Dissertação (mestrado) - Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, 2009 / Bibliografia: f. 113-116 / Amparados nas teses do psicólogo evolucionista Steven Pinker, buscaremos uma melhor compreensão do comportamento humano, fazendo uma revisão no modelo clássico de ciências sociais. Para ele o arquétipo delineador do comportamento humano se encontra ultrap / Supported in the teses of evolucionista psychologist Steven Pinker, we go to search one better understanding of the human behavior, making a revision in the classic model of social sciences. For it archtype limiting of the human behavior if finds exceeded

Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio University, March, 2010. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

This dissertation examines the academic debate that surrounds the new field called "Evolutionary Psychology." Evolutionary psychology has emerged as the most popular successor theory to human sociobiology. Its proponents search for evolved psychological mechanisms and emphasize universal features of the human mind. My thesis is that in order to flourish evolutionary psychologists must engage other researchers on equal terms -- something they have not been doing. To show this, I examine the stances of practitioners from three other social science fields whose claims have been shortchanged by evolutionary psychology: Barbara King in biological anthropology, George Lakoff and Mark Johnson in empirical linguistics and Annette Karmiloff-Smith in developmental psychology. These researchers are also involved in cognitive science investigations that bear on evolutionary psychology's key claims about the mind and how it works. Evolutionary psychologists make three key claims about the mind. The first (1) is that the mind is massively modular; the second (2) is that this massively modular mind has been shaped by the processes of natural selection over evolutionary time; and the third (3) is that it is adapted to the Pleistocene conditions of our past. Evolutionary psychologists seek to elevate these three claims to the status of meta-theoretical assumptions making them the starting place from which our deliberations about human cognition ought proceed. These claims would constitute the framework for a new paradigm in the ultimate sense. I argue that elevating these claims to such a status is not only premature, but also unwarranted on the available evidence. This result is justified by evidence produced outside evolutionary psychology by those disciplines from which evolutionary psychologists explicitly seek to distance themselves. / Ph. D.

Pinker et Bloom (1990), deux représentants de la psychologie évolutionniste, soutiennent que le langage est une adaptation biologique ayant pour fonction la communication. Ils prétendent ainsi jeter un éclairage sur l’origine et l’évolution du langage. Le présent mémoire propose une analyse critique de leur argumentation, et ce, du point de vue de la philosophie de la biologie. D’une part, il tente de dissiper la confusion entourant la conception du langage adoptée par Pinker et Bloom, afin de mieux définir le trait censé constituer une adaptation biologique. Ce faisant, ce mémoire fait ressortir certains présupposés de leur conception du langage et en souligne l’aspect problématique. En ce sens, les concepts d’innéité, de modularité, de grammaire universelle et de systématicité sont abordés de façon critique. D’autre part, ce travail entend expliciter un concept clé de l’argumentation de Pinker et Bloom : celui d’adaptation. L’analyse montre que l’opposition entre adaptationnisme et anti-adaptationnisme tient, dans le cas présent, à une divergence quant à la façon de définir l’adaptation biologique. Une distinction importante doit être faite entre une adaptation résultant exclusivement de la sélection naturelle dans un contexte fonctionnel particulier et une adaptation qui n’exclut pas a priori d’autres facteurs évolutifs, dont l’exaptation. Dans la mesure où l’argumentation de Pinker et Bloom conduit à affirmer que le langage constitue une adaptation seulement au deuxième sens du terme, ce mémoire montre qu’ils ne sont pas à même de rendre compte de l’origine du langage. / Pinker and Bloom (1990), two proponents of evolutionary psychology, argue that language has evolved as a biological adaptation for the function of communication. In doing so, they claim to shed light on the origin and evolution of language. This paper proposes a critical analysis of their argument from the point of view of the philosophy of biology. On the one hand, it attempts to clarify Pinker and Bloom’s conception of language in order to better define the trait that is regarded as an adaptation. Thus, this paper brings to the fore several problematic assumptions underlying their conception of language. In this context, the concepts of innateness, modularity, universal grammar and systematicity are addressed in a critical manner. On the other hand, this paper aims to make explicit a key concept of their argument: the concept of adaptation. The analysis shows that the opposition between adaptationism and anti-adaptationism is due, in the present instance, to a divergence in the way biological adaptation is defined. An important distinction has to be drawn between an adaptation resulting exclusively from natural selection in a particular functional context and an adaptation that does not a priori exclude other evolutionary factors such as exaptation. In so far as Pinker and Bloom’s argument allows them to conclude that language is an adaptation only in the second meaning of the term, this paper shows that they are not in a position to provide an account of the origin of language.

