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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization

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

Bootstrapping the mind: analogical processes and symbol systems.

Dedre Gentner¹

¹Psychology Department, Northwestern University.

Cognitive Science

|May 14, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Human cognitive development relies on analogical ability, the capacity to understand relationships between different concepts. A symbol system is essential for fully realizing this analogical potential in humans.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Science
Developmental Psychology
Linguistics

Background:

Human cognition exhibits remarkable brilliance and adaptability.
Understanding the developmental trajectory from infant helplessness to adult cognitive proficiency is a key question.

Purpose of the Study:

To identify the primary factor driving human cognitive capacity.
To establish the role of symbol systems in cognitive development.

Main Methods:

Theoretical analysis of cognitive development.
Examination of the relationship between analogical reasoning and symbol systems.

Main Results:

Analogical ability is identified as the core factor in human cognitive prowess.
The development and utilization of a symbol system are crucial for advanced analogical reasoning.

Conclusions:

Human cognitive development is fundamentally linked to the growth of analogical abilities.
Symbol systems are indispensable tools that enable the full expression of human analogical thought.