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Neurobiology of Consciousness
Homework 13
Problem 1. What is unique about human language as opposed to communications systems used by various
animals?
With that in mind, how would you define a human language?
Does your definition exclude the bee communication system?
Does your definition exclude the bids communication system?
Does your definition exclude the grey African parrot ability to mimic?
Does your definition exclude the bids communication system?
Does your definition exclude the chimpanzee communication system in the wild?
Does your definition exclude the communication system that was taught to bonobo Kanzi?
Problem 2. How many words do you know (approximately)?
How many words do you routinely use (approximately)?
How many words did gorilla Koko know?
How many words did gorilla Koko use?
How many words did bonobo Kanzi know?
How many words did bonobo Kanzi use?
Can bonobo Kanzi follow commands like “give the lighter to Rose”?
Can bonobo Kanzi follow commands like “put the lighter under the table”?
Can bonobo Kanzi follow commands like “take the ball outdoors”?
Can bonobo Kanzi follow commands like “take the ball outdoors after you gave the lighter to Rose”?
Problem 3. Explain the difference between flexible syntax and the rigid word order. Provide an example.
Problem 4. When did our ancestors acquire an articulate vocal apparatus similar to ours?
When did our ancestors acquire mental synthesis?
Neurobiology of Consciousness
Homework 13
What is the use of a communication system that lacks mental synthesis. In other words what was the driving
force for developing an advanced vocal apparatus capable of articulate speech?
Could you imagine a dialog between two hominins who have articulate speech, but lack mental synthesis?
Problem 5. In January of 2013, George Church, a Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, said in an
interview that it could be possible to clone a Neanderthal baby from ancient DNA if he could find a woman
willing to act as a surrogate: “I have already managed to attract enough DNA from fossil bones to reconstruct
the DNA of the human species largely extinct. Now I need an adventurous female human. ... Neanderthals
might think differently than we do. We know that they had a larger cranial size. They could even be more
intelligent than us.”
Do you think a Neanderthal could even be more intelligent than us?
Will this Neanderthal child acquire mental synthesis and full human language?
Problem 6. Evolutionary development of nervous system:
When did ion channels appear in evolution?
When did ion pumps appear in evolution?
When did nature first adapted neurochemicals such as norepinephrine?
When did first specialized neurons first evolve?
When selective signal enhancement first evolved?
Do you need the central nervous system (such as the brain) for selective signal enhancement?
When did central nervous system evolve?
When did tectum (midbrain) evolve?
When did the cerebral cortex evolve?
When did the 6-layered cerebral cortex evolve?
Is tectum significantly modified by experience?
Is cerebral cortex significantly modified by experience?