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Related Concept Videos

Language Development01:22

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 Language01:24

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...
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.
Language01:16

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...
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language01:10

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...
Convergent Evolution01:54

Convergent Evolution

Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.The structures that arise from convergent evolution are called analogous structures. They are similar in function even if they are dissimilar in structure. Further, structures can be analogous while also...

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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
05:35

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

Language acquisition meets language evolution.

Nick Chater1, Morten H Christiansen

  • 1University College London Cornell University Santa Fe Institute.

Cognitive Science
|May 14, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Language acquisition is framed as a coordination problem (C-induction), not world modeling (N-induction). This cultural evolution perspective simplifies understanding how children learn language and other cultural forms.

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Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm
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Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm

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Using Eye Movements Recorded in the Visual World Paradigm to Explore the Online Processing of Spoken Language

Published on: October 13, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last 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
05:35

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

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm
06:07

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm

Published on: May 15, 2019

Using Eye Movements Recorded in the Visual World Paradigm to Explore the Online Processing of Spoken Language
09:27

Using Eye Movements Recorded in the Visual World Paradigm to Explore the Online Processing of Spoken Language

Published on: October 13, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Linguistics

Background:

  • Language evolution is increasingly viewed as cultural change driven by learning and use.
  • Domain-general mechanisms play a key role in shaping linguistic structures.
  • Understanding language acquisition is crucial for cognitive and evolutionary studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To reframe the problem of language acquisition through the lens of cultural evolution.
  • To explore the implications of viewing language acquisition as a coordination induction (C-induction) problem.
  • To connect language acquisition to the broader study of cultural form development.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis of language evolution and acquisition theories.
  • Comparison of coordination induction (C-induction) with natural world induction (N-induction).
  • Integration of cultural evolution principles into developmental psychology.

Main Results:

  • Language acquisition is presented as a tractable problem of coordination induction (C-induction).
  • C-induction is argued to be significantly easier than natural world induction (N-induction).
  • The study posits that understanding cultural form evolution is essential for explaining development.

Conclusions:

  • The cultural evolution framework offers a new, more manageable perspective on language acquisition.
  • This approach resolves the logical problem of language acquisition.
  • The findings have broad implications for understanding human development and evolutionary psychology.