Pinker et Bloom (1990), deux représentants de la psychologie évolutionniste, soutiennent que le langage est une adaptation biologique ayant pour fonction la communication. Ils prétendent ainsi jeter un éclairage sur l’origine et l’évolution du langage. Le présent mémoire propose une analyse critique de leur argumentation, et ce, du point de vue de la philosophie de la biologie. D’une part, il tente de dissiper la confusion entourant la conception du langage adoptée par Pinker et Bloom, afin de mieux définir le trait censé constituer une adaptation biologique. Ce faisant, ce mémoire fait ressortir certains présupposés de leur conception du langage et en souligne l’aspect problématique. En ce sens, les concepts d’innéité, de modularité, de grammaire universelle et de systématicité sont abordés de façon critique. D’autre part, ce travail entend expliciter un concept clé de l’argumentation de Pinker et Bloom : celui d’adaptation. L’analyse montre que l’opposition entre adaptationnisme et anti-adaptationnisme tient, dans le cas présent, à une divergence quant à la façon de définir l’adaptation biologique. Une distinction importante doit être faite entre une adaptation résultant exclusivement de la sélection naturelle dans un contexte fonctionnel particulier et une adaptation qui n’exclut pas a priori d’autres facteurs évolutifs, dont l’exaptation. Dans la mesure où l’argumentation de Pinker et Bloom conduit à affirmer que le langage constitue une adaptation seulement au deuxième sens du terme, ce mémoire montre qu’ils ne sont pas à même de rendre compte de l’origine du langage. / Pinker and Bloom (1990), two proponents of evolutionary psychology, argue that language has evolved as a biological adaptation for the function of communication. In doing so, they claim to shed light on the origin and evolution of language. This paper proposes a critical analysis of their argument from the point of view of the philosophy of biology. On the one hand, it attempts to clarify Pinker and Bloom’s conception of language in order to better define the trait that is regarded as an adaptation. Thus, this paper brings to the fore several problematic assumptions underlying their conception of language. In this context, the concepts of innateness, modularity, universal grammar and systematicity are addressed in a critical manner. On the other hand, this paper aims to make explicit a key concept of their argument: the concept of adaptation. The analysis shows that the opposition between adaptationism and anti-adaptationism is due, in the present instance, to a divergence in the way biological adaptation is defined. An important distinction has to be drawn between an adaptation resulting exclusively from natural selection in a particular functional context and an adaptation that does not a priori exclude other evolutionary factors such as exaptation. In so far as Pinker and Bloom’s argument allows them to conclude that language is an adaptation only in the second meaning of the term, this paper shows that they are not in a position to provide an account of the origin of language.

No description available.

