which does not hesitate to explain complex concepts. It is essential reading for all undergraduate students and those new to the topic, as well as the interested lay reader.
Download or read book Primate Psychology written by Dario Maestripieri and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-07-01 with total page 632 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In more ways than we may sometimes care to acknowledge, the human being is just another primate--it is certainly only very rarely that researchers into cognition, emotion, personality, and behavior in our species and in other primates come together to compare notes and share insights. This book, one of the few comprehensive attempts at integrating behavioral research into human and nonhuman primates, does precisely that--and in doing so, offers a clear, in-depth look at the mutually enlightening work being done in psychology and primatology. Relying on theories of behavior derived from psychology rather than ecology or biological anthropology, the authors, internationally known experts in primatology and psychology, focus primarily on social processes in areas including aggression, conflict resolution, sexuality, attachment, parenting, social development and affiliation, cognitive development, social cognition, personality, emotions, vocal and nonvocal communication, cognitive neuroscience, and psychopathology. They show nonhuman primates to be far more complex, cognitively and emotionally, than was once supposed, with provocative implications for our understanding of supposedly unique human characteristics. Arguing that both human and nonhuman primates are distinctive for their wide range of context-sensitive behaviors, their work makes a powerful case for the future integration of human and primate behavioral research.
Download or read book Understanding Second Language Acquisition written by Lourdes Ortega and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-02-04 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Whether we grow up with one, two, or several languages during our early years of life, many of us will learn a second, foreign, or heritage language in later years. The field of Second language acquisition (SLA, for short) investigates the human capacity to learn additional languages in late childhood, adolescence, or adulthood, after the first language --in the case of monolinguals-- or languages --in the case of bilinguals-- have already been acquired. Understanding Second Language Acquisition offers a wide-encompassing survey of this burgeoning field, its accumulated findings and proposed theories, its developed research paradigms, and its pending questions for the future. The book zooms in and out of universal, individual, and social forces, in each case evaluating the research findings that have been generated across diverse naturalistic and formal contexts for second language acquisition. It assumes no background in SLA and provides helpful chapter-by-chapter summaries and suggestions for further reading. Ideal as a textbook for students of applied linguistics, foreign language education, TESOL, and education, it is also recommended for students of linguistics, developmental psycholinguistics, psychology, and cognitive science. Supporting resources for tutors are available free at www.routledge.com/ortega.
Download or read book The Chimpanzees of Bossou and Nimba written by Tetsuro Matsuzawa and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-05-06 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The chimpanzees of Bossou in Guinea, West Africa, form a unique community which displays an exceptional array of tool use behaviors and behavioral adaptations to coexistence with humans. This community of Pan troglodytes verus has contributed more than three decades of data to the field of cultural primatology, especially chimpanzees’ flexible use of stones to crack open nuts and of perishable tools during foraging activities. The book highlights the special contribution of the long-term research at Bossou and more recent studies in surrounding areas, particularly in the Nimba Mountains and the forest of Diécké, to our understanding of wild chimpanzees’ tool use, cognitive development, lithic technology and culture. This compilation of research principally strives to uncover the complexity of the mind and behavioral flexibility of our closest living relatives. This work also reveals the necessity for ongoing efforts to conserve chimpanzees in the region. Chimpanzees have shed more light on our evolutionary origins than any other extant species in the world, yet their numbers in the wild are rapidly declining. In that sense, the Bossou chimpanzees and their neighbors clearly embody an invaluable cultural heritage for humanity as a whole. Readers can enjoy video clips illustrating unique behaviors of Bossou chimpanzees, in an exclusive DVD accompanying the hardcover or at a dedicated website described in the softcover.
Download or read book Lateralized Brain Functions Methods in Human and Non Human Species written by Lesley J. Rogers and published by Neuromethods. This book was released on 2019-02 with total page 728 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Origins of Human Language written by Louis-Jean Boë and published by Speech Production and Perception. This book was released on 2017 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book proposes a detailed picture of the continuities and ruptures between communication in primates and language in humans. It explores a diversity of perspectives on the origins of language, including a fine description of vocal communication in animals, mainly in monkeys and apes, but also in birds, the study of vocal tract anatomy and cortical control of the vocal productions in monkeys and apes, the description of combinatory structures and their social and communicative value, and the exploration of the cognitive environment in which language may have emerged from nonhuman primate vocal or gestural communication.
