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Related Concept Videos

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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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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Lateralization01:28

Lateralization

803
Brain lateralization refers to the division of mental processes and functions between the two hemispheres of the brain, a phenomenon that optimizes neural efficiency and underpins complex abilities in humans. This specialization allows each hemisphere to perform tasks where it has a comparative advantage, facilitating more refined cognitive capabilities across different domains.
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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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Developmental improvements in talker recognition are specific to the native language.

Natalie Fecher1, Elizabeth K Johnson1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario L5L 1C6, Canada.

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
|October 23, 2020
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Summary

Children

Keywords:
Cognitive developmentLanguage acquisitionSpeech perceptionTalker recognitionVoice discrimination

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Area of Science:

  • Child development
  • Auditory perception
  • Speech processing

Background:

  • Talker recognition abilities in children improve throughout development.
  • The underlying mechanisms driving these improvements are debated.
  • Two hypotheses exist: general maturation and language attunement.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether developmental improvements in talker recognition are driven by general cognitive maturation or language-specific knowledge.
  • To differentiate between the general maturation hypothesis and the language attunement hypothesis.

Main Methods:

  • Tested 5- and 6-year-old monolingual English speakers (N=80).
  • Utilized a "voice lineup" task to assess talker recognition.
  • Evaluated recognition abilities in both a familiar (English) and unfamiliar (Spanish) language.

Main Results:

  • Developmental improvements in talker recognition were observed only for the familiar language (English).
  • No significant improvements were found for the unfamiliar language (Spanish).

Conclusions:

  • Early improvements in children's talker recognition are primarily linked to language-specific knowledge, supporting the language attunement hypothesis.
  • Language development plays a crucial role in refining auditory perception of familiar voices.