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Related Concept Videos

Language Development01:22

Language Development

703
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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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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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

620
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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Introduction to Developmental Psychology01:27

Introduction to Developmental Psychology

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Developmental psychology explores the changes and continuities in human abilities throughout life, encompassing physical, cognitive, linguistic, and social dimensions. Human development is not restricted to growth, but includes aspects of decline, particularly in physical abilities as individuals age. Developmental psychologists seek to understand how people change as they age and how their mental and social skills evolve.Developmental MilestonesA key concept in developmental psychology is...
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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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Updated: Dec 8, 2025

Portable Intermodal Preferential Looking IPL: Investigating Language Comprehension in Typically Developing Toddlers and Young Children with Autism
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Typical language development.

Judit Gervain1

  • 1Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, CNRS & Université de Paris, Paris, France.

Handbook of Clinical Neurology
|September 22, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Children rapidly acquire language in early life, a complex process studied through advanced behavioral and brain imaging techniques. This research explores typical language development milestones in the first three years, including speech perception and grammar acquisition.

Keywords:
BilingualismGrammarInfantsLanguage acquisitionLanguage developmentMultilingualismNewbornsPhoneme perceptionSegmentationSpeech perceptionToddlersWord learning

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Linguistics
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Language acquisition is a remarkable developmental achievement in early childhood.
  • The rapid and seemingly effortless nature of native language acquisition has long intrigued researchers.
  • Recent decades have seen significant advancements in understanding infant language development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To summarize current knowledge on typical language development in the first years of life.
  • To review theoretical perspectives on language acquisition.
  • To present key empirical findings across various language domains.

Main Methods:

  • Behavioral studies
  • Corpus-based analyses
  • Brain imaging techniques (e.g., fMRI, EEG)
  • Review of existing literature

Main Results:

  • Infants possess sophisticated speech perception abilities from birth.
  • Phoneme perception, word learning, and early grammar acquisition follow predictable developmental trajectories.
  • Major language milestones are typically achieved within the first three years of life.
  • Differences exist between monolingual and multilingual language acquisition paths.

Conclusions:

  • The first three years are critical for establishing foundational language skills.
  • A combination of innate predispositions and environmental input shapes language development.
  • Ongoing research continues to refine our understanding of this complex cognitive process.