Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Language and Cognition

Language and Cognition

Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...

Encoding

Encoding

Information enters the brain through encoding, which is the input of information into the memory system. Once sensory information is received from the environment, the brain labels or codes it. The information is then organized with similar information and connected to existing concepts. Encoding occurs through automatic processing and effortful processing.
Automatic processing involves the encoding of details like time, space, frequency, and the meaning of words, usually done without conscious...

Visual System

Visual System

Light enters the eye through the cornea, a transparent, dome-shaped surface covering the surface of the eyeball that helps to direct and focus incoming light. This light is then channeled toward the pupil, an adjustable opening whose size is controlled by the iris. The iris, a pigmented muscle, regulates the amount of light entering the eye by contracting or dilating the pupil, thereby ensuring optimal light levels for clear vision.
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...

Subliminal Perception

Subliminal Perception

Subliminal perception refers to the processing of sensory information that occurs below the level of conscious awareness. Researchers study subliminal perception by presenting a stimulus, such as a word or image, very quickly, typically around 50 milliseconds. This rapid presentation is often followed by another stimulus, such as a pattern of dots or lines, which blocks further mental processing of the initial stimulus. As a result, if participants cannot identify the initial stimulus better...

Vision

Vision

Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and interpreted by the brain. First, light enters the front of the eye and is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina—a thin sheet of neural tissue lining the back of the eye. Because of refraction through the convex lens of the eye, images are projected onto the retina upside-down and reversed.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Editorial for VSI Amblyopia: Advances in Amblyopia Research.

Vision research·2026

Same author

The Effect of Dioptric Blur on Sight-Reading Music.

Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists)·2026

Same author

Spatial remapping improves reading with simulated central field loss.

Journal of vision·2026

Same author

Assessment of newly designed fonts for visual accessibility.

PloS one·2026

Same author

Altered retinal vasculature in amblyopia.

Vision research·2026

Same author

Screening Questions to Identify Low Vision and Acuity-Defined Legal Blindness.

Investigative ophthalmology & visual science·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Lexical Decision Task for Studying Written Word Recognition in Adults with and without Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment

Lexical Decision Task for Studying Written Word Recognition in Adults with and without Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment

Published on: June 25, 2019

Do image descriptions underlie word recognition in reading?

Gordon E Legge¹, Bosco S Tjan, Susana T L Chung

¹University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA. legge@umn.edu

British Journal of Psychology (London, England : 1953)

|October 28, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This commentary discusses the role of image descriptions in early vision development, specifically for reading printed text. It explores how visual processing aids in understanding written language from the start.

More Related Videos

Interaction between Phonological and Semantic Processes in Visual Word Recognition using Electrophysiology

Interaction between Phonological and Semantic Processes in Visual Word Recognition using Electrophysiology

Published on: June 29, 2021

Using Eye Movements to Evaluate the Cognitive Processes Involved in Text Comprehension

Using Eye Movements to Evaluate the Cognitive Processes Involved in Text Comprehension

Published on: January 10, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Lexical Decision Task for Studying Written Word Recognition in Adults with and without Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment

Lexical Decision Task for Studying Written Word Recognition in Adults with and without Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment

Published on: June 25, 2019

Interaction between Phonological and Semantic Processes in Visual Word Recognition using Electrophysiology

Interaction between Phonological and Semantic Processes in Visual Word Recognition using Electrophysiology

Published on: June 29, 2021

Using Eye Movements to Evaluate the Cognitive Processes Involved in Text Comprehension

Using Eye Movements to Evaluate the Cognitive Processes Involved in Text Comprehension

Published on: January 10, 2014

Area of Science:

Visual perception
Developmental psychology
Cognitive science

Background:

Early visual processing is crucial for cognitive development.
Understanding how infants process visual information, like text, is key.
Previous research (Watt & Dakin, 2010) explored image descriptions in vision.

Purpose of the Study:

To provide a commentary on the utility of image descriptions in early vision.
To analyze the role of visual processing in the context of printed text.
To discuss the implications of Watt & Dakin's (2010) findings.

Main Methods:

Literature review and critical analysis.
Commentary on existing research findings.
Theoretical discussion of visual development and text comprehension.

Main Results:

Image descriptions are vital for initial visual interpretation.
Early visual processing of text aids in language acquisition.
The study highlights the importance of visual cues in cognitive development.

Conclusions:

Effective image descriptions support foundational visual learning.
Further research into early vision and text interaction is warranted.
Understanding visual processing is essential for developmental studies.