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Language and Cognition01:27

Language and Cognition

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.
Language01:16

Language

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...
Language Development01:22

Language Development

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...
Evolutionary Psychology01:20

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the human psyche...
Types of Selection01:46

Types of Selection

Natural selection influences the frequencies of particular alleles and phenotypes within populations in several different ways. Primarily, natural selection can be directional, stabilizing, or disruptive. Directional selection favors one extreme trait and shifts the population towards that phenotype while selecting against individuals displaying alternate traits. Stabilizing selection favors an intermediate trait with a narrow range of variation. Deviation from the optimal phenotype towards an...
Components of Language01:24

Components of Language

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. “eh”). Phonemes combine to...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 14, 2026

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

Language is a super-attractor: Does it evolve through subjective selection?

Christophe Frédéric Heintz1, Daniel Nettle2

  • 1Department of Cognitive Science, Central European University, Vienna, Austria christophe.heintz@gmail.com heintzc@ceu.edu http://christophe.heintz.free.fr.

The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|July 13, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Language evolution involves more than just subjective selection. Other processes, including learning and perception, also shape linguistic features without conscious intent, expanding our understanding of cultural evolution.

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

Published on: January 29, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 14, 2026

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

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

Area of Science:

  • Linguistics
  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Subjective selection, driven by speakers' goals, explains some linguistic features.
  • Cultural evolution encompasses various processes beyond conscious choice.
  • Singh's super-attractor concept provides a framework for understanding language change.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the explanatory limits of subjective selection in language evolution.
  • To explore additional processes shaping linguistic features.
  • To integrate diverse mechanisms within a broader theory of cultural evolution.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of linguistic features through the lens of subjective selection.
  • Comparative study of intentional vs. non-intentional processes in language change.
  • Application of Singh's super-attractor concept to diverse linguistic phenomena.

Main Results:

  • Subjective selection accounts for certain linguistic features but not all.
  • Non-intentional processes related to learning and perception significantly influence language.
  • Intentional creation and transformation of constructions also drive linguistic evolution.

Conclusions:

  • Language evolution is shaped by a combination of subjective selection, non-intentional learning/perceptual factors, and active construction.
  • A comprehensive model of cultural evolution must incorporate these diverse mechanisms.
  • Further research is needed to fully elucidate the interplay of these processes in shaping language.