Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Language01:16

Language

229
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...
229
Language Development01:22

Language Development

368
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...
368
Language and Cognition01:27

Language and Cognition

346
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.
346
Components of Language01:24

Components of Language

282
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.
282
The Colonization of Land02:22

The Colonization of Land

34.3K
Changes in the environment of the early Earth drove the evolution of organisms. As prokaryotic organisms in the oceans began to photosynthesize, they produced oxygen. Eventually, oxygen saturated the oceans and entered the air, resulting in an increase in atmospheric oxygen concentration, known as the oxygen revolution approximately 2.3 billion years ago. Therefore, organisms that could use oxygen for cellular respiration had an advantage. More than 1.5 years ago, eukaryotic cells and...
34.3K
What is Evolutionary History?02:35

What is Evolutionary History?

36.5K
Scientists record evolutionary history by analyzing fossil, morphological, and genetic data. The fossil record documents the history of life on Earth and provides evidence for evolution. However, both fossil and living organisms offer evidence that outlines Earth’s evolutionary history.
36.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Wild Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) Use Tools to Access Out of Reach Water.

American journal of primatology·2025
Same author

Apparent Stasis of Endocranial Volume in Two Chimpanzee Subspecies.

American journal of biological anthropology·2024
Same author

Norm violations and punishments across human societies.

Evolutionary human sciences·2023
Same author

Targeted conspiratorial killing, human self-domestication and the evolution of groupishness.

Evolutionary human sciences·2023
Same author

Observational approaches to chimpanzee behavior in an African sanctuary: Implications for research, welfare, and capacity-building.

American journal of primatology·2023
Same author

Associations between faecal chemical pollutants and hormones in primates inhabiting Kibale National Park, Uganda.

Biology letters·2023
Same journal

Shared intentionality and attachment theories in WILD and WEIRD contexts.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
Same journal

Constructing an architecture for a decolonized developmental science.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
Same journal

Go WILD, but mind the gap.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
Same journal

WILDing the study of developmental trajectories in navigation and wayfinding: Progress and challenges.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
Same journal

WILD kids, cutting-edge research. Enhancing diversity and reflexivity in psychology.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
Same journal

Ethnographic methods can help psychology overcome its WEIRD problems.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 5, 2025

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization
05:35

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization

Published on: April 19, 2017

6.7K

Language likely promoted peace before 100,000 ya.

Richard Wrangham1

  • 1Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA wrangham@fas.harvard.edu; https://heb.fas.harvard.edu/people/richard-w-wrangham.

The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|January 15, 2024
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Sophisticated language in early Homo sapiens, by 300,000 years ago, likely aided peacemaking between groups. This linguistic development also shaped social dynamics of conflict and cooperation, influencing coalition formation.

More Related Videos

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm
06:07

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm

Published on: May 15, 2019

8.4K
Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
06:34

Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations

Published on: July 1, 2015

16.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 5, 2025

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization
05:35

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization

Published on: April 19, 2017

6.7K
Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm
06:07

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm

Published on: May 15, 2019

8.4K
Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
06:34

Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations

Published on: July 1, 2015

16.4K

Area of Science:

  • Paleolinguistics
  • Evolutionary Anthropology
  • Social Evolution

Background:

  • Early human social structures and behaviors.
  • Theories on the evolution of language.
  • The role of aggression and cooperation in early Homo sapiens.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a timeline for advanced language development in Homo sapiens.
  • To explore the impact of sophisticated language on early human social dynamics, specifically peace and conflict.
  • To investigate the link between language and intergroup relations, including coalition formation.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of fossil evidence for selection against alpha-male behavior in early Homo sapiens.
  • Linguistic reconstruction and modeling.
  • Comparative analysis of social structures in related hominin species.

Main Results:

  • Evidence suggests selection against extreme dominance behaviors in early Homo sapiens.
  • A proposed emergence of sufficiently sophisticated language by 300,000 years ago.
  • Language is posited to have influenced peacemaking, social landscapes of peace and war, and group coalition formation.

Conclusions:

  • Sophisticated language likely played a crucial role in the social evolution of early Homo sapiens.
  • Language facilitated conflict resolution and cooperation, impacting group dynamics and survival.
  • The development of language is a key factor in understanding the transition from aggressive to more cooperative social structures.