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Originally posted by gutze:
Interesting experiment. It makes me think of two traits in human communication: babies and parents adjusting their bodymovements in the turn-taking in dialouge. And the fact that we adjust speaking rate to the rate of the conversational partner. In my own field it raises some questions in the therapy for cluttering in how to reduce speaking rate most efficiently. Thanks DIT.

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Proj on!

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Originally posted by Metro Dynamics:
An elephant paints a self portrait.

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Proj on!

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Originally posted by kenmeer livermaile:
Out of sight, out of mind

Anyway, the first thought that comes to my mind is that auditory data long ago would have often been related to the sound of prey or predator's approach. Rhythm would play into this as a means of predicting proximity, ETA, type of critter, et cetera.

Aural pattern recognition.

Even more so in the dark when, presumably, the object of concern would more likely be a predator...

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Proj on!

quote:

Originally posted by DIT:

quote:

Originally posted by kenmeer livermaile:
Out of sight, out of mind

Anyway, the first thought that comes to my mind is that auditory data long ago would have often been related to the sound of prey or predator's approach. Rhythm would play into this as a means of predicting proximity, ETA, type of critter, et cetera.

Aural pattern recognition.

Even more so in the dark when, presumably, the object of concern would more likely be a predator...

Speaking of speculation on the evolution of language and cognition...
re: The Mind of a Tool Maker session at the AAAS in Boston:
the bottom line is this: the study and discussion of evolution of cognition and language requires extreme caution, subtlety, rigor, nuance, a high-pass filter for bullshit, and so on and so forth. And, alas, the level of speculation and pure unadulterated paleo-nonsense was off the scale. This session made me appreciate why the French Academy forbade language evolution as a topic. The audience deserved better. My favorite line: the organizer of the workshop, Dr. Lam, in her opening remarks, said that one reason she wanted to have this workshop was because she had such a hard time getting her ideas on evolution of cognition published .... Yikes!

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A Study of Multimodal Motherese: The Role of Temporal Synchrony between Verbal Labels and Gestures
This study examined European American and Hispanic American mothers' multimodal communication to their infants (N = 24).

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Originally posted by gutze:
Thanks DIT, in a way I feel it´s sad to live in a culture, where you feel need to prove these things...

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Proj on!

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Learning How Not to Be Afraid
Why do some people have the ability to remain calm and relaxed even in the most stressful situations? New experiments in mice by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers are providing insight into how the brain changes when the animals learn to feel safe and secure in situations that would normally make them anxious.

HHMI investigator Eric R. Kandel and Daniela D. Pollak conducted experiments in which they conditioned mice to feel safe in stressful situations. Their experiments showed that the mice developed a conditioned inhibition of fear, which Kandel calls “learned safety.”

...The new study is noteworthy because it reveals in elegant detail how behavioral conditioning can affect the brain. According to Kandel, knowing how behavioral intervention works at the molecular and cellular levels may prove to be an interesting route to identifying new ways to treat depression and anxiety disorders....

...Two types of fear, instinctive and learned, have deep evolutionary roots and are essential for survival. But in some people, pathological forms of learned fear can lead to debilitating anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress syndrome, or depression. Learned safety, on the other hand, reduces chronic stress, one of the hallmarks of depression and other psychopathologies. “The ability to identify, develop, and exploit conditions of safety and security is central to survival and mental health,” said Kandel, “but little is known of the neurobiology of these processes.”

...Kandel said his group was intrigued to find that learned safety did not influence serotonin, the neurotransmitter typically targeted by antidepressant drugs. Learned safety appears to influence levels of both dopamine and neuropeptide neurotransmitters, suggesting new avenues for antidepressant drug development, he said....