Objective
"The ability to copy others lies at the heart of our capacity to learn languages, social rules and acquire material culture. While imitation is a core feature of human life, understanding how it evolved, how it develops and the role of cultural transmission are not fully understood. Moreover, most of our understanding comes from studies of tool use, while neglecting the role of imitation in other contexts, namely communicative interactions, such as gesture. Considering the key role gesture itself plays in human communication and in language evolution, understanding the mechanisms underlying gestural imitation is thus essential for assessing how human culture and communication relate. The aim of this project is to conduct a multi-dimensional investigation of gestural imitation from evolutionary, developmental and cultural perspectives. Combining these complementary angles provides a richer understanding of how communication and culture relate, how they evolved and develop and how transmission processes influence them. To examine the evolution of gestural imitation, the Fellow will examine whether bonobos, an understudied species of great ape, can copy a novel gesture. From evolution to ontogenetic development, the Fellow will next examine the development of gestural imitation by comparing children’s imitation of gestures versus technical actions. Finally, recent research shows that transmission processes shape the structure of language and technologies and so the Fellow will explore how cultural transmission (a form of imitation) shapes gestural structure using diffusion chain experiments. Different types of gestures will be compared to test whether transmission shapes signal structures in language-like ways. The Fellow’s expertise in ape communication complements the Scientist in Charge’s specialism in cultural cognition. Mobility to the UK enables her to consolidate and extend her expertise, to acquire new training and to contribute cutting edge research to the ERA."
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF
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Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
B15 2TT Birmingham
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.