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

936
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.
936
Components of Language01:24

Components of Language

891
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.
891
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
Encoding01:19

Encoding

976
Information enters the brain through encoding, which is the input of information into the memory system. Once sensory information is received from the environment, the brain labels or codes it. The information is then organized with similar information and connected to existing concepts. Encoding occurs through automatic processing and effortful processing.
Automatic processing involves the encoding of details like time, space, frequency, and the meaning of words, usually done without conscious...
976
Language01:16

Language

978
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...
978
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

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

How do children construct a concept of age?

Developmental psychology·2026
Same author

Children in Kenya and the US are averse to epistemic injustice.

Child development·2026
Same author

ManyNumbers 3: A Multi-Lab Study of Demographic Correlates of Early Number Knowledge.

Developmental science·2026
Same author

Training "Zero" in preschoolers: Fast referential learning, slow relational integration.

Cognition·2026
Same author

The role of epistemic reasoning in mutual exclusivity inferences.

Journal of experimental child psychology·2026
Same author

Counting without end: A cross-linguistic exploration of infinity beliefs in English and Hindi learners.

Journal of experimental child psychology·2026
Same journal

Functional Neural Architecture of Working Memory in Musicians: An ALE Meta-Analysis and Review.

Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science·2026
Same journal

Collective Memory in Animals.

Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science·2026
Same journal

What Counts as an Environment in Memory Research? Conceptualizing Environment Across Memory Traditions.

Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science·2026
Same journal

Origins and Evolution of Imagination, From Australopithecus to Modern-Day Deep Learning.

Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science·2026
Same journal

Multilevel Perceptual-Motor Coupling: From Action Understanding to Execution.

Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science·2026
Same journal

Hope in Early Childhood: Novel Methodology for Measuring Hope in 5- and 6-Year-Olds.

Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 19, 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

7.1K

Encoding individuals in language using syntax, words, and pragmatic inference.

Mahesh Srinivasan1, David Barner2

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.

Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews. Cognitive Science
|June 17, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Linguistic structure, specifically mass-count syntax, does not shape how we perceive individuals. Instead, it allows speakers to select from universal meanings for quantifying objects and substances.

More Related Videos

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

6.5K
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation tDCS of Wernicke's and Broca's Areas in Studies of Language Learning and Word Acquisition
12:49

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation tDCS of Wernicke's and Broca's Areas in Studies of Language Learning and Word Acquisition

Published on: July 13, 2019

18.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 19, 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

7.1K
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

6.5K
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation tDCS of Wernicke's and Broca's Areas in Studies of Language Learning and Word Acquisition
12:49

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation tDCS of Wernicke's and Broca's Areas in Studies of Language Learning and Word Acquisition

Published on: July 13, 2019

18.2K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Linguistics
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Languages use mass-count syntax to distinguish between countable individuals and unindividuated masses.
  • Previous research proposed that mass-count syntax influences perception or that understanding individuation scaffolds noun acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the relationship between mass-count syntax and the perception of individuals.
  • To explore how linguistic structure influences the construal of reality.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review and analysis of recent developments in cognitive science and linguistics.
  • Examination of the mass-count distinction and its relation to individuation.

Main Results:

  • A simple individual/non-individual distinction is insufficient for the mass-count distinction, as mass nouns can denote individuals (e.g., furniture).
  • Mass-count syntax does not determine individuation but rather enables selection from universally available meanings for quantification.

Conclusions:

  • Mass-count syntax does not shape how items are construed as individuals.
  • Understanding how syntax, lexical roots, word meanings, and pragmatic inference interact is crucial for comprehending how language encodes abstract, countable individuals.