ERIC Number: EJ747053
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005
Pages: 31
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0364-0213
EISSN: N/A
An Experimental Study of the Emergence of Human Communication Systems
Galantucci, Bruno
Cognitive Science, v29 n5 p737-767 2005
The emergence of human communication systems is typically investigated via 2 approaches with complementary strengths and weaknesses: naturalistic studies and computer simulations. This study was conducted with a method that combines these approaches. Pairs of participants played video games requiring communication. Members of a pair were physically separated but exchanged graphic signals through a medium that prevented the use of standard symbols (e.g., letters). Communication systems emerged and developed rapidly during the games, integrating the use of explicit signs with information implicitly available to players and silent behavior-coordinating procedures. The systems that emerged suggest 3 conclusions: (a) signs originate from different mappings; (b) sign systems develop parsimoniously; (c) sign forms are perceptually distinct, easy to produce, and tolerant to variations.
Descriptors: Experimental Programs, Investigations, Computer Simulation, Video Games, Communication (Thought Transfer), Communication Research, Interaction Process Analysis, Cues, Hermeneutics
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. 10 Industrial Avenue, Mahwah, NJ 07430. Tel: 800-926-6579; Tel: 201-258-2200; Fax: 201-236-0072; e-mail: journals@erlbaum.com; Web site: https://www.erlbaum.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A