A tese apresenta uma contribuição à área da pesquisa educacional, para auxiliar na identificação de perfis cognitivos, utilizando o referencial teórico das Ciências Cognitivas e a instrumentação das Neurociências. O projeto elaborado para atender os objetivos desta tese compreendeu o desenvolvimento de metodologia experimental, apoiada pela técnica estatística de Projetos de Experimentos, juntamente com instrumentos neurocientíficos (uso de eletroencefalografia com técnica ERP – Event Related Potential), para a observação, quantificação e interpretação de evidências neuronais – sinais de eletroencefalografia - relacionadas ao processo cognitivo humano. Buscou, em particular, evidências relacionadas às diferentes demandas de energia despendida na realização de atividades espaciais (identificação, percepção ou atenção espacial de objetos virtuais), com base em instrumentos teóricos e tecnológicos das Neurociências, das Ciências Cognitivas e da Psicologia Cognitiva, para uso na área da pesquisa educacional, visando contribuir para identificação de diferentes perfis de estudantes em diferentes áreas do conhecimento. Na investigação experimental, o objetivo foi buscar indicadores (quantificação de energia alocada em atividade cerebral, medida de tempo de resposta ao estímulo, maior magnitude na faixa de freqüência do ritmo elétrico cerebral, evocados no experimento) dos sinais cerebrais que estejam sincronizados com o exercício proposto e que possam subsidiar a hipótese de que há diferenças significativas entre estudantes de áreas científicas e tecnológicas e estudantes de áreas humanas e sociais, no quesito habilidades espaciais. A proposta contextualiza e fundamenta experimentos com um grupo de alunos voluntários dos cursos de graduação, selecionados para a pesquisa, classificados por idade e sexo e avaliados e selecionados por diagnóstico psicológico indicativo da provável área de aptidão/habilidade cognitiva. O desenvolvimento da proposta investigativa, que visou atender os objetivos relacionados e pertinentes ao processo, foi possível devido a esforços de pesquisadores e cientistas das diferentes áreas de conhecimento, que colaboraram na modelagem do experimento realizado no Laboratório de Biosinais da Universidade de Caxias do Sul, no Campus Universitário da Região dos Vinhedos, junto ao Curso de Engenharia Elétrica. Como parte do processo metodológico experimental está compreendido o desenvolvimento do instrumento de medição: equipamento de eletroencefalografia (EEG) utilizando o sistema de aquisição e conversão de sinal analógico-digital da National Instruments e também, o equipamento conhecido como Gaiola de Faraday, que serviu para a realização das coletas de sinais elétricos cerebrais de baixa freqüência e amplitude, minimizando a presença de ruídos eletromagnéticos interferentes significativamente no sinal coletado. Os dados (sinais elétricos cerebrais) coletados durante o experimento que evocou raciocínio lógico espacial dos participantes foram modelados matematicamente por Fourier e interpretados por análise estatística – UNIVARIATE (análise de variância) e comparados aos resultados obtidos pelos instrumentos de apoio utilizados como forma de validar o processo investigativo: questionário verbal ao final do experimento e teste psicológico - subteste BPR5 – RE. Todos os dados coletados também foram armazenados com o propósito de permitir futura realização de outras simulações, com diferentes métodos de acesso aos conteúdos. Entende-se que os resultados obtidos nesse experimento possam colaborar com a Informática aplicada à Educação no planejamento, desenvolvimento e uso de objetos virtuais em ambientes destinados a mediar à aprendizagem, de acordo com necessidades específicas de cada público-alvo. Nesse sentido, os resultados dessa investigação podem prover dados ou características como medidas indicadoras de esforços cognitivos associados a perfis diferenciados, no caso das áreas de conhecimento, que envolvam processos de raciocínio espacial. O entendimento sobre o esforço manifestado pelo aluno durante o experimento foi interpretado como uma possível medida de um dos itens relacionados ao perfil cognitivo, à luz das Ciências Cognitivas (GARDNER, 1994, 2001), (STERNBERG, 2000), (PINKER, 1998). / The thesis is to contribute for the area of educational research in order to aid on the identification of cognitive profiles, using theoretical references from cognitive sciences and instrumentation from neurosciences. The project designed to meet the objectives of the thesis included the development of experimental methodology, supported by the statistical technique for Experiment Projects, along with neuroscientific instruments (use of electroencephalography with the ERP technique – Event Related Potential), for the observation, quantification, and interpretation of neuronal evidences – electroencephalography signals – related to the human