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Syntactic learning in non-human primates and neuroimaging of evolutionary precursors to language

Matthew G. Collison Laboratory for Comparative Neuropsychology Institute of Neuroscience Newcastle University. Syntactic learning in non-human primates and neuroimaging of evolutionary precursors to language. Old World Monkeys (Rhesus Macaque). Humans. 8 million years.

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Syntactic learning in non-human primates and neuroimaging of evolutionary precursors to language

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  1. Matthew G. Collison Laboratory for Comparative Neuropsychology Institute of Neuroscience Newcastle University Syntactic learning in non-human primates and neuroimaging of evolutionary precursors to language

  2. Old World Monkeys (Rhesus Macaque) Humans 8 million years 25 million years From what did human language evolve? • Where are the evolutionary precursors to human language in the primate brain? New World Monkeys (Cotton Top Tamarin) Great Apes (Chimpanzee) 35 million years

  3. Syntax: What is it and how do we study it in nonhuman animals? • Syntax is a key components of human language: “the ability to understand the sequence (grammar) of words in a sentence” • Very difficult to study in nonhuman species. • However the core computations of syntactic processing can be studied in nonhuman animals using artificial grammars.

  4. Artificial-language (syntactic) learning in monkeys Fitch & Hauser 2005, Science Grammatical Ungrammatical Finite State Grammar Phrase Structure Grammar %Looks Ungrammatical Grammatical

  5. Humans 8 million years Old World Monkeys (Rhesus Macaque) 25 million years Another example: Infants and tamarins learning a different type of “grammar” Saffran et al., Cognition 2008 • Tamarins Infants ? New World Monkeys (Cotton Top Tamarin) Great Apes (Chimpanzee) 35 million years

  6. Rhesus macaque experiment Familiarisation Phase ABAB- A2A3B3B2 A1A2B2B1 A4B5A3B2 AABB- A1B1 A3B3 A2B2A3B3 A2A1B3B5 BBAA- B3B1A1A3 B3B2A2A3 B3B5A2A4 BABA- B2A2B3A3 B4A4B2 A2 B3B1A2A5 Test Phase

  7. Prediction: Double Dissociation • Macaques exposed to FSG will consider PSG sequences as more interesting to look at, but if they were exposed to PSG the opposite effect is predicted. % looks

  8. Behavioural Results PSG PSG A) Experiment 1 – Familiarisation to PSG B) Experiment 2 – Familiarisation to FSG

  9. The human language regions respond to artificial grammars Friederici 2006 Diffusion Tensor Imaging - Connectivity

  10. Macaque fMRI: Potential ‘syntactic-learning’ network Dorso-lateral frontal cortex (possibly Broca’s area) Striatum (implicit learning system) Y = 85.5 X = 53 Y = 84.5 X = 39 PSG Familiarisation Threshold = 0.01 FSG Familiarisation Threshold = 0.01 Z = 22 Z = 20

  11. Conclusions • Rhesus Macaques are capable of learning a more elaborate grammar (both FSG and PSG) than tamarins. • fMRI responses to the grammatical sequences shows at least 2 sites as part of the potential ‘syntactic-learning’ network that may have evolved to support language in humans.

  12. Precursor to Statistical learning

  13. Precursors to Syntactic grmmar

  14. Future work to be done • How much more can rhesus macaques learn. • Further fMRI to replicate/support or extend the observations here. What are the neuronal mechanisms underlying syntactic processing?

  15. Humans Old World Monkeys (Rhesus Macaque) 8 million years 25 million years Evolutionary development of language Infants A1A2A3B3B2B1 Rhesus Macaque AABB • Tamarins • ABAB New World Monkeys (Cotton Top Tamarin) Great Apes (Chimpanzee) 35 million years

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