Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id AAA07458 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Sat, 24 Nov 2001 00:05:25 GMT Subject: Re: Study shows brain can learn without really trying Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2001 19:00:27 -0500 x-sender: wsmith1@camail2.harvard.edu x-mailer: Claris Emailer 2.0v3, Claritas Est Veritas From: "Wade T.Smith" <wade_smith@harvard.edu> To: "Memetics Discussion List" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Message-ID: <20011124000023.AAA26741@camailp.harvard.edu@[205.240.180.140]> Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Hi Robin Faichney -
>> I wouldn't say one's native language is imitated so much as learned.
>
>Don't you think imitation plays a large part in such learning?
Parsing about with imitation and learning is touchy. Certainly an
advanced learning process requires, before one can use something oneself,
being shown, or observing, the way something is done or used, (or,
perhaps, imitating these things...), but, the process of language
acquisition (and much of motor control) would seem to be a prepared
genetic developmental period of homo sapiens' life cycle, learned without
volition and without conscious intent.
Imitation, to me, requires volition. Patterns of behavior do not- only
observation is needed. Thus, acquiring language is automatic, but arguing
about Chomsky is not.
Although I'm becoming more ready to hear arguments about how that could
be.
- Wade
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