Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 3, 2026
14:14
The Innovation Arena: A Method for Comparing Innovative Problem-Solving Across Groups
Published on: May 13, 2022
6.4K
Innovation of Word Order Harmony Across Development
Jennifer Culbertson1, Elissa L Newport2
1School of Philosophy, Psychology, and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh.
Open Mind : Discoveries in Cognitive Science
|November 6, 2018
Summary
Children learning language may naturally favor harmonic word order, even when not exposed to it. This suggests an innate cognitive preference for consistent grammatical structures, influencing language evolution.
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Languages often exhibit harmonic word order, placing heads consistently with dependents.
- Debate exists whether this harmony stems from cognition or external factors.
- Prior studies suggest harmonic patterns are easier to learn, linking learning ease to typological frequency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if children and adults maintain consistently nonharmonic word orders without input variation.
- To determine if young children innovate harmonic patterns from nonharmonic input.
- To explore the cognitive basis of word order preferences in language acquisition.
Main Methods:
- Adult and child learners were taught artificial languages with consistently nonharmonic word orders.
- No variation in word order was present in the learning input.
- Learner output was analyzed for adherence to or innovation from the taught patterns.
Main Results:
- Adult learners successfully maintained the consistently nonharmonic word order patterns.
- Young child learners innovated novel word orders, shifting towards harmonic patterns.
- This indicates a developmental difference in processing and maintaining nonharmonic structures.
Conclusions:
- Young children may possess an innate drive towards harmonic word order, independent of input frequency.
- This cognitive bias could explain the prevalence of harmonic patterns in world languages.
- Language acquisition mechanisms, particularly in children, may actively shape linguistic typology.
Related Concept Videos
01:43Sustainable Development
15.1K
As the human population continues to grow and use resources, we must be mindful of our planet’s natural limits. Sustainable development provides a pathway to maintain and improve human life now while also ensuring that future generations will have the resources that they need. The long-term success of sustainability efforts rests on understanding the interplay between human actions and ecological systems.
15.1K
01:15Development of the Lymphatic System
2.1K
The development of lymphatic tissues and vessels in embryonic life begins around the fifth week. These structures originate from the mesoderm layer, with lymph sacs emerging from developing veins.
The first lymph sacs to form are the paired jugular lymph sacs located at the junction of the internal jugular and subclavian veins. From these sacs, lymphatic capillary plexuses extend to the thorax, upper limbs, neck, and head, eventually forming lymphatic vessels. Each jugular lymph sac maintains a...
The first lymph sacs to form are the paired jugular lymph sacs located at the junction of the internal jugular and subclavian veins. From these sacs, lymphatic capillary plexuses extend to the thorax, upper limbs, neck, and head, eventually forming lymphatic vessels. Each jugular lymph sac maintains a...
2.1K
01:22Language Development
912
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...
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...
912
01:22Development of Immunocompetence
887
The initiation of cell-mediated immunity can be observed as early as the third month of fetal growth, with active antibody-mediated immunity following approximately one month later.
The initial cells that migrate from the fetal thymus settle within the skin and epithelial tissues lining the mouth, digestive tract, and in females, the uterus and vagina. These cells, including skin-based dendritic cells, serve as antigen-presenting cells, playing a key role in T cell activation.
Subsequent T...
The initial cells that migrate from the fetal thymus settle within the skin and epithelial tissues lining the mouth, digestive tract, and in females, the uterus and vagina. These cells, including skin-based dendritic cells, serve as antigen-presenting cells, playing a key role in T cell activation.
Subsequent T...
887
01:27Development of the Heart
2.4K
The development of the human heart, a crucial organ, commences from the mesoderm on the 18th or 19th day after fertilization. This process initiates in the cardiogenic area, a group of mesodermal cells at the embryo's head end, which evolves into elongated strands known as cardiogenic cords. These cords undergo a transformation to form hollow-centered endocardial tubes.
As the embryo undergoes lateral folding, these paired tubes approach each other, merging into a single primitive heart...
As the embryo undergoes lateral folding, these paired tubes approach each other, merging into a single primitive heart...
2.4K
01:58Fruit Development, Structure, and Function
25.2K
Fruits form from a mature flower ovary. As seeds develop from the ovules contained within, the ovary wall undergoes a series of complex changes to form fruit. In some fruits, such as soybeans, the ovary wall dries; in other fruits, such as grapes, it remains fleshy. In some cases, organs other than the ovary contribute to fruit formation; such fruits are called accessory fruits.
25.2K