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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 21, 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

Not by thoughts alone: how language supersizes the cognitive toolkit.

Hans Ijzerman¹, Francesco Foroni

¹Department of Social Psychology, Tilburg School of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Tilburg University, 5037 AB Tilburg, The Netherlands. h.ijzerman@uvt.nl

The Behavioral and Brain Sciences

|June 16, 2012

Summary

Language significantly enhances human cognition, challenging the idea of a large cognitive gap between humans and chimpanzees. Our findings highlight language as a key factor in expanding cognitive abilities.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Science
Comparative Psychology
Linguistics

Background:

Vaesen's article posits a significant cognitive discontinuity between humans and chimpanzees.
The role of language in human cognitive evolution is a subject of ongoing debate.

Purpose of the Study:

To re-evaluate the cognitive discontinuity between humans and chimpanzees.
To emphasize the crucial role of language in human cognitive development.

Main Methods:

Analysis of cognitive functions including labeling, numerical computation, and executive control.
Examination of the relationship between language and bodily functions.

Main Results:

The study suggests Vaesen's article underestimates the impact of language on human cognition.
Evidence indicates that language is integral to human cognitive abilities, not merely an add-on.

Conclusions:

Language is a fundamental component of the human cognitive toolkit.
The cognitive gap between humans and chimpanzees may be less pronounced than previously suggested due to language's influence.