Language and cognition
Language and cognition distinguish us from other animals in animal kingdom
Stepwise of evolution of cognition
Sensations perceptions imaginations the inner world the inner world of
others self-consciousness language
Sensations
Direct experience consists of sensations: taste, smell, dolour, itching, pain, cold,
warmth, sound etc.
Sensations tell us what goes on in the body
Criteria for sensations:
o It is personal (e.g. discussion about what colour you see)
o The observation is localised in the body
o Modality (verhouding tussen werkelijkheid en de beschrijving van de
werkelijkheid)
o All exist in the present
Perception = sensation + simulation
Sensations alone are not sufficient to perceive the world because they only provide
fragmentary information.
Brain put all the pieces of information together to get a representation of the world:
o Joining sensations of different modalities
o Add missing information
o Complement (vult aan) information form past experience
Perception even without sensation
Perception = simulation – this is called uncoupled representation
o Memories, (day)dreams, talk to yourself, fantasy, hallucination, wishes
Imaginations
What we see, hear etc. is a simulation of reality (virtual reality glasses)
The better the simulation the more useful it is.
Homo sapiens were selected for making good perceptions
The inner world – uncoupled representation
If you can represent the world in your mind you can simulate the effect of your
actions
Advantage: less risky than learning by trial-and-error
Inner world: the total of uncoupled representations and the processes involved
The inner world of somebody else
Theory of mind: to have a representation of somebody else’s representations
Language and cognition distinguish us from other animals in animal kingdom
Stepwise of evolution of cognition
Sensations perceptions imaginations the inner world the inner world of
others self-consciousness language
Sensations
Direct experience consists of sensations: taste, smell, dolour, itching, pain, cold,
warmth, sound etc.
Sensations tell us what goes on in the body
Criteria for sensations:
o It is personal (e.g. discussion about what colour you see)
o The observation is localised in the body
o Modality (verhouding tussen werkelijkheid en de beschrijving van de
werkelijkheid)
o All exist in the present
Perception = sensation + simulation
Sensations alone are not sufficient to perceive the world because they only provide
fragmentary information.
Brain put all the pieces of information together to get a representation of the world:
o Joining sensations of different modalities
o Add missing information
o Complement (vult aan) information form past experience
Perception even without sensation
Perception = simulation – this is called uncoupled representation
o Memories, (day)dreams, talk to yourself, fantasy, hallucination, wishes
Imaginations
What we see, hear etc. is a simulation of reality (virtual reality glasses)
The better the simulation the more useful it is.
Homo sapiens were selected for making good perceptions
The inner world – uncoupled representation
If you can represent the world in your mind you can simulate the effect of your
actions
Advantage: less risky than learning by trial-and-error
Inner world: the total of uncoupled representations and the processes involved
The inner world of somebody else
Theory of mind: to have a representation of somebody else’s representations
