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 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.

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...

Lateralization

Lateralization

Brain lateralization refers to the division of mental processes and functions between the two hemispheres of the brain, a phenomenon that optimizes neural efficiency and underpins complex abilities in humans. This specialization allows each hemisphere to perform tasks where it has a comparative advantage, facilitating more refined cognitive capabilities across different domains.

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Examination of Narrative Language at Microstructural and Macrostructural Levels in Spanish-Speaking Preschoolers.

Language, speech, and hearing services in schools·2020

Same author

Semantic deficits in Spanish-English bilingual children with language impairment.

Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR·2011

Same author

Creative and stylistic devices employed by children during a storybook narrative task: a cross-cultural study.

Language, speech, and hearing services in schools·2011

Same author

English Language Narratives of Filipino Children.

Language, speech, and hearing services in schools·2006

Same author

Conceptual Versus Monolingual Scoring: When Does It Make a Difference?

Language, speech, and hearing services in schools·2005

Same author

Narrative discourse in bilingual children: language and task effects.

Language, speech, and hearing services in schools·2004

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 13, 2026

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task

Published on: February 26, 2020

Narrative Discourse in Bilingual Children: Language and Task Effects.

Christine E Fiestas¹, Elizabeth D Pen A¹

¹University of Texas at Austin.

Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools

|April 1, 2004

Summary

Language and elicitation methods impact narrative production in bilingual children. Story complexity was similar across languages, but specific elements varied, influencing language use in narratives.

Area of Science:

Linguistics
Developmental Psychology
Bilingualism

Background:

Bilingual children's language development is complex.
Narrative production is a key indicator of language proficiency.
Understanding how language and task influence bilingual narratives is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how language (Spanish vs. English) affects narrative production in bilingual children.
To examine the influence of two elicitation methods (wordless picture book vs. static picture) on narrative complexity and linguistic features.
To analyze cross-linguistic influence in the narratives of Spanish-English bilingual children.

Main Methods:

Twelve Spanish-English bilingual children (4-7 years old) produced narratives in both languages using a wordless picture book and a static picture.

More Related Videos

Measuring Statistical Learning Across Modalities and Domains in School-Aged Children Via an Online Platform and Neuroimaging Techniques

Measuring Statistical Learning Across Modalities and Domains in School-Aged Children Via an Online Platform and Neuroimaging Techniques

Published on: June 30, 2020

Comparing the Frequency Effect Between the Lexical Decision and Naming Tasks in Chinese

Comparing the Frequency Effect Between the Lexical Decision and Naming Tasks in Chinese

Published on: April 1, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2026

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task

Published on: February 26, 2020

Measuring Statistical Learning Across Modalities and Domains in School-Aged Children Via an Online Platform and Neuroimaging Techniques

Measuring Statistical Learning Across Modalities and Domains in School-Aged Children Via an Online Platform and Neuroimaging Techniques

Published on: June 30, 2020

Comparing the Frequency Effect Between the Lexical Decision and Naming Tasks in Chinese

Comparing the Frequency Effect Between the Lexical Decision and Naming Tasks in Chinese

Published on: April 1, 2016

Narratives were analyzed for story grammar complexity, narrative elements, productivity (words, C-units), grammaticality, and cross-linguistic influence.

Story complexity was compared across languages for the book task.

Main Results:

Narrative complexity was comparable across Spanish and English for the book task.
Children used more initiating events in Spanish and more consequences in English.
Bilingual children showed more Spanish-influenced utterances in the book task, despite equal productivity in both languages.

Conclusions:

The language used for elicitation significantly impacts narrative content and structure in bilingual children.
The choice of narrative task (book vs. picture) influences the degree of cross-linguistic interaction observed.
Researchers and clinicians should carefully consider both language and task when assessing bilingual children's narratives.