Mental representation of symbols as revealed by vocabulary errors in two bonobos (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pan paniscus</Emphasis>) |
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Authors: | Heidi Lyn |
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Institution: | (1) Language Research Center, Georgia State University, 3401 Panthersville Rd, Atlanta, GA 30034, USA;(2) Sea Mammal Research Unit, Gatty Marine Lab, School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 8LB, UK |
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Abstract: | Error analysis has been used in humans to detect implicit representations and categories in language use. The present study
utilizes the same technique to report on mental representations and categories in symbol use from two bonobos (Pan paniscus). These bonobos have been shown in published reports to comprehend English at the level of a two-and-a-half year old child
and to use a keyboard with over 200 visuographic symbols (lexigrams). In this study, vocabulary test errors from over 10 years
of data revealed auditory, visual, and spatio-temporal generalizations (errors were more likely items that looked like sounded
like, or were frequently associated with the sample item in space or in time), as well as hierarchical and conceptual categorizations.
These error data, like those of humans, are a result of spontaneous responding rather than specific training and do not solely
depend upon the sample mode (e.g. auditory similarity errors are not universally more frequent with an English sample, nor
were visual similarity errors universally more frequent with a photograph sample). However, unlike humans, these bonobos do
not make errors based on syntactical confusions (e.g. confusing semantically unrelated nouns), suggesting that they may not
separate syntactical and semantic information. These data suggest that apes spontaneously create a complex, hierarchical,
web of representations when exposed to a symbol system.
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. |
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Keywords: | Categorization Error analysis Bonobos Mental representation Evolution of language |
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