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VERSION:2.0
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
PRODID:UW-Madison-Physics-Events
BEGIN:VEVENT
SEQUENCE:0
UID:UW-Physics-Event-2833
DTSTART:20121204T180500Z
DURATION:PT1H0M0S
DTSTAMP:20260412T041707Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20121011T182434Z
LOCATION:4274 Chamberlin (refreshments will be served)
SUMMARY:Cognitive functions of language and their implications for lan
 guage evolution\, Chaos & Complex Systems Seminar\, Gary Lupyan\, UW D
 epartment of Psychology
DESCRIPTION:Language is a defining trait of our species. A standard as
 sumption shared by many in the cognitive sciences is that language sim
 ply allows for public expression of ideas that are themselves represen
 ted in a language-independent aEuro~mentaleseaEuroTM. Similarly\, capa
 cities on which humans appear to differ markedly from other animalsaEu
 ro"relational reasoning\, theory of mind\, categorization\, and execut
 ive functionaEuro"are often viewed as developments largely unrelated t
 o language. In contrast\, recent empirical evidence suggests that norm
 al human cognition is actually language-augmented cognition. Exploring
  the role that language learning and language use exerts on human cogn
 ition leads to a better understanding of the evolutionary trajectory o
 f language and offers a partial solution to the puzzle of how humans h
 ave come to possess intellectual capacities that could not have evolve
 d through natural selection (aEurooeWallaceaEuroTMs problemaEuro). A c
 omputational framework for exploring the role language exerts on cogni
 tion is also discussed.
URL:https://www.physics.wisc.edu/events/?id=2833
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