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.

Language Development

Language Development

Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...

Components of Language

Components of Language

Language, whether spoken, signed, or written, consists of specific components: lexicon and grammar. The lexicon is the vocabulary of a language, comprising its words. Grammar is the set of rules used to convey meaning through the lexicon. For example, English grammar adds “-ed” to most verbs to indicate past tense. Words are formed by combining phonemes, which are the basic sound units of a language. Different languages have different sets of phonemes (e.g., “ah” vs. “eh”). Phonemes combine to...

Lateralization

Lateralization

Brain lateralization refers to the division of mental processes and functions between the two hemispheres of the brain, a phenomenon that optimizes neural efficiency and underpins complex abilities in humans. This specialization allows each hemisphere to perform tasks where it has a comparative advantage, facilitating more refined cognitive capabilities across different domains.

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...

Language

Language

Language is a unique communication system that uses words and systematic rules to organize and transmit information. Unlike other forms of communication, which may involve postures, movements, odors, or vocalizations, language relies on symbols and grammar. This makes human communication distinct from that of other species, who also communicate but do not use language in the same way humans do.
Corballis and Suddendorf (2007) and Tomasello and Rakoczy (2003) highlight the role of language in...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Bursa of Fabricius-independent B cells establish an IgA-mediated intestinal barrier that safeguards gut-liver homeostasis.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Effects of parental intervention on children's English utterances and behavioral responses in video-based second language learning.

Journal of experimental child psychology·2026

Same author

Effects of praise from a social robot on task persistence in 18- to 24-month-old children.

Frontiers in robotics and AI·2026

Same author

Children flexibly adjust their punishment judgments of bystanders.

Child development·2026

Same author

Mapping psychological resources and vulnerabilities for inclusive university environments: a network analysis of student well-being.

BMC psychology·2026

Same author

Newborn Infants Selectively Attend to Points That Refer to Objects.

Developmental science·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task

Published on: February 26, 2020

Bilingualism accentuates children's conversational understanding.

Michael Siegal¹, Luca Surian, Ayumi Matsuo

¹Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom. M.Siegal@Sheffield.ac.uk

|February 9, 2010

Summary

Early bilingualism enhances children's conversational understanding. Bilingual children demonstrated a superior ability to detect violations of communication rules compared to monolingual peers.

More Related Videos

Foreign Accent and Forensic Speaker Identification in Voice Lineups: The Influence of Acoustic Features Based on Prosody

Foreign Accent and Forensic Speaker Identification in Voice Lineups: The Influence of Acoustic Features Based on Prosody

Published on: September 27, 2024

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Published on: April 28, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task

Published on: February 26, 2020

Foreign Accent and Forensic Speaker Identification in Voice Lineups: The Influence of Acoustic Features Based on Prosody

Foreign Accent and Forensic Speaker Identification in Voice Lineups: The Influence of Acoustic Features Based on Prosody

Published on: September 27, 2024

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Published on: April 28, 2016

Area of Science:

Developmental Psychology
Linguistics
Cognitive Science

Background:

Bilingualism is common globally, yet its impact on children's conversational skills is understudied.
This research focuses on children aged 3-6 years, exposed to English, German, Italian, or Japanese.
The study investigates how bilingualism affects children's grasp of conversational principles.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine the influence of early bilingualism on children's comprehension of conversational rules.
To assess children's ability to identify breaches of conversational maxims.

Main Methods:

Two experiments were conducted with children aged 3-6 years.
Participants evaluated responses for violations of conversational maxims (informativeness, truthfulness, relevance, politeness).
Groups included monolingual and bilingual children across different language combinations.

Main Results:

Older children showed increased sensitivity to maxim violations.
Bilingual children in Italy (German/Italian) outperformed Italian monolinguals.
Bilingual children in England (English/Japanese) outperformed Japanese monolinguals, controlling for vocabulary.

Conclusions:

Early bilingualism plays a specific role in enhancing children's understanding of effective communication.
Findings suggest bilingualism sharpens children's ability to appreciate communicative competence.
Results are independent of socioeconomic status and cultural identity, highlighting a linguistic advantage.