Summary
Contents
Subject index
This accessible introductory text addresses the core knowledge domain of biological psychology, with focused coverage of the central concepts, research and debates in this key area. Biological Psychology outlines the importance and purpose of the biological approach and contextualises it with other perspectives in psychology, emphasizing the interaction between biology and the environment. Learning features including case studies, review questions and assignments are provided to aid students' understanding and promote a critical approach. Extended critical thinking and skill-builder activities develop the reader's higher-level academic skills.
Language
Language
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this chapter you should:
- have an understanding of the differences between proximate and ultimate explanations for biology of language;
- know how language differs from non-human animal communication;
- be able to evaluate different evolutionary theories for language;
- be able to discuss the role that proximate biological factors (such as genes, brain and neurotransmitters) have in producing language.
Introduction
Communication is an integral part of existence for most species, especially for those who live in complex social worlds (Frith and Frith, 2010). Communication happens in many different ways – through scent-marking and odours (in rodents, for example), through vocalisations and through non-verbal gestures and facial expressions. Humans are unique in that we are the only species that have evolved an open-ended, flexible, grammatical, spoken language (Pinker, ...
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