Archive Electronique - Institut Jean Nicod
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1997 research outputs found
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Budding the tree. Towards a theory of structure removal
No full textInternational audienceThis paper presents a theory of structure removal based on the operation of Bud. Bud is defined as a variant of External Merge. While External Merge always targets the root of a syntactic object, Bud targets a lower projection. The operation is constrained by minimality and is used to provide a novel account to analytic passive, causative constructions in Italian and infinitival constructions like raising predicates. It also offers an elegant way to account for structure pruning in cases of language disorder, root infinitives in child speech and preference for passive plus subject relativization over object relative clauses
Facteurs Cognitifs dans l'Intégration de Prothèses: Perspectives et Développements
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Are Moral Predicates Subjective? A Corpus Study
No full textInternational audienceThe nature of moral judgments, and, more specifically, the ques0on of how they relate, on the one hand, to objec0ve reality and, on the other, to subjec0ve experience, are issues that have been central to metaethics from its very beginnings. While these complex and challenging issues have been debated by analy0c philosophers for over a century, it is only rela0vely recently that more interdisciplinary and empirically-oriented approaches to such issues have begun to see light. The present chapter aims to make a contribu0on of that kind. We will present the results of an empirical-specifically, corpus linguis0c-study that offers evidence that moral predicates exhibit hallmarks of subjec0vity at the linguis0c level, but also, that they differ significantly from paradigma0cally subjec0ve predicates
Guinea baboons are strategic cooperators
No full textInternational audienceHumans are strategic cooperators; we make decisions on the basis of costs and benefits to maintain high levels of cooperation, and this is thought to have played a key role in human evolution. In comparison, monkeys and apes might lack the cognitive capacities necessary to develop flexible forms of cooperation. We show that Guinea baboons ( Papio papio ) can use direct reciprocity and partner choice to develop and maintain high levels of cooperation in a prosocial choice task. Our findings demonstrate that monkeys have the cognitive capacities to adjust their level of cooperation strategically using a combination of partner choice and partner control strategies. Such capacities were likely present in our common ancestor and would have provided the foundations for the evolution of typically human forms of cooperation
Development and validation of a quantitative instrument for measuring temporal and social disorientation in the Covid-19 crisis
No full textInternational audienceWe developed a quantitative Instrument for measuring Temporal and Social Disorientation (ITSD), aimed at major crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Disorientation has been identified as one of the central elements of the psychological impact of the Covid-19 era on the general public, but so far, the question has only been approached qualitatively. This paper offers an empirical, quantitative approach to the multi-faceted disorientation of the Covid-19 pandemic by operationalising the issue with the help of the ITSD. The ITSD was developed through multiple stages involving a preliminary open-ended questionnaire followed by a coder-based thematic analysis. This paper establishes the reliability and validity of the resulting ITSD using a 3-step validation process on a sample size of 3306
Question-answer dynamics in deductive fallacies without language
No full textInternational audienceWe introduce purely visual paradigms that convey the logical structure of illusory inferences from disjunction: (a ∧ b) ∨ c, a ⊢ ? b. Although the logical information was conveyed entirely via non-linguistic means, we found that the visual paradigms induce reasoning fallacies, though less attractive than their linguistic counterparts. The visual paradigms highlight the role of alternative-based reasoning, or question-answer dynamics, as they control for narrowly interpretive processes that confound the study of their linguistic counterparts. To our knowledge, this is the first work to develop visual paradigms that represent reasoning fallacies committed by adults and involve multiple logical operators non-trivially embedded. Previous studies focused on pre-verbal children or non-human animals, and for this reason limited the scope of research to visually representing logically simple, valid inferences
On the Impact of Misvaluation on Bilateral Trading
