The seminar will take place in seminar room Smultron (Wild Strawberry), House 4, 3rd floor, Albano, and in Zoom.

stockholmuniversity.zoom.us/j/62177358020

Organizer of this seminar is the Division of cognitive psychology.

Contact: Professor Fredrik Jönsson

Abstract

Human language is uniquely complex in relation to other species' communication. Key questions for understanding the evolution of human language are why it evolved, why it did not evolve in other species, and what actually evolved. In this talk I will present theoretical explorations of the hypothesis that human linguistic as well as other cultural capacities are rooted in accurate memory for stimulus sequences.

This hypothesis is grounded in empirical observations of differences between humans and other animals in recognizing and remembering sequential information. I will first present formal evolutionary analyses of the utility of sequence representation showing that sequence representation is exceedingly costly and that current memory systems found in animals may prevent abilities necessary for language to emerge.

For sequence representation to evolve, an abundance of useful sequential information and extensive learning opportunities are required, two conditions that were likely fulfilled early in human evolution. I will then present a minimal cognitive architecture aiming at testing whether the three cognitive components sequence memory, chunking and schematizing are sufficient to learn complex grammar from exposure to language input.
 

About the General seminars in psychology

This series of seminars is a collaboration between the six research divisions at the Department of Psychology. Local, national and international researchers are invited to speak of current research subjects.

The seminars are held on Wednesdays at 14:00–15:00 onsite in Albano and/or online in Zoom. Extra seminars can also be held on other weekdays or hours, among these the so called half-time seminars in the Doctoral Program in Psychology.