The