No full textInternational audienceSubjective biases and errors systematically affect market equilibria, whether at the population level or in bilateral trading. Here, we consider the possibility that an agent engaged in bilateral trading is mistaken about her own value of the good she expects to trade. Although it may sound paradoxical that a subjective private valuation is something an agent can be mistaken about, as it is up to her to fix it, we consider the case in which that agent, seller or buyer, consciously or not, given the structure of a market, a type of goods, and a temporary lack of information, may, more or less consciously, state an erroneous valuation. The typical context through which this possibility may arise is in relation with so-called experience goods which are sold while all their intrinsic qualities are still unknown (like, e.g. untasted bottled fine wines). We model that “private misvaluation” phenomenon. The agents can also be mistaken about how their exchange counterparts are themselves mistaken. We analyse and simulate the consequences of first-order and second-order private misvaluation on market equilibria and bubbles, and notably focus on the context where the second-order expectations about the other agent’s misvaluation are not met
Imagining in remembering from the outside
No full textInternational audienceA hot topic in philosophy of memory is the status of observer memories. How can a genuine episodic memory involve the rememberer as an object in the remembered scene? Observer memories seem to be false or otherwise distorted episodic memories. Some voices have been raised against this seemingly straightforward view. Recently, McCarroll has offered new arguments in favour of the idea that observer memories should be legitimately considered as episodic memories, grounding it on an analysis of the perspectivality of imagination (i.e., the fact that, similarly to memory, imagination somehow involves a self or "point of view"). McCarroll argues against accounts that tie imagination to the experienceable, on the grounds that they presuppose an experiencer in the imaginary world, and thus an occupied point of view. According to him these accounts lend force to the idea that observer memories are not genuine memories, if we take for granted that episodic memories rely on imagination so construed. In this chapter I will consider how McCarroll's worries can be used against one of the most promising theories of the imagination, recreativism. My goal is to block this kind of move while agreeing with McCarroll's main tenet that observer memories are genuine memories. More precisely, I will show that, although recreativism links imagination to the experienceable, it is not committed to positing "full-blooded" occupied point of view from which the imagined scene is "experienced". I will do this through a thorough analysis of the imaginative realm, of how experiences and the self (and different types of self) can be involved in our imaginings. I will focus on different strategies open to the recreativist, bringing to the fore the importance of the imagination for a careful study of memory
Évolution de la communication vocale chez les primates : une voie sociale
No full textInternational audienceThere is no doubt that different factors determine the evolutionary trajectory of a species' communication abilities. Beyond habitat, social life is likely a selection pressure. The hypothesis positing that living in a complex social system requires complex communication skills has gained ground. However, the measures used classically to tackle this question (i.e. number of call types and group size) fail to capture some of the subtleties of the evolution of communication systems. Integrative approaches comparing closely related species to highlight the possible relationship between the characteristics of their social systems, their ecological niche and associated vocal communication systems are required to further our understanding of this evolutionary puzzle. We first addressed this topic in two sympatric guenons, Diana monkeys and Campbell’s monkeys. Interspecies competition, and the niche specialisations this creates, appeared to be a key evolutionary driver of their repertoires. While most of their vocal units were shared, we found a diversification of alarm calls and socially meaningful vocal combinations, as well as a differential use of inconspicuous (less detectable) call structures. This was linked to differences in group size and degree of exposition to predators. Secondly, we compared the acoustic structures in macaques belonging to four species with contrasting social styles. We found that tolerant (Tonkean and crested) macaques displayed higher levels of vocal diversity (number of vocal units) and flexibility (degree of gradation) than intolerant (Japanese and rhesus) macaques in agonistic and affiliative (but not neutral) contexts. Lastly, because the core of communication is represented not only by what is expressed by an isolated caller, but also by the way vocal interactions are structured, we explored ‘conversational rules’ in apes. We found no relationship