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Related Concept Videos

Language and Cognition01:27

Language and Cognition

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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

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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...
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Language Development01:22

Language Development

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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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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

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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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Cognitive Learning01:21

Cognitive Learning

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Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 11, 2025

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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Words matter: Reflections on language projects with chimpanzees and their implications.

Mark A Krause1, Michael J Beran2

  • 1Department of Psychology, Southern Oregon University, Ashland, Oregon.

American Journal of Primatology
|August 25, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Great apes demonstrate significant language learning abilities, challenging the notion that they cannot understand or use words. Decades of research show capacities for symbol use, declarative communication, and intersubjectivity in chimpanzees and bonobos.

Keywords:
KanziNimWashoeape languagecommunicationsymbolswords

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Area of Science:

  • Primate cognition and communication
  • Comparative psychology
  • Linguistics

Background:

  • Systematic research into great ape language acquisition began in the 1960s.
  • Studies showed apes could learn sign language or artificial languages, sparking debate.
  • Critiques, such as those by Terrace (2019), question ape linguistic capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review evidence regarding great ape language and symbol use.
  • To address critiques questioning apes' understanding and use of words.
  • To evaluate the capacities of chimpanzees and bonobos in language acquisition.

Main Methods:

  • Review of decades of research on great ape language studies.
  • Focus on symbol use in chimpanzees and bonobos.
  • Analysis of evidence for declarative communication and intersubjectivity.

Main Results:

  • Apes exhibit remarkable capacities to learn and utilize elements of human-devised languages.
  • Evidence supports ape understanding of words, including declarative communication.
  • Findings indicate the presence of intersubjectivity in chimpanzee and bonobo symbol use.

Conclusions:

  • Decades of research challenge the absolute view that great apes cannot learn language.
  • Chimpanzees and bonobos demonstrate abilities that argue for word understanding.
  • The findings question the limitations previously ascribed to ape linguistic and cognitive skills.