exam 2 Flashcards
(52 cards)
human language (productivity)
using small number of sounds to generate a large number of words and sentence constructs
human language: creativity
new words/ideas can be made regularly
human language: displacement
can discuss things that are not physically present and even imaginary things
human language: completeness
language could in theory describe any concept a human can comprehend like love
intentionality (zero-order)
no mental representation required, true for traits that develop rather than decide to produce in response to a situation (aposematism, bright colors being toxic)
intentionality (first-order)
sender seeks to elicit a response in the receiver, produced response to specific conditions. communicate with receiver and convey information (alarm calls and tail flagging are produced in a specific context with the intension of influencing behavior)
intentionality (second-order)
the sender intends to influence the attributed mental state of the receiver (thinks about what a receiver might or might not know) –> deceitful signals
cues
information that animals produce but is not ‘intended’ to communicate with the receiver//mouse rustling in leaves heard by an owl
signal
specially evolved traits that modify the behaviors of receivers, cheating is not possible
gene
functional units of DNA that encode for a functional element. string of amino acids produced by a relevant protein
changes to DNA
influences when, where, and how much of a gene product is made
transcription
turning genetic information from DNA to RNA - writing down nucleic acid information in the form of another nucleic acid
translation
turning genetic information from RNA to protein - going from the language of nucleic acid to the language of amino acids
CRISPR
sequences in the genome to cut, if not provided a repair template CRISPR cuts lead to changes in DNA unpredictable, (if provide template for repair, we can inset a precise sequence of DNA into a specific location in the chromosome), ALTERS HERITABLE DNA – PERMANENT
mRNA
piece of the viral mRNA, own cells make the protein, short lived, provide mRNA to be translated – TEMPORARY
viral vector
express genetically engineered proteins in cells of different tissues or species compared to their normal expression, shuttle in NON-HERITABLE DNA, relatively stable effects
vocal production learning
modify the structure/ordering of vocalizations as a result of hearing others (babies can learn to speak any language) most vertebrates don’t have vocal learning
critical period
species-specific developmental time window when juveniles are sensitive to sensory input/able to learn info (birds learning new songs, humans don’t have bc we are always learning)
sensory phase
birds are senstitive to learning new songs. become part of a template to be learned, they listen and learn forming a mental template
sensory motor phase
bird practices making the song and assess its performance relative to the template called subsong
crystallized song
the bird vocalizations are fixed and no longer change. wont increase further in accuracy to match the template
alarm call
produce vocalizations in the presence of predators
referential communication
vocalizations that refers to an object/event that is external to the signaler (has meaning) like a dog barking to show someone at the door
animal language projects
can animals use language if reared in the right environment? (apes as humans, some taught versions of sign language or picture) (buttons for dogs and used less)