between classical social (group size, interaction rates) and vocal (repertoire size, call rates) complexity metrics. However, close call interaction patterns differed in line with the nature of societies. Orang-utan, the most solitary species, preferentially used repeated and isolated calls apparently outside of any vocal interactions. Chimpanzee, the most competitive species displayed a high proportion of overlapping vocalisations. Vocal turn-taking predominated in the most tolerant species (bonobo and gorilla). Even if primate vocal repertoires change slowly over evolutionary time, making them good phylogenetic indicators, socio-ecological niches may induce considerable local divergence at different levels: vocal repertoire composition, acoustic structure and contextual use of calls, and vocal interaction patterns.Il ne fait aucun doute que différents facteurs déterminent la trajectoire évolutive des capacités de communication d'une espèce. Au-delà de l'habitat, la vie sociale constitue probablement une importante pression de sélection. L'hypothèse selon laquelle vivre dans un système social complexe nécessite des capacités de communication complexes a gagné du terrain. Cependant, les mesures utilisées classiquement pour aborder cette question (c'est-à-dire le nombre de types de cris et la taille du groupe) ne permettent pas de comprendre toutes les subtilités de l'évolution des systèmes de communication. Des approches intégratives comparant des espèces phylogénétiquement proches, et mettant en évidence la relation possible entre les caractéristiques de leurs systèmes sociaux, leurs niches écologiques et les systèmes de communication vocale associés, sont nécessaires pour approfondir notre compréhension de ce puzzle évolutif. Nous avons d'abord abordé cette question chez deux cercopithèques sympatriques, le singe Diane et la mone de Campbell. La compétition inter-espèces, et les spécialisations de niche qui en découlent, semblent être un facteur évolutif clé de leurs répertoires. Bien que la plupart de leurs unités vocales soient partagées, nous avons constaté une diversification des cris d'alarme et des combinaisons vocales socialement significatives, ainsi qu'une utilisation différentielle de structures vocales discrètes (moins détectables). Ceci est lié aux différences de taille des groupes et de degré d'exposition aux prédateurs. Deuxièmement, nous avons comparé les structures acoustiques de quatre espèces de macaques aux styles sociaux contrastés. Nous avons constaté que les macaques tolérants (de Tonkean et à crête) présentaient des niveaux plus élevés de diversité vocale (nombre d'unités vocales) et de flexibilité (degré de gradation) que les macaques intolérants (japonais et rhésus) dans des contextes agonistiques et affiliatifs (mais pas neutres). Enfin, parce que le cœur de la communication n'est pas seulement représenté par ce qui est exprimé par un interlocuteur isolé, mais aussi par la façon dont les interactions vocales sont structurées, nous avons exploré les "règles conversationnelles" chez les grands singes. Nous n'avons trouvé aucune relation entre les paramètres classiques de complexité sociale (taille du groupe, taux d'interaction) et vocale (taille du répertoire, taux d'émission). Cependant, les patterns d'interactions des cris à courte distance diffèrent en fonction de la nature des sociétés. L'orang-outan, l'espèce la plus solitaire, utilisait de préférence des cris répétés et isolés, apparemment en dehors de toute interaction vocale. Le chimpanzé, l'espèce la plus compétitive, présentait une proportion élevée de vocalisations se chevauchant. L’interaction vocale avec alternance (“tour de rôle”) prédominait chez les espèces les plus tolérantes (bonobo et gorille). Même si les répertoires vocaux des primates changent lentement au cours de l'évolution, ce qui en fait de bons indicateurs phylogénétiques, les niches socio-écologiques peuvent induire des divergences locales considérables à différents niveaux : composition du répertoire vocal, structure acoustique et utilisation contextuelle des cris, et modes d'interaction vocale
Beyond Anthropocentrism in Comparative Cognition: Recentering Animal Linguistics
No full textInternational audienceWe argue that the field of animal communication is excessively focused on hard-to-reconstruct relations between animal communication and human language. We propose that this research should be recentered on an animal 'linguistics', with four benefits: a comparative approach could give rise to a rich typology of animal languages; it could be extended with an evolutionary approach aiming at reconstructing mechanisms that are shared due to common descent vs. convergent evolution; it could revisit the significance (or lack thereof) of potential continuities between animal and human languages; and a detail-oriented and comparative approach could benefit from the expertise of linguists while eschewing weakly supported claims of similarity between animal and human languages