MPI COLLOQUIUM MANUEL BOHN

Context matters: an evolutionary and developmental perspective on human communication

Abstract: 

The way humans communicate—particularly through language—is unique in the animal kingdom. Yet language did not spring out of nowhere: the psychological infrastructure supporting linguistic communication has deep evolutionary roots. While most research has focused on similarities in how signals (gestures, vocalizations) are used, I argue that context-dependent communication is a common thread connecting communication in our closest living relatives, the great apes, with human communication. Language learning is similarly context dependent. Children use multiple sources of information to infer what their communication partner means. Children's language learning environments differ, requiring them to adapt to local distributions of information sources. I conclude by outlining an individual-differences approach to studying socio-communicative development grounded in everyday experiences.