Abstract All known languages are made up of statistically coherent sequences - words - whose frequency distribution follows a power law known as a Zipfian distribution. Despite the ubiquity of these features across languages their origins are poorly understood. In this talk, I will argue that they arise because they facilitate learning and therefore emerge ...
Part of the AI Seminar Series, hosted by the GRCDI and led by Centre member Dr Kasim Terzić from the School of Computer Science. This in-person series kicks off in October 2025 with a group discussion session, followed by four lectures delivered by colleagues from the School of Computer Science (Dr Kasim Terzić, Dr Ruth Hoffmann ...
The Global Research Centre for Diverse Intelligences (GRCDI) will host a research seminar on Cognitive challenges in human cumulative cultural evolution by Prof Christine A Caldwell (University of Stirling). Abstract: Human evolutionary success has been attributed to the capacity to accumulate knowledge and skills over generations via cultural transmission, but explanations for the distinctiveness of human culture remain heavily debated. ...