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

Language Development01:22

Language Development

321
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...
321
Implicit Memories01:24

Implicit Memories

102
Implicit memories, also known as non-declarative memories, are long-term memories that function outside of conscious awareness. These memories influence behavior and skills without explicit knowledge. This type of memory is evident in tasks like playing tennis, snowboarding, and texting. Implicit memory has three subsystems: procedural memory, conditioning, and priming. This type of memory is essential in various activities, from everyday tasks to specialized skills.
One key aspect of implicit...
102
Purposive Learning01:22

Purposive Learning

102
E. C. Tolman emphasized the purposiveness of behavior — the idea that much of our behavior is goal-directed. For instance, employees who aim for a promotion work diligently to meet their targets. Tolman argued that when classical conditioning and operant conditioning occur, the organism acquires certain expectations. In classical conditioning, a child might fear a dog because they expect it to bite. In operant conditioning, a person might consistently work overtime because they expect a...
102
Cognitive Learning01:21

Cognitive Learning

223
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...
223
Language and Cognition01:27

Language and Cognition

332
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.
332
The Nativist Approach01:21

The Nativist Approach

34
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...
34

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Preschoolers' Early Sentence Comprehension: Comparing Bilingual and Monolingual Children and the Role of Executive Function and Vocabulary Development.

Developmental science·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2025

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effect of Induced Emotion on Grammar Learning
05:33

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effect of Induced Emotion on Grammar Learning

Published on: January 29, 2020

6.0K

Syntactic priming as implicit learning in German child language.

Michelle Tafuri1, Katherine Messenger2

  • 1Leipzig Research Center for Early Childhood Development, Leipzig University.

Journal of Child Language
|October 17, 2024
PubMed
Summary

German children show syntactic priming, favoring less preferred sentence structures after hearing them. These implicit learning effects persisted, supporting theories of language acquisition.

Keywords:
Germanchildrendativesimplicit learningsyntactic primingtransitives

More Related Videos

A Semantic Priming Event-related Potential ERP Task to Study Lexico-semantic and Visuo-semantic Processing in Autism Spectrum Disorder
08:17

A Semantic Priming Event-related Potential ERP Task to Study Lexico-semantic and Visuo-semantic Processing in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Published on: April 12, 2018

10.5K
Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism
06:15

Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism

Published on: October 3, 2018

7.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 10, 2025

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effect of Induced Emotion on Grammar Learning
05:33

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effect of Induced Emotion on Grammar Learning

Published on: January 29, 2020

6.0K
A Semantic Priming Event-related Potential ERP Task to Study Lexico-semantic and Visuo-semantic Processing in Autism Spectrum Disorder
08:17

A Semantic Priming Event-related Potential ERP Task to Study Lexico-semantic and Visuo-semantic Processing in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Published on: April 12, 2018

10.5K
Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism
06:15

Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism

Published on: October 3, 2018

7.7K

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Psycholinguistics
  • Linguistics

Background:

  • Syntactic priming, the tendency to repeat grammatical structures, offers insights into language production and acquisition.
  • Previous research indicates adult language production favors certain syntactic structures (e.g., active over passive).
  • Crosslinguistic studies are crucial for understanding universal versus language-specific aspects of implicit learning in language.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate syntactic priming in German-speaking children.
  • To determine if children can be primed to produce dispreferred syntactic structures (passive, P.O. dative).
  • To examine the persistence of priming effects in child language production.

Main Methods:

  • Participants: 29 German-speaking children (mean age 5.3 years).
  • Procedure: Children listened to priming sentences, then described target pictures.
  • Analysis: Assessed priming effects for passive and P.O. dative structures and their persistence.

Main Results:

  • German children demonstrated significant syntactic priming effects for passive and P.O. dative structures.
  • Priming effects remained consistent throughout the target picture description phase.
  • Results align with implicit learning mechanisms underlying language production.

Conclusions:

  • Child language production in German is susceptible to syntactic priming.
  • Implicit learning plays a significant role in children's acquisition and use of syntax.
  • Findings support crosslinguistic evidence for implicit learning accounts of language development.