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Related Concept Videos

Language and Cognition01:27

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.
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Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
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Memory is one of the most vital higher mental functions of the brain. Memory is closely related to learning because it enables us to retain information and experiences from our past to use them in our present life. It also helps us to remember facts, events, and skills, such as riding a bike or swimming. There are two types of memory — declarative memory, which involves memorizing facts or events, and procedural memory, which enables us to remember how to do something like writing or playing an...
Learning Disabilities01:25

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Learning disabilities are cognitive disorders caused by neurological impairments that affect cognitive functions like language and reading, without indicating overall intellectual or developmental challenges. These disabilities differ from global intellectual or developmental disabilities as they are limited to distinct cognitive functions. Common learning disabilities include dysgraphia, dyslexia, and dyscalculia, each of which impacts unique aspects of learning.
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Language Development01:22

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) of Wernicke's and Broca's Areas in Studies of Language Learning and Word Acquisition
12:49

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) of Wernicke's and Broca's Areas in Studies of Language Learning and Word Acquisition

Published on: July 13, 2019

Capacities underlying word learning.

P Bloom1, L Markson

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.

Trends in Cognitive Sciences
|January 14, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Children excel at word learning due to conceptual biases, inferring intentions, and understanding syntax. This process relies on specific cognitive abilities, not just general association or specialized constraints.

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Measuring Statistical Learning Across Modalities and Domains in School-Aged Children Via an Online Platform and Neuroimaging Techniques
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Measuring Statistical Learning Across Modalities and Domains in School-Aged Children Via an Online Platform and Neuroimaging Techniques

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) of Wernicke's and Broca's Areas in Studies of Language Learning and Word Acquisition
12:49

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) of Wernicke's and Broca's Areas in Studies of Language Learning and Word Acquisition

Published on: July 13, 2019

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Measuring Statistical Learning Across Modalities and Domains in School-Aged Children Via an Online Platform and Neuroimaging Techniques
08:05

Measuring Statistical Learning Across Modalities and Domains in School-Aged Children Via an Online Platform and Neuroimaging Techniques

Published on: June 30, 2020

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Linguistics

Background:

  • Children's remarkable word-learning abilities are a key area of research.
  • Debate exists on the roles of association, attention, specialized constraints, syntax, and theory of mind in this process.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the core capacities underlying children's successful word learning.
  • To propose a model integrating conceptual biases, intention inference, and syntactic cues.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing studies on word learning phenomena.
  • Analysis of evidence for conceptual biases (e.g., whole object bias).
  • Examination of the role of inferring referential intentions and syntactic cues.

Main Results:

  • Children's word learning is driven by conceptual biases and the ability to infer intentions.
  • Syntactic cues significantly aid in acquiring word meanings.
  • Word learning is not solely based on associative processes or unique constraints.

Conclusions:

  • Successful word learning in children integrates multiple cognitive capacities.
  • These capacities include domain-general biases and domain-specific abilities like understanding intentions and syntax.
  • The findings challenge purely associative or constraint-based accounts of word acquisition.