Aims

- to situate the language among the other communication processes
- to discuss the methodological problems encountered in the study of nonverbal communication

Main themes

Content :
a) language phylogeny : compared analysis of the sensori-motor, social and cognitive competences, particularly in primates.
b) Ethological analysis of communication : functional aspects, ontogeny (learning mechanisms, sensitive periods, etc.)
c) Experimental analysis of the nonverbal communication processes in normal subjects and in pathology

Method : lectures - personal works (readings and presentation of scientific papers)

Content and teaching methods

Introduction : definition of communication (pragmatic and ethological approaches); problems of methods in the study of nonverbal communication (signal identification, analysis of the interactions); analysis of special questions, namely:
a) socio-affective aspects of communication: regulation of attention, facial and vocal expressions of the emotions : ethological aspects (phylogeny of the "spirit theory", examples of alarm cries, experimental study of specification, etc.); neuropsychological approach: brain and emotions (right hemisphere, subcortical, frontal lesions); normal and pathological development (autism, trisomy 21, etc.)
b) symbolic aspects of communication: imitation, conventional gestures, speech accompanying gestures: ethological approach (sensori-motor intelligence, learning of visual languages in primates); neuropsychological approach of the representation systems; use of gestures and language development.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

References :
Feyereisen P. (1994). Le Cerveau et la communication. Paris: PUF.
Feyereisen P. & de Lannoy J.-D. (1991) Gestures and speech: psychological investigations. New-York: Cambridge University Press.
Hauser M.D. (1996). The evolution of communication. London/Cambridge, MA: Bradford/MIT Press
Messer D. (1994) The development of communication: from social interactions to langage. New York: Wiley
Written exam on the lectures and presentation of a paper from the scientific literature.
Introduction to ethology, cognitive neuropsychology, neurophysiology. English.