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 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...

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 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.

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...

Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development from Childhood into Adulthood

Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development from Childhood into Adulthood

Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development emphasizes the role of thinking in a child's learning process, suggesting that children are naturally curious about their environment. His approach to development is discontinuous, proposing that cognitive abilities progress through distinct stages, each with unique characteristics. Central to Piaget's theory is schemata—mental structures that allow individuals to understand and interpret the world.
Schemata: Building Blocks of Knowledge
Schemata...

Steps in the Modeling Process

Steps in the Modeling Process

Albert Bandura's theory of observational learning identifies four critical processes: attention, retention, motor reproduction, and reinforcement or motivation.
Attention is the first necessary component for observational learning. It involves focusing on what the model is doing and saying. For example, if you decide to take a drawing class to enhance your skills, you need to pay close attention to the instructor's words and hand movements. The characteristics of the model significantly...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

The association between reading anxiety and reading achievement: A meta-analysis and systematic review.

Psychological bulletin·2026

Same author

Connected Care for Older Adults: A Pilot Intervention Engaging Community Health Workers to Advance Age-Friendly Care in Rural Oregon.

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society·2026

Same author

Comparing Children With and Without Learning Disabilities on Their Home Literacy Environment and Its Association With Pre-Reading Skills.

Journal of learning disabilities·2025

Same author

The Home Literacy Environment and Reading Development of Children With and Without Learning Disabilities.

Developmental science·2025

Same author

Annals Graphic Medicine - Chaos of Care: A Caretaker's Narrative.

Annals of internal medicine·2024

Same author

Writing in Elementary Students With Language-Based Learning Disabilities: A Pilot Study to Examine Feasibility and Promise.

Language, speech, and hearing services in schools·2024

Same journal

On the relationship between word reading ability and spelling ability.

Reading and writing·2025

Same journal

Handwriting in primary school: comparing standardized tests and evaluating impact of grapho-motor parameters.

Reading and writing·2025

Same journal

Between-word processing and text-level skills contributing to fluent reading of (non)word lists and text.

Reading and writing·2025

Same journal

Evaluating the structural and predictive validity of a derivational morphology task with struggling adult readers.

Reading and writing·2024

Same journal

Examining the Heterogeneous Early Literacy Profiles of First-Grade Students Who Are English Learners.

Reading and writing·2024

Same journal

Longitudinal Predictors of Word Reading for Children with Williams Syndrome.

Reading and writing·2023

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 26, 2026

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

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

Published on: May 15, 2019

Modeling the development of written language.

Richard K Wagner¹, Cynthia S Puranik, Barbara Foorman

¹Florida State University and Florida Center for Reading Research, Tallahassee, FL, USA.

Reading and Writing

|January 10, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study explored written composition and handwriting fluency in young students. Findings reveal distinct factors for writing and handwriting, with significant developmental gains in productivity and fluency from first to fourth grade.

More Related Videos

Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms

Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms

Published on: February 8, 2019

A Tablet-Based Curriculum-Based Measurement Protocol for Kindergarten Writing

A Tablet-Based Curriculum-Based Measurement Protocol for Kindergarten Writing

Published on: February 7, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 26, 2026

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

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

Published on: May 15, 2019

Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms

Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms

Published on: February 8, 2019

A Tablet-Based Curriculum-Based Measurement Protocol for Kindergarten Writing

A Tablet-Based Curriculum-Based Measurement Protocol for Kindergarten Writing

Published on: February 7, 2025

Area of Science:

Educational Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Writing Studies

Background:

Understanding the structure of written composition and handwriting is crucial for educational interventions.
Previous research has explored various components of writing but often separately.

Purpose of the Study:

To test alternative models of written composition and handwriting fluency.
To examine the structure of individual and developmental differences in writing skills.

Main Methods:

Confirmatory factor analysis was used on writing samples from first and fourth graders.
A five-factor model best fit the data for both age groups.

Main Results:

The five factors identified were macro-organization, productivity, complexity, spelling/punctuation, and handwriting fluency.
Handwriting fluency correlated with written composition factors across both grades.
Developmental differences showed large effect sizes for productivity and handwriting fluency, moderate for complexity and macro-organization, and minimal for spelling/punctuation.

Conclusions:

A unified model effectively captures both written composition and handwriting fluency.
Significant developmental growth occurs in writing skills, particularly in productivity and fluency, between first and fourth grade.