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Updated: Jun 22, 2026
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Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization
Published on: April 19, 2017
Two functions of early language experience
1Institute for Nonlinear Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0402, USA. yarshavs@ucsd.edu
Brain Research Reviews
|July 1, 2009
Summary
Early language exposure shapes infant brain development by activating genetic programs for language. This explains critical periods for first language acquisition and why later language learning differs.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Linguistics
Background:
- Human linguistic communication relies on specific genes expressed in brain neurons.
- Infant language experience plays a dual role in language acquisition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the hypothesis that early language experience initiates genetic programs for language.
- To explain puzzling aspects of language acquisition through this hypothesis.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on language acquisition.
- Analysis of studies on microcephalic individuals to understand genetic influences.
Main Results:
- Early language experience initiates genetic programs for language production and comprehension.
- This hypothesis explains critical periods, similar acquisition timelines across demographics, and differences between first and subsequent language acquisition.
Conclusions:
- Genetic factors influence neuronal number, connectivity, and intrinsic properties within linguistic brain centers.
- Early language experience is crucial for initiating and shaping genetically predisposed language abilities.
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