Proto-Language as a Structurer and Enhancer of Consciousness and Cognition

原始语言作为意识和认知的结构者和增强者

• 批准号: 2427553
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Cambridge
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2427553
• 关键词: Proto; Language; Structurer; Enhancer; Consciousness

Questions: The major question of language evolution must be broken down into more manageable foci. Focusing on the earliest stage thereof, this is heuristically collapsed into 3 interrelated questions: 'what', 'why', and 'how'. The 'what' refers to the nature of the earliest language. Specifically, this is hypothesised to consist of highly concrete semantic labels in the absence of grammar. The semantic referents are thought to be salient; of adaptive importance; noisy; and multimodal. The 'proto-words' themselves are hypothesised to be: iconic; short; and both vocal and gestural. The 'why' refers to the adaptive advantage of the earliest language. This is hypothesised to include a significant augmentation of cognition. From a predictive processing perspective (PPP), semantic labels can act as highly flexible priors, acquirable cheaply without direct experience. Subsequent augmentations of specific cognitive constructs are innumerable, and are hypothesised to augment 'specific functions' such as WM; perceptual processing; and multimodal integration. The 'how' refers to evolutionary context and conditions. This is hypothesised to relate to tasks with high degrees of: perceptual, motor, and sensorimotor uncertainty; and embodiment, amongst othersPhD: The focus would be on fractionating the above questions and dimensions. Specifically: the nature of the semantic categories; the domains of cognitive augmentation; and the potential design space for proto-language. The exact layout is not completely clear yet. Provisionally, a battery of similar experiments will be used, each testing different facets of the broad question, with an overarching hypothesis that iconic semantic categories facilitate cognitive performance. The utility here is that the experiments stack and complement one another such that research foci can be tweaked in light of results, and key questions such as the role of iconicity can be explored with the certainty of concrete results, while not precluding the pursuit of more peripheral hypotheses such as the role of gesture, time allowing. Task: The core of each task will be a particular cognitive challenge of adaptive relevance, which may be augmented by proto-language. These include visual search; STM; and origami (building on my MPhil). Higher order cognition may also be explored. Given COVID19; these will be behavioural at first. Later research will include perturbation, and functional data. Pseudowords will be purely semantic and composed of English phonotactics. Linguistic dimensions will be varied in different versions of the experiments to test different facets of language. E.g., to investigate attributes of the fittest first semantic categories, novel semantic categories would be varied along dimensions such as concreteness, specificity, and temporal relevance. Non-English semantic categories will be used as a contrast. 3 other linguistic conditions will be explored. Iconicity will be varied to explore its relevance in language design space. A 3rd experiment will contrast simple concatenations to isolated pseudowords. A 4th experiment will examine the effect of iconic gestures accompanying iconic pseudowords. Complementary Data: The condition configuration from the experimental battery which shows the greatest facilitation would then be explored further in the last stage of the PhD. A small sample of imaging data from a replication would help relate behavioural changes to their neural underpinning. This could then be combined with comparative primate structural and functional data; TMS; and paleontological endocasts, to help inform neural evolutionary models, and understanding of neural representation. Time allowing, the role of cognitive proto-language's role in consciousness will be explored, perhaps via psychosis. Formalised theories including Global Neuronal Workspace, Integrated Information Theory, and PPP.

问题：语言进化的主要问题必须被分解成更易于管理的焦点。聚焦于最早的阶段，这被抽象地分解为三个相互关联的问题：“什么”，“为什么”和“如何”。“什么”指的是最早的语言的性质。具体来说，这是假设，包括高度具体的语义标签在语法的情况下。语义指称被认为是显着的，自适应的重要性，嘈杂的，和多模态。“原型词”本身被假设为：标志性的;短的;声音和手势。“为什么”指的是最早的语言的适应性优势。这被假设为包括认知的显著增强。从预测处理的角度（PPP），语义标签可以作为高度灵活的先验知识，可以廉价地获得，无需直接经验。随后的特定认知结构的增强是无数的，并假设增加“特定功能”，如WM;知觉处理;和多模态整合。“如何”指的是进化的背景和条件。这被假设与高度的任务：知觉，运动和感觉运动的不确定性;和实施，除其他外博士：重点将是对上述问题和维度的细分。具体而言：语义类别的性质;认知增强的领域;以及原型语言的潜在设计空间。确切的布局还不完全清楚。临时性地，一组类似的实验将被使用，每个测试广泛的问题的不同方面，与一个总体假设，即图标语义类别促进认知表现。这里的效用是，实验相互叠加和补充，使得研究焦点可以根据结果进行调整，并且可以在确定具体结果的情况下探索像似性的作用等关键问题，同时不排除追求更外围的假设，如手势的作用，时间允许。任务：每个任务的核心将是一个特定的自适应相关性的认知挑战，这可能是由原型语言增强。这些包括视觉搜索; STM;和折纸（建立在我的哲学硕士学位上）。也可以探索更高阶的认知。考虑到COVID 19;这些首先将是行为。以后的研究将包括微扰和函数数据。伪词将是纯语义的，由英语语音组成。在不同版本的实验中，语言维度会有所不同，以测试语言的不同方面。例如，在一个示例中，为了研究最合适的第一语义范畴的属性，小说语义范畴将沿着诸如具体性、特异性和时间相关性的维度沿着变化。非英语语义范畴将被用作对比。将探索其他3种语言条件。象似性将被改变以探索其在语言设计空间中的相关性。第三个实验将比较简单的连接和孤立的伪词。第四个实验将考察伴随着图标性假词的图标性手势的效果。补充数据：从实验电池的条件配置，显示最大的促进，然后将进一步探讨在博士的最后阶段。一个小样本的成像数据的复制将有助于相关的行为变化，他们的神经基础。然后，这可以与比较灵长类动物的结构和功能数据相结合; TMS;和古生物学endosts，以帮助告知神经进化模型，并理解神经表征。时间允许的话，认知原语言在意识中的作用将被探索，也许通过精神病。形式化的理论包括全局神经元工作空间，整合信息理论和PPP。