Download or read book From Hand to Mouth written by Michael C. Corballis and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Writing with wit and eloquence, Corballis makes nimble reference to literature, mythology, natural history, sports, and contemporary politics as he explains in fascinating detail what is now known about the evolution of language. Line illustrations.
Download or read book Handbook of Laboratory Animal Science written by Jann Hau and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2002-12-26 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The conservative nature of animal evolution makes animal models the ideal tool for learning about human biology. The Handbook of Laboratory Animal Science, Second Edition: Animal Models, Volume II addresses the development and application of models in different areas of biomedical research and details the criteria used to choose animal species and
Download or read book The Ten Trusts written by Jane Goodall and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2013-08-06 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: World-renowned behavioral scientists Jane Goodall and Marc Bekoff have set forth ten trusts that we must honor as custodians of the planet. They argue passionately and persuasively that if we put these trusts to work in our lives, the earth and all its inhabitants will be able to live together harmoniously. The Ten Trusts expands the concept of our obligation to live in close relationship with animals -- for, of course, we humans are part of the animal kingdom -- challenging us to respect the interconnection between all living beings as we learn to care about and appreciate all species. The world is changing. We are gradually becoming more aware of the damage we are inflicting on the natural world. At this critical moment for the earth, Goodall and Bekoff share their hope and vision of a world where human cruelty and hatred are transformed into compassion and love for all living beings. They dream of a day when scientists and non-scientists can work together to transform the earth into a place where human beings live in peace and harmony with animals and the natural world. Simple yet profound, The Ten Trusts will not only change your perspective regarding how we live on this planet, it will establish your responsibilities as a steward of the natural world and show you how to live with respect for all life.
Download or read book Pleasurable Kingdom written by Jonathan Balcombe and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2006-05-02 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The recognition of animal pain and stress, once controversial, is now acknowledged by legislation in many countries, but there is no formal recognition of animals' ability to feel pleasure. Pleasurable Kingdom is the first book for lay-readers to present new evidence that animals--like humans--enjoy themselves. It debunks the popular perception that life for most is a continuous, grim struggle for survival and the avoidance of pain. Instead it suggests that creatures from birds to baboons feel good thanks to play, sex, touch, food, anticipation, comfort, aesthetics, and more. Combining rigorous evidence, elegant argument and amusing anecdotes, leading animal behavior researcher Jonathan Balcombe proposes that the possibility of positive feelings in creatures other than humans has important ethical ramifications for both science and society.
Download or read book The Origins of Music written by Nils L. Wallin and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2001-07-27 with total page 516 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book can be viewed as representing the birth of evolutionary biomusicology. What biological and cognitive forces have shaped humankind's musical behavior and the rich global repertoire of musical structures? What is music for, and why does every human culture have it? What are the universal features of music and musical behavior across cultures? In this groundbreaking book, musicologists, biologists, anthropologists, archaeologists, psychologists, neuroscientists, ethologists, and linguists come together for the first time to examine these and related issues. The book can be viewed as representing the birth of evolutionary biomusicology—the study of which will contribute greatly to our understanding of the evolutionary precursors of human music, the evolution of the hominid vocal tract, localization of brain function, the structure of acoustic-communication signals, symbolic gesture, emotional manipulation through sound, self-expression, creativity, the human affinity for the spiritual, and the human attachment to music itself. Contributors Simha Arom, Derek Bickerton, Steven Brown, Ellen Dissanayake, Dean Falk, David W. Frayer, Walter Freeman, Thomas Geissmann, Marc D. Hauser, Michel Imberty, Harry Jerison, Drago Kunej, François-Bernard Mâche, Peter Marler, Björn Merker, Geoffrey Miller, Jean Molino, Bruno Nettl, Chris Nicolay, Katharine Payne, Bruce Richman, Peter J.B. Slater, Peter Todd, Sandra Trehub, Ivan Turk, Maria Ujhelyi, Nils L. Wallin, Carol Whaling
