Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id BAA11560 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 21 Jan 2002 01:53:03 GMT To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Message-Id: <AA-8BA54BCD73FBA599CE5DF2D898AB1A73-ZZ@homebase1.prodigy.net> Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 20:49:10 -0500 From: "Philip Jonkers" <PHILIPJONKERS@prodigy.net> Subject: Re: Sensory and sensibility Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Grant:
>Making sounds that sound like words and using words
are not the same thin=
>g. =20
>When I beat my chest I am not communicating with
gorillas. Birds can be=20
>taught to repeat certain sounds to please their
trainers, but I seriously=
>=20
>doubt they are consciously communicating meaning with
their sounds. They=
>=20
>have just learned that making some sounds will cause
people to reward the=
>m=20
>with food or attention. I don't believe they are
really "saying" anythin=
>g.
Pavlov has shown in the early 1900s that you can
condition animals to associate behavior with certain
human cues: the famous rinkle-bell-for-dinner-dog
experiment. If you have conditioned a kennel of
dependent dogs that way and you rinkle the bell
at dinner time, the dogs will perk up and expect
food by starting drewling.
Ergo, this is a typical example of
communication (albeit interspecific).
Philip.
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