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

865
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.
865
Language Development01:22

Language Development

990
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...
990
Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development01:14

Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development

2.0K
The sensorimotor stage, the initial phase of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, spans the first two years of a child's life. During this period, infants actively engage with their surroundings, building cognitive awareness through direct interaction with the world. This interaction is primarily based on sensory perception and motor actions, allowing infants to gradually understand basic physical properties and predict how objects interact within their environment.
Exploration...
2.0K
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language01:10

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

3.9K
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...
3.9K
The Nativist Approach01:21

The Nativist Approach

494
The nativist approach to infant cognitive development proposes that infants are born with inherent knowledge structures that allow them to interpret the world almost immediately. This perspective contrasts with earlier developmental theories, such as those proposed by Jean Piaget, which emphasized a more gradual acquisition of cognitive abilities through interaction with the environment. One key concept in this approach is object permanence — the understanding that objects continue to...
494
Language01:16

Language

959
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...
959

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Catching up with iCatcher: Comparing analyses of infant eye tracking based on trained human coders and iCatcher+ automated gaze coding software.

Behavior research methods·2025
Same author

Six-month-old infants use cross-modal synchrony to identify novel communicative signals.

Scientific reports·2024
Same author

The link between non-human primate vocalizations and cognition is not constrained by maturation alone: Evidence from healthy preterm infants.

Cognition·2024
Same author

Developmental origin of a language-cognition interface in infants: Gateway to advancing core knowledge?

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2024
Same author

Navigating accent variability: 24-month-olds recognize known words spoken in an unfamiliar accent but require additional support to learn new words.

Infant behavior & development·2024
Same author

Preschoolers benefit from sentential context in familiar- and unfamiliar-accented speech.

Developmental science·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 23, 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

Linking Language and Cognition in Infancy.

Danielle R Perszyk1, Sandra R Waxman1,2

  • 1Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208; email: drp@u.northwestern.edu , s-waxman@northwestern.edu.

Annual Review of Psychology
|September 7, 2017
PubMed
Summary

The early link between language and cognition in infants, driven by innate abilities and experience, advances their perceptual and conceptual development. This foundational connection shapes a cascade of cognitive growth within the first year of life.

Keywords:
categorizationconceptual developmentdevelopmental plasticitydevelopmental tuninginfancylanguage acquisition

More Related Videos

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
06:35

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Published on: April 28, 2016

35.5K
Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms
07:31

Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms

Published on: February 8, 2019

7.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 23, 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
Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
06:35

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Published on: April 28, 2016

35.5K
Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms
07:31

Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms

Published on: February 8, 2019

7.3K

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Linguistics

Background:

  • The relationship between human language and cognition is a long-standing area of scholarly interest.
  • Previous research has primarily focused on established language-cognition links in adults.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent evidence on the origin and development of the language-cognition link in the first year of life.
  • To explore how this link advances infants' perceptual and conceptual capacities.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent empirical evidence.
  • Analysis of studies examining infants' innate capacities and sensitivity to experience.

Main Results:

  • The link between language and cognition emerges early in infancy.
  • This precocious link is shaped by both innate factors and environmental experiences.
  • The language-cognition connection provides significant conceptual advantages for infants.

Conclusions:

  • The emergence of a language-cognition link in infancy initiates a dynamic developmental cascade.
  • Each developmental step in this cascade builds upon previous advances, fostering further cognitive growth.
  • Understanding this early link is crucial for comprehending typical human cognitive development.