Prompt:
Your 10-year-old nephew has a special relationship with his pet and insists his pet can talk to him. His parents tell him animals don’t speak. Knowing that you study psychology, your nephew has asked you to explain to his parents that it IS possible for his pet to talk to him. Create a multimedia presentation in which you compare and contrast cognition and language across humans and animals, with the goal of helping both your nephew and his parents understand the basic similarities AND differences between humans and animals when it comes to language.
Guidelines:
- Integrate visual artifacts to enhance your presentation.
- How much diversity is there in cognitive processes across different animal species?
- Do you think you can classify animals in terms of their cognitive abilities?
- Do you think animals have language abilities? What are the differences between humans and animals when it comes to language?
- Describe a cognitive or linguistic behavior that you may have observed in a pet. How’s that behavior related to some of the concepts covered in this module?
- What types of research methods are employed when studying animals?
- What types of ethical concerns must be considered when conducting research with animals?
- Make sure to support your presentation with key references related to the module.