cognitive process. It particularly searched for evidences related to different demands of energy spent to perform spatial activities (identification, perception, or spatial attention of virtual objects), based on theoretical and technological instruments of Neurosciences, Cognitive Sciences and Cognitive Psychology, used in the field of educational research, with the aim to contribute for the identification of different profiles of students in different areas of knowledge. In the experimental investigation, the purpose was to look for indicators (quantification of energy allocated in brain activity, measuring response time to the stimulus, larger magnitude in the frequency band of the brain electrical rhythm, evoked on the experiment) of the brain signals that would be synchronized with the exercise proposed and that could subsidize the hypothesis that there are significant differences between students from scientific and technological fields and students from humanistic and social fields, regarding spatial abilities. The proposal contextualizes and fundaments experiments with a group of volunteer students from the undergraduate programs, selected for the research, classified by age and gender, and evaluated and selected according to a psychological diagnostic indicating a probable area of cognitive ability / aptitude. The development of the investigative proposal that intended to meet the objectives mentioned was possible thanks to efforts of a group of researchers and scientists from different fields of knowledge, pertinent to the process, who collaborated on the modeling of the experiment, carried out at the Biosignal Laboratory of the University of Caxias do Sul, at the University Campus of Região dos Vinhedos, in its Electrical Engineering Program. The development of the measuring instrument was part of the experimental methodological process: the equipment for electroencephalography (EEG) using the system acquisition and conversion of analog to digital signal (manufacturer: National Instruments) and also the equipment known as Faraday’s Cage, which served to the collections of electrical brain signals of low frequency and amplitude, minimizing the presence of electromagnetic noises interfering significantly on the signal collected.The data collected (brain electrical signals) during the experiment that evoked logical spatial reasoning by the participants were mathematically modeled by Fourier and interpreted by statistical analysis – UNIVARIATE (variance analysis) and compared to results obtained by support instruments used as a way of validating the investigative process: a verbal questionnaire at the end of the experiment and a psychological test – subtest BPR5 – RE. All data collected were also saved with the purpose of making it possible to carry out other simulations in the future, with different access methods to the contents. It is understood that the results obtained with this experiment collaborate Informatics applied to Education on planning, developing, and using virtual objects in environments destined to mediate learning according to specific needs of each target public. In that sense, the results of this investigation may provide data or characteristics as measures indicating cognitive efforts associated to differentiated profiles, which are in this case the knowledge fields involving spatial reasoning processes. Understanding the effort manifested by the student during the experiment was interpreted as a possible measure for one of the items related to the cognitive profile, the light of Cognitive Sciences (GARDNER, 1994, 2001), (STERNBERG, 2000), (PINKER, 1998).

A tese apresenta uma contribuição à área da pesquisa educacional, para auxiliar na identificação de perfis cognitivos, utilizando o referencial teórico das Ciências Cognitivas e a instrumentação das Neurociências. O projeto elaborado para atender os objetivos desta tese compreendeu o desenvolvimento de metodologia experimental, apoiada pela técnica estatística de Projetos de Experimentos, juntamente com instrumentos neurocientíficos (uso de eletroencefalografia com técnica ERP – Event Related Potential), para a observação, quantificação e interpretação de evidências neuronais – sinais de eletroencefalografia - relacionadas ao processo cognitivo humano. Buscou, em particular, evidências relacionadas às diferentes demandas de energia despendida na realização de atividades espaciais (identificação, percepção ou atenção espacial de objetos virtuais), com base em instrumentos teóricos e tecnológicos das Neurociências, das Ciências Cognitivas e da Psicologia Cognitiva, para uso na área da pesquisa educacional, visando contribuir para identificação de diferentes perfis de estudantes em diferentes áreas do conhecimento. Na investigação experimental, o objetivo foi buscar indicadores (quantificação de energia alocada em atividade cerebral, medida de tempo de resposta ao