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Related Concept Videos

Language Development01:22

Language Development

595
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...
595
The Nativist Approach01:21

The Nativist Approach

215
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...
215
Piaget's Stage 3 of Cognitive Development01:17

Piaget's Stage 3 of Cognitive Development

769
During Piaget's concrete operational stage, from ages 7 to 11, children exhibit a marked increase in logical thinking skills, specifically in relation to tangible, real-world events. This stage is characterized by the development of several essential cognitive concepts, including conservation, reversibility, and classification, all of which support the child's evolving capacity for structured thought.
Conservation and Constancy of Quantity
A significant cognitive milestone in the...
769
Piaget's Stage 4 of Cognitive Development01:19

Piaget's Stage 4 of Cognitive Development

244
The formal operational stage, as described in Piaget's cognitive development theory, begins around age 11 and extends into adulthood. It marks the emergence of advanced cognitive abilities that differentiate adolescent and adult thinking from those of younger children. This stage is characterized by abstract reasoning, hypothetical-deductive reasoning, and a more complex understanding of self and others.
Abstract Reasoning and Hypothetical-Deductive Thinking
Unlike the concrete operational...
244
Piaget's Stage 2 of Cognitive Development01:14

Piaget's Stage 2 of Cognitive Development

417
The preoperational stage, the second of Jean Piaget's four stages of cognitive development, spans approximately ages 2 to 7 and is characterized by the emergence of symbolic thinking. During this stage, children use language, images, and symbols to represent objects and concepts, enabling them to engage in imaginative and pretend play. This symbolic thinking supports children's ability to perform make-believe actions, such as imagining a broom as a horse or their hand as a phone, blending...
417
Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development from Childhood into Adulthood01:25

Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development from Childhood into Adulthood

705
Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development emphasizes the role of thinking in a child's learning process, suggesting that children are naturally curious about their environment. His approach to development is discontinuous, proposing that cognitive abilities progress through distinct stages, each with unique characteristics. Central to Piaget's theory is schemata—mental structures that allow individuals to understand and interpret the world.
Schemata: Building Blocks of Knowledge
705

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Updated: Nov 1, 2025

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation tDCS of Wernicke's and Broca's Areas in Studies of Language Learning and Word Acquisition
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Development of Abstract Word Knowledge.

Lorraine D Reggin1, Emiko J Muraki1, Penny M Pexman1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.

Frontiers in Psychology
|June 24, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Children learn abstract words best through emotional experiences and sensorimotor systems, not just language context. This research explores how children develop word knowledge, focusing on abstract vocabulary acquisition.

Keywords:
abstract vocabularyaffective embodimentage-of-acquisitionconcretenesscontextual diversityinteroceptionmouth actionvalence

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Linguistics

Background:

  • The embodied account of word meaning suggests meanings are grounded in sensorimotor systems.
  • Acquiring abstract word meanings presents a significant challenge for strong embodiment theories.
  • Understanding abstract vocabulary acquisition is crucial for comprehending children's word knowledge development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how children acquire abstract word meanings.
  • To test the affective embodiment account versus the learning through language proposal.
  • To examine the role of emotion and sensorimotor systems in abstract word learning.

Main Methods:

  • Analyzed vocabulary knowledge development data from early school to university ages.
  • Assessed the influence of word valence, interoception, and mouth action on abstract word acquisition.
  • Investigated the relationship between linguistic contextual diversity and vocabulary acquisition speed.

Main Results:

  • Word valence, interoception, and mouth action significantly facilitated abstract word acquisition compared to concrete words.
  • Contextual diversity supported vocabulary acquisition for both abstract and concrete words.
  • Findings support the affective embodiment account for abstract word learning, though other factors remain influential.

Conclusions:

  • Emotion and sensorimotor systems play a key role in children's abstract word acquisition.
  • The learning through language proposal's effect was observed but not specific to abstract words.
  • Further research is needed to account for the remaining variance in abstract vocabulary development.