Wittengstein's Private Language Argument: Does it Pass the Schizophrenic Mind Challenge?

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S510-S511
Author(s):  
G. Santos
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Communication ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Private Language ◽  
Private Language Argument ◽  
The Social ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Competing Interest

IntroductionThe private language argument was introduced by Ludwig Wittengstein in his Philosophical Investigations (1953). For Wittengstein, language is a rule-governed activity and a language in principle unintelligible to anyone but its originating user is impossible, as even the originator would fail to establish meanings for its putative signs. The private language argument is of paramount significance in modern debates about the nature of language and mind and continues to be disputed. Language disorder has been described since the first accounts of Schizophrenia. Multiple studies have reported anomalies at multiple levels of language processing, from lexical and syntactic particularities to the discourse field, as well as structural and functional abnormalities in brain regions that are involved with language perception and processing.Objectives and aimsWe aim to critically assess the Wittengstein's argument in the light of recent developments in neuroscience of language.Results and conclusionsWe conclude that in some patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, presenting a significant language impairment, one can infer a dysfunctional process, in which the language becomes progressively more private and the meaning of utterances harder to ascertain in the realm of interpersonal communication. The privatization of language might contribute to the social cognition deficits and the so-called negative symptomatology of these patients.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Is specific language impairment a valid diagnostic category? Genetic and psycholinguistic evidence

1994 ◽  
Vol 346 (1315) ◽  
pp. 105-111 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Diagnostic Category ◽  
Verbal Ability ◽  
Specific Language ◽  
The Social ◽  
Apparent Reason ◽  
Underlying Disorder ◽  
Specific Disorders

Specific language impairment (SLI) is diagnosed when a child fails to develop language normally for no apparent reason: hearing and intelligence are adequate and the social environment is unexceptional. Definitions of SLI typically specify that the child must have a substantial discrepancy between language ability and non-verbal IQ. However, data from a twin study question the validity of this requirement, and indicate that SLI is not genetically distinct from less specific disorders where language impairment occurs in the context of low average or borderline non-verbal ability. A second question concerns the heterogeneous language symptoms seen in SLI: do these correspond to distinct conditions, or to different phenotypic manifestations of a common underlying disorder, or are they merely random variations resulting from unreliable assessments? The last of these possibilities is ruled out by the finding that twins who are concordant for language disorder show good agreement in terms of the pattern of language impairment. However, systematic variation in the age and ability of children in different SLI subgroups suggest that these may correspond to variable manifestations of a core inherited language disorder, rather than distinct diagnostic entities.

An Evaluation of Listener Comprehension Indecision and Cognitive Effort When Unresolvable Ambiguity Leads to Miscommunication

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer M. Roche ◽  
Arkady Zgonnikov ◽  
Laura M. Morett
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Interpersonal Communication ◽  
Long Range ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Cognitive Effort ◽  
Complexity Metrics ◽  
The Social ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Processing Effort

Miscommunication is pervasive in conversational interactions, having short- and long-range impacts on interpersonal communication. The evaluation of the social and cognitive underpinnings of miscommunication have received relatively less attention. Here we report two experiments investigating how a listener’s cognitive effort and decision-making processes were affected by a speaker’s use of ambiguity that led to a miscommunication. Both Experiments 1 and 2 found that an environmental cue that made a miscommunication more or less salient impacted listener language processing effort. Moreover, findings from Experiment 2 indicated that listeners may develop different processing heuristics dependent upon the speaker’s use of ambiguity that led to miscommunication, exerting a significant impact on cognition and decision-making. For instance, we found that perspective taking effort and decision-making complexity metrics predict language processing effort, indicating that instances of miscommunication produced cognitive consequences of indecision, thinking, and cognitive pull. Together, these results indicate that listeners behave both reciprocally and adaptively when miscommunications occur, but the way they respond is largely dependent upon the type of ambiguity and how often it is produced by the speaker.

Spatio-temporal Perception and Boundaries of Self: Evaluation of Peripersonal Space in Schizotypy Traits

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S162-S163
Author(s):  
G. Di Cosmo ◽  
F. Fiori ◽  
F. Ferri ◽  
A. Salone ◽  
M. Corbo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personal Space ◽  
Peripersonal Space ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Schizotypal Personality ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Interactive Behavior ◽  
Accurate Judgment ◽  
The Social ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Competing Interest

IntroductionThe peripersonal space is described as that area within the boundary between self and non-self. An accurate judgment of peripersonal space boundaries may depend on the capacity to create an organized and structured mental representation that integrates signals from different sensory modalities and brain regions. Empirical evidence suggests that these functions are altered in schizotypy, which is thought to reflect the subclinical expression of the symptoms of schizophrenia in the general population. A number of clinical studies reported that interpersonal interaction and social stimulation have an impact on the onset and progress of schizophrenia.ObjectivesWe conducted a study on personal space in a sample of student screened for schizotypal traits using a paradigm that was not affected by emotional and social interference.AimsThe aim was to evaluate the relationship between personal space and schizotypy traits.MethodsThirty-four subject recruited for the study completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). According to the SPQ results participants were splitted into two groups (High, Low). Each participant performed a PeriPersonal Space (PPS) task.ResultsOur results show a more extended boundary of the peripersonal space in people with high schizotypy compared to people with low schizotypy even without emotional and social interference.ConclusionsPeople with high traits of schizotypy suffer from a difficulty in social integration because of being unable to adapt the social behavior. A better understanding of the mechanisms for abnormal interactive behavior could provide significant valid guidelines for innovating insertion programs that aims to improve social functioning.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Considering the Language Disorder Label Debate From a School Speech-Language Pathology Lens