estímulo, maior magnitude na faixa de freqüência do ritmo elétrico cerebral, evocados no experimento) dos sinais cerebrais que estejam sincronizados com o exercício proposto e que possam subsidiar a hipótese de que há diferenças significativas entre estudantes de áreas científicas e tecnológicas e estudantes de áreas humanas e sociais, no quesito habilidades espaciais. A proposta contextualiza e fundamenta experimentos com um grupo de alunos voluntários dos cursos de graduação, selecionados para a pesquisa, classificados por idade e sexo e avaliados e selecionados por diagnóstico psicológico indicativo da provável área de aptidão/habilidade cognitiva. O desenvolvimento da proposta investigativa, que visou atender os objetivos relacionados e pertinentes ao processo, foi possível devido a esforços de pesquisadores e cientistas das diferentes áreas de conhecimento, que colaboraram na modelagem do experimento realizado no Laboratório de Biosinais da Universidade de Caxias do Sul, no Campus Universitário da Região dos Vinhedos, junto ao Curso de Engenharia Elétrica. Como parte do processo metodológico experimental está compreendido o desenvolvimento do instrumento de medição: equipamento de eletroencefalografia (EEG) utilizando o sistema de aquisição e conversão de sinal analógico-digital da National Instruments e também, o equipamento conhecido como Gaiola de Faraday, que serviu para a realização das coletas de sinais elétricos cerebrais de baixa freqüência e amplitude, minimizando a presença de ruídos eletromagnéticos interferentes significativamente no sinal coletado. Os dados (sinais elétricos cerebrais) coletados durante o experimento que evocou raciocínio lógico espacial dos participantes foram modelados matematicamente por Fourier e interpretados por análise estatística – UNIVARIATE (análise de variância) e comparados aos resultados obtidos pelos instrumentos de apoio utilizados como forma de validar o processo investigativo: questionário verbal ao final do experimento e teste psicológico - subteste BPR5 – RE. Todos os dados coletados também foram armazenados com o propósito de permitir futura realização de outras simulações, com diferentes métodos de acesso aos conteúdos. Entende-se que os resultados obtidos nesse experimento possam colaborar com a Informática aplicada à Educação no planejamento, desenvolvimento e uso de objetos virtuais em ambientes destinados a mediar à aprendizagem, de acordo com necessidades específicas de cada público-alvo. Nesse sentido, os resultados dessa investigação podem prover dados ou características como medidas indicadoras de esforços cognitivos associados a perfis diferenciados, no caso das áreas de conhecimento, que envolvam processos de raciocínio espacial. O entendimento sobre o esforço manifestado pelo aluno durante o experimento foi interpretado como uma possível medida de um dos itens relacionados ao perfil cognitivo, à luz das Ciências Cognitivas (GARDNER, 1994, 2001), (STERNBERG, 2000), (PINKER, 1998). / The thesis is to contribute for the area of educational research in order to aid on the identification of cognitive profiles, using theoretical references from cognitive sciences and instrumentation from neurosciences. The project designed to meet the objectives of the thesis included the development of experimental methodology, supported by the statistical technique for Experiment Projects, along with neuroscientific instruments (use of electroencephalography with the ERP technique – Event Related Potential), for the observation, quantification, and interpretation of neuronal evidences – electroencephalography signals – related to the human cognitive process. It particularly searched for evidences related to different demands of energy spent to perform spatial activities (identification, perception, or spatial attention of virtual objects), based on theoretical and technological instruments of Neurosciences, Cognitive Sciences and Cognitive Psychology, used in the field of educational research, with the aim to contribute for the identification of different profiles of students in different areas of knowledge. In the experimental investigation, the purpose was to look for indicators (quantification of energy allocated in brain activity, measuring response time to the stimulus, larger magnitude in the frequency band of the brain electrical rhythm, evoked on the experiment) of the brain signals that would be synchronized with the exercise proposed and that could subsidize the hypothesis that there are significant differences between students from scientific and technological fields and students from humanistic and social fields, regarding spatial abilities. The proposal contextualizes and fundaments experiments with a group of volunteer students from the undergraduate programs, selected for the research, classified by age and gender, and evaluated and selected according to a psychological diagnostic