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Related Concept Videos

Language and Cognition01:27

Language and Cognition

912
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.
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Language01:16

Language

974
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...
974
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language01:10

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

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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...
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Components of Language01:24

Components of Language

876
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.
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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...
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Reason and Intuition01:37

Reason and Intuition

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The human brain processes information for decision-making using one of two routes: an intuitive system and a rational system (Epstein, 1994; popularized by Kahneman, 2011 as System 1 and System 2, respectively). The intuitive system is quick, impulsive, and operates with minimal effort, relying on emotions or habits to provide cues for what to do next, while the rational system is logical, analytical, deliberate, and methodical. Research in neuropsychology suggests that the...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 10, 2026

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization
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Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization

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Language as cognitive tool kit: How language supports relational thought.

Dedre Gentner1

  • 1Department of Psychology, Northwestern University.

The American Psychologist
|December 16, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Language acts as a cognitive toolkit, enhancing our ability to represent and reason. Learning relational language specifically boosts relational reasoning, a key aspect of higher-order cognition, suggesting language acquisition makes us smarter.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Linguistics
  • Psychology

Background:

  • The extreme Whorfian hypothesis, stating language dictates worldview, is largely discredited.
  • Moderate views on language influencing thought are gaining empirical traction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To defend the view that language acts as a cognitive toolkit.
  • To present evidence that language acquisition enhances cognitive abilities.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing empirical support for language influencing thought.
  • Theoretical defense of language as a cognitive tool.

Main Results:

  • Language provides a symbolic system essential for complex representation and reasoning.
  • Learning relational language demonstrably improves relational reasoning skills.

Conclusions:

  • Language acquisition, particularly of relational terms, enhances higher-order cognition.
  • Language functions as a crucial cognitive tool, augmenting intellectual capacity.