File Download
There are no files associated with this item.
Links for fulltext
(May Require Subscription)
- Publisher Website: 10.1098/rspb.2012.1431
- Scopus: eid_2-s2.0-84867535235
- PMID: 22977146
- WOS: WOS:000310218400017
- Find via
Supplementary
- Citations:
- Appears in Collections:
Article: Modeling the coevolution of joint attention and language
Title | Modeling the coevolution of joint attention and language |
---|---|
Authors | |
Keywords | Joint attention Language origin Coevolution Ratchet effect Computer simulation |
Issue Date | 2012 |
Publisher | The Royal Society. |
Citation | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2012, v. 279 n. 1747, p. 4643-4651 How to Cite? |
Abstract | Joint attention (JA) is important to many social, communicative activities, including language, and
humans exhibit a considerably high level of JA compared with non-human primates. We propose a coevolutionary hypothesis to explain this degree-difference in JA: once JA started to aid linguistic
comprehension, along with language evolution, communicative success (CS) during cultural transmission
could enhance the levels of JA among language users. We illustrate this hypothesis via a multi-agent
computational model, where JA boils down to a genetically transmitted ability to obtain non-linguistic
cues aiding comprehension. The simulation results and statistical analysis show that: (i) the level of JA
is correlated with the understandability of the emergent language; and (ii) CS can boost an initially
low level of JA and ‘ratchet’ it up to a stable high level. This coevolutionary perspective helps explain
the degree-difference in many language-related competences between humans and non-human primates, and reflects the importance of biological evolution, individual learning and cultural transmission to language evolution. |
Persistent Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/10722/181947 |
ISSN | 2023 Impact Factor: 3.8 2023 SCImago Journal Rankings: 1.692 |
ISI Accession Number ID |
DC Field | Value | Language |
---|---|---|
dc.contributor.author | Gong, T | - |
dc.contributor.author | Shuai, L | - |
dc.date.accessioned | 2013-03-28T01:50:49Z | - |
dc.date.available | 2013-03-28T01:50:49Z | - |
dc.date.issued | 2012 | - |
dc.identifier.citation | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2012, v. 279 n. 1747, p. 4643-4651 | - |
dc.identifier.issn | 0962-8452 | - |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10722/181947 | - |
dc.description.abstract | Joint attention (JA) is important to many social, communicative activities, including language, and humans exhibit a considerably high level of JA compared with non-human primates. We propose a coevolutionary hypothesis to explain this degree-difference in JA: once JA started to aid linguistic comprehension, along with language evolution, communicative success (CS) during cultural transmission could enhance the levels of JA among language users. We illustrate this hypothesis via a multi-agent computational model, where JA boils down to a genetically transmitted ability to obtain non-linguistic cues aiding comprehension. The simulation results and statistical analysis show that: (i) the level of JA is correlated with the understandability of the emergent language; and (ii) CS can boost an initially low level of JA and ‘ratchet’ it up to a stable high level. This coevolutionary perspective helps explain the degree-difference in many language-related competences between humans and non-human primates, and reflects the importance of biological evolution, individual learning and cultural transmission to language evolution. | - |
dc.language | eng | - |
dc.publisher | The Royal Society. | - |
dc.relation.ispartof | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences | - |
dc.subject | Joint attention | - |
dc.subject | Language origin | - |
dc.subject | Coevolution | - |
dc.subject | Ratchet effect | - |
dc.subject | Computer simulation | - |
dc.title | Modeling the coevolution of joint attention and language | en_US |
dc.type | Article | en_US |
dc.identifier.email | Gong, T: tgong@hku.hk | - |
dc.description.nature | link_to_subscribed_fulltext | - |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.1098/rspb.2012.1431 | - |
dc.identifier.pmid | 22977146 | - |
dc.identifier.scopus | eid_2-s2.0-84867535235 | - |
dc.identifier.hkuros | 222778 | - |
dc.identifier.volume | 279 | - |
dc.identifier.issue | 1747 | - |
dc.identifier.spage | 4643 | - |
dc.identifier.epage | 4651 | - |
dc.identifier.isi | WOS:000310218400017 | - |
dc.publisher.place | United Kingdom | - |
dc.identifier.issnl | 0962-8452 | - |