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-54
Author(s):  
Kimberly A. Murza ◽  
Barbara J. Ehren
Keyword(s):  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Speech Language Pathologist ◽  
School Based ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
Education Act

Purpose The purpose of this article is to situate the recent language disorder label debate within a school's perspective. As described in two recent The ASHA Leader articles, there is international momentum to change specific language impairment to developmental language disorder . Proponents of this change cite increased public awareness and research funding as part of the rationale. However, it is unclear whether this label debate is worthwhile or even practical for the school-based speech-language pathologist (SLP). A discussion of the benefits and challenges to a shift in language disorder labels is provided. Conclusions Although there are important arguments for consistency in labeling childhood language disorder, the reality of a label change in U.S. schools is hard to imagine. School-based services are driven by eligibility through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which has its own set of labels. There are myriad reasons why advocating for the developmental language disorder label may not be the best use of SLPs' time, perhaps the most important of which is that school SLPs have other urgent priorities.

A 200-Year History of the Study of Childhood Language Disorders of Unknown Origin: Changes in Terminology

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence B. Leonard
Keyword(s):  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Language Disorders ◽  
Unknown Origin ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Many

Purpose The current “specific language impairment” and “developmental language disorder” discussion might lead to important changes in how we refer to children with language disorders of unknown origin. The field has seen other changes in terminology. This article reviews many of these changes. Method A literature review of previous clinical labels was conducted, and possible reasons for the changes in labels were identified. Results References to children with significant yet unexplained deficits in language ability have been part of the scientific literature since, at least, the early 1800s. Terms have changed from those with a neurological emphasis to those that do not imply a cause for the language disorder. Diagnostic criteria have become more explicit but have become, at certain points, too narrow to represent the wider range of children with language disorders of unknown origin. Conclusions The field was not well served by the many changes in terminology that have transpired in the past. A new label at this point must be accompanied by strong efforts to recruit its adoption by clinical speech-language pathologists and the general public.

Language and Behavior Disorders in School-Age Children: Comorbidity and Communication in the Classroom

2012 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 111-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Hollo
Keyword(s):  
Language Impairment ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Age ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Behavioral Support ◽  
School Professionals ◽  
Development Characteristic ◽  
And Behavior

Language development is the foundation for competence in social, emotional, behavioral, and academic performance. Although language impairment (LI) is known to co-occur with behavioral and mental health problems, LI is likely to be overlooked in school-age children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD; Hollo, Wehby, & Oliver, in press). Because language deficits may contribute to the problem behavior and poor social development characteristic of children with EBD, the consequences of an undiagnosed language disorder can be devastating. Implications include the need to train school professionals to recognize communication deficits. Further, it is critically important that specialists collaborate to provide linguistic and behavioral support for students with EBD and LI.

The Social Neuroscience of Cooperation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay Joseph Van Bavel
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Review Literature ◽  
Social Neuroscience ◽  
Future Research ◽  
A Value ◽  
Group Cooperation ◽  
Neural Processes ◽  
The Social ◽  
Cooperative Decision Making

We review literature from several fields to describe common experimental tasks used to measure human cooperation as well as the theoretical models that have been used to characterize cooperative decision-making, as well as brain regions implicated in cooperation. Building on work in neuroeconomics, we suggest a value-based account may provide the most powerful understanding the psychology and neuroscience of group cooperation. We also review the role of individual differences and social context in shaping the mental processes that underlie cooperation and consider gaps in the literature and potential directions for future research on the social neuroscience of cooperation. We suggest that this multi-level approach provides a more comprehensive understanding of the mental and neural processes that underlie the decision to cooperate with others.

Duality beyondPersons and Groups

2020 ◽  
pp. 391-413
Author(s):  
Sophie Mützel ◽  
Ronald Breiger
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Analysis ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Network Data ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Affiliation Networks ◽  
The Social ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Principle Of Duality ◽  
Seminal Article

This chapter focuses on the general principle of duality, which was originally introduced by Simmel as the intersection of social circles. In a seminal article, Breiger formalized Simmel’s idea, showing how two-mode types of network data can be transformed into one-mode networks. This formal translation proved to be fundamental for social network analysis, which no longer needed data on who interacted with whom but could work with other types of data. In turn, it also proved fundamental for the analysis of how the social is structured in general, as many relations are dual (e.g. persons and groups, authors and articles, organizations and practices), and are thus susceptible to an analysis according to duality principles. The chapter locates the concept of duality within past and present sociology. It also discusses the use of duality in the analysis of culture as well as in affiliation networks. It closes with recent developments and future directions.

INFLUENCE OF PERSONAL COMMUNICATION NETWORKS ON INNOVATION ADOPTION — USING MULTI-AGENT SIMULATIONS TO PROJECT THE LAUNCH OF AN INNOVATIVE MEDICAL DEVICE

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (05) ◽  
pp. 1340021 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTIAN BARROT ◽  
JAN KUHLMANN ◽  
ANDREA POPA
Keyword(s):  
Medical Device ◽  
Interpersonal Communication ◽  
Communication Networks ◽  
Personal Communication ◽  
Market Penetration ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Communication Processes ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Us ◽  
Multi Agent

Adoption processes are often heavily influenced by interpersonal communication. Marketing managers are increasingly trying to use these relationships to foster the market penetration of their products. In an empirical study of the US market for an innovative medical device, we survey the social network of (mostly chief) anesthetists from 151 hospitals. We confirm the influences from personal communication on individual adoption decisions through hazard regressions. We then use a multi-agent modeling framework trying to identify what seeding strategies would have been optimal to achieve a fast market penetration, i.e. which and how many anesthetists should be selected to initiate personal communication processes.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document