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 Development01:22

Language Development

1.0K
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...
1.0K
Language and Cognition01:27

Language and Cognition

939
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.
939
Language01:16

Language

988
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...
988
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language01:10

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

4.0K
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...
4.0K
Components of Language01:24

Components of Language

899
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.
899
Neuroplasticity01:01

Neuroplasticity

2.4K
Neuroplasticity reflects the brain's remarkable capacity to adapt and evolve, responding dynamically to learning, experiences, or injury by reorganizing its neural circuitry. This reorganization involves creating new neural connections and refining old ones through a series of biological processes that contribute to the brain's lifelong development and adaptability.
2.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Early Vocal Development in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Predicts Language but Not Autism Outcomes.

Pediatric neurology·2026
Same author

Timing of Intervals Between Utterances in Typically Developing Infants and Infants Later Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Brain sciences·2025
Same author

A test of inference by exclusion in grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus): Replication of a parrot-child comparative study using additional avian subjects.

Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983)·2025
Same author

Correction: Comments on "Comparing the productive vocabularies of Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) and young children".

Animal cognition·2025
Same author

Parentese Elicits Infant Speech-Like Vocalizations in Typically Developing and Autistic Infants.

Infancy : the official journal of the International Society on Infant Studies·2025
Same author

The robustness of speech-like vocalization in typically developing infants and infants with autism.

Research in developmental disabilities·2025
Same journal

Limits to Language Prediction: Findings From Diverse Populations.

Topics in cognitive science·2026
Same journal

There Is More Than Meets the Eye: The Dual Role of Perception in Shaping Color Lexicons.

Topics in cognitive science·2026
Same journal

Inference and Imagination.

Topics in cognitive science·2026
Same journal

Gesture Use Across Different Concepts: Focusing on Cross-Linguistic Diversity.

Topics in cognitive science·2026
Same journal

Exploring Amazonian Cognitive Diversity at Chana Research Station.

Topics in cognitive science·2026
Same journal

Do (We Think That) Plants Have Agency?

Topics in cognitive science·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 23, 2026

Portable Intermodal Preferential Looking IPL: Investigating Language Comprehension in Typically Developing Toddlers and Young Children with Autism
10:11

Portable Intermodal Preferential Looking IPL: Investigating Language Comprehension in Typically Developing Toddlers and Young Children with Autism

Published on: December 14, 2012

19.2K

Developmental Plasticity and Language: A Comparative Perspective.

Ulrike Griebel1,2, Irene M Pepperberg3, D Kimbrough Oller1,2,4

  • 1Institute for Intelligent Systems, The University of Memphis.

Topics in Cognitive Science
|March 23, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Evolutionary developmental biology reveals that minor genetic changes drive significant phenotypic plasticity. This study explores how enculturation, especially social interaction, enables diverse species to develop human language capabilities, suggesting ancient cognitive foundations.

Keywords:
Animal communicationApe communicationCognitive evolutionCognitive plasticityEnculturationEvo-devo and communicationLanguage evolution

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

7.2K
Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism
06:15

Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism

Published on: October 3, 2018

8.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 23, 2026

Portable Intermodal Preferential Looking IPL: Investigating Language Comprehension in Typically Developing Toddlers and Young Children with Autism
10:11

Portable Intermodal Preferential Looking IPL: Investigating Language Comprehension in Typically Developing Toddlers and Young Children with Autism

Published on: December 14, 2012

19.2K
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

7.2K
Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism
06:15

Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism

Published on: October 3, 2018

8.3K

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo)
  • Comparative psychology
  • Linguistics

Background:

  • Phenotypic plasticity, driven by genetic and environmental factors, is well-studied in evo-devo.
  • Behavioral plasticity, particularly in communication systems like human language, is less understood.
  • Human language possesses unique features not observed in non-human communication.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the plasticity of language capabilities in a comparative framework.
  • To explore the role of enculturation and social interaction in developing language.
  • To connect language acquisition to conserved cognitive processes and evolutionary history.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of language development across diverse taxa.
  • Examination of enculturation paradigms involving human training and social interaction.
  • Integration of evo-devo principles with cognitive and linguistic research.

Main Results:

  • Non-human species, through enculturation, can develop significant aspects of human language.
  • These findings highlight developmental plasticity in communication systems.
  • Human language appears to build upon ancient, conserved cognitive capabilities.

Conclusions:

  • Enculturated developmental plasticity suggests human language relies on ancient cognitive foundations.
  • Human language emerges through self-organization within rich cultural and social contexts.
  • Culture acts as a regulatory system for language development, leveraging conserved cognitive features.