indicating a probable area of cognitive ability / aptitude. The development of the investigative proposal that intended to meet the objectives mentioned was possible thanks to efforts of a group of researchers and scientists from different fields of knowledge, pertinent to the process, who collaborated on the modeling of the experiment, carried out at the Biosignal Laboratory of the University of Caxias do Sul, at the University Campus of Região dos Vinhedos, in its Electrical Engineering Program. The development of the measuring instrument was part of the experimental methodological process: the equipment for electroencephalography (EEG) using the system acquisition and conversion of analog to digital signal (manufacturer: National Instruments) and also the equipment known as Faraday’s Cage, which served to the collections of electrical brain signals of low frequency and amplitude, minimizing the presence of electromagnetic noises interfering significantly on the signal collected.The data collected (brain electrical signals) during the experiment that evoked logical spatial reasoning by the participants were mathematically modeled by Fourier and interpreted by statistical analysis – UNIVARIATE (variance analysis) and compared to results obtained by support instruments used as a way of validating the investigative process: a verbal questionnaire at the end of the experiment and a psychological test – subtest BPR5 – RE. All data collected were also saved with the purpose of making it possible to carry out other simulations in the future, with different access methods to the contents. It is understood that the results obtained with this experiment collaborate Informatics applied to Education on planning, developing, and using virtual objects in environments destined to mediate learning according to specific needs of each target public. In that sense, the results of this investigation may provide data or characteristics as measures indicating cognitive efforts associated to differentiated profiles, which are in this case the knowledge fields involving spatial reasoning processes. Understanding the effort manifested by the student during the experiment was interpreted as a possible measure for one of the items related to the cognitive profile, the light of Cognitive Sciences (GARDNER, 1994, 2001), (STERNBERG, 2000), (PINKER, 1998).

It is a central claim of modern linguistic theory that linguists do not prescribe, but describe language as it is, without pronouncing on correctness or judging one variety better than another. This attempt to exclude evaluation is motivated by a desire to be ' politically correct', which hinders objective analysis of language, and by an ill-advised imitation of the natural sciences, which obstructs the discipline's progress towards becoming a science in its own right. It involves linguists, as users of a valued variety, in self-deception and disingenuousness, distances them from the concerns of the ordinary language user, and betrays a failure to understand the involvement of social values in language, the nature of language itself, and the limits of linguistic science. On a wider scale, linguistics reflects society's devaluing and mechanisation of language. Despite growing concern expressed in the literature, and the incoherence that becomes apparent when linguists attempt to address social problems using a theory that regards language as an autonomous object, newcomers to the discipline continue to be taught that anti-prescriptivism is the natural corollary of a scientific approach to language. This thesis suggests that the way out of these difficulties is to rethink the meaning of ' theory' in linguistics. If we take the reflexivity of language seriously, building on M.A.K. Halliday's notion of 'linguistics as metaphor', we are reminded that a linguistic theory is made of language. Metalanguage must use the experiential and interpersonal meaning-making resources of everyday language. It follows that a linguistic theory cannot escape being evaluative, because evaluation is an inherent part of interpersonal meaning. If we fail to notice our own metalinguistic evaluation, this is because language disguises its evaluative meanings, or perhaps we are just not used to thinking of them as part of the grammar. To achieve clarity about the involvement of value in language, we need to turn our metalanguage back on itself - 'using the grammar to think with about the grammar' . Some ways of doing this are demonstrated here, turning the resources of systemic functional linguistics on linguists' own language. The circularity of this process should be seen not as a drawback but as a salutary reminder that linguistics is an interpretive rather than a discovery process. This knowledge should help us revalue language and make a place for evaluation in linguistic theory, paving the way for a socially responsible and productive linguistics.