Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Language and Cognition01:27

Language and Cognition

881
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.
881
Language01:16

Language

784
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...
784
Components of Language01:24

Components of Language

840
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.
840
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language01:10

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

6.0K
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...
6.0K
Language Development01:22

Language Development

1.1K
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...
1.1K
Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development01:19

Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development

1.7K
Kohlberg's theory of moral development uses the Heinz dilemma — a thought experiment in which a man, Heinz, must decide whether to steal an unaffordable drug to save his dying wife — to illustrate the evolution of moral reasoning. This framework, divided into three levels with two stages, highlights how individuals' understanding of right and wrong becomes increasingly complex.
Pre-Conventional Level
At the pre-conventional level, morality is primarily driven by personal...
1.7K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Can Italians Understand Spanish? Language Closeness Exacerbates the Illusion of Understanding.

Psychological science·2026
Same author

Neuropragmatics: from classical pragmatics to neurocognitive models of pragmatics in dialogue.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
Same author

Zero-sum beliefs across age and generations.

Journal of experimental psychology. General·2025
Same author

Embarrassment guides language choice.

Cognition·2025
Same author

Consequences of Bilingual Language Co-Activation for Higher-Order Cognition.

Current directions in psychological science·2025
Same author

Identifying and Describing Best Clinical Practices for Children and Adolescents With Complex Communication Needs: A Scoping Review of Healthcare-Based Interventions.

Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR·2025
Same journal

Analysis of strength degradation of coal and rock masses and stability of mined areas under long term immersion environment.

PloS one·2026
Same journal

Biogenic Silver-Selenium nanocomposite with anticancer activity and potent efficacy against vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

PloS one·2026
Same journal

Preparation and physicochemical characterization of a biodegradable chitosan/carboxymethyl cellulose hydrogel synthesized in NaOH/urea medium.

PloS one·2026
Same journal

Action-guilt, survivor-guilt, and depression in combat-related PTSD.

PloS one·2026
Same journal

Explainable machine learning for predicting activities of daily living at discharge in stroke patients: A retrospective study using SHAP interpretability.

PloS one·2026
Same journal

Deep learning based two-way feature depiction model for brain tumor detection.

PloS one·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 30, 2026

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effect of Induced Emotion on Grammar Learning
05:33

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effect of Induced Emotion on Grammar Learning

Published on: January 29, 2020

5.8K

Your morals depend on language.

Albert Costa1, Alice Foucart2, Sayuri Hayakawa3

  • 1Center of Brain and Cognition, CBC, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain.

Plos One
|April 25, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Using a foreign language in moral dilemmas leads to more utilitarian decisions. This occurs because foreign languages reduce emotional responses, increasing psychological distance and promoting rational choices.

More Related Videos

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

6.1K
Modeling Verbal Behavior Deficits with the Stimulus Control Ratio Equation, SCoRE
06:57

Modeling Verbal Behavior Deficits with the Stimulus Control Ratio Equation, SCoRE

Published on: May 14, 2019

11.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 30, 2026

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effect of Induced Emotion on Grammar Learning
05:33

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effect of Induced Emotion on Grammar Learning

Published on: January 29, 2020

5.8K
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

6.1K
Modeling Verbal Behavior Deficits with the Stimulus Control Ratio Equation, SCoRE
06:57

Modeling Verbal Behavior Deficits with the Stimulus Control Ratio Equation, SCoRE

Published on: May 14, 2019

11.0K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Moral Psychology
  • Linguistics

Background:

  • Moral decision-making is often influenced by emotional responses and intuition.
  • The language in which a moral dilemma is presented can potentially impact judgment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether using a foreign language affects utilitarian moral decision-making.
  • To explore the role of emotional response and psychological distance in foreign language-induced utilitarianism.

Main Methods:

  • Participants were presented with moral dilemmas, such as the trolley problem.
  • Decision-making was compared between participants using their native language and a foreign language.
  • Emotional responses and psychological distance were assessed.

Main Results:

  • Individuals made substantially more utilitarian decisions when using a foreign language.
  • Foreign language use was associated with reduced emotional responses to moral dilemmas.
  • Increased psychological distance mediated the effect of foreign language on utilitarianism.

Conclusions:

  • The language used for moral reasoning significantly influences decision-making, favoring utilitarian outcomes in foreign languages.
  • Reduced emotional engagement due to foreign language use promotes more calculated, utilitarian judgments.
  • These findings highlight the impact of linguistic properties on moral cognition, relevant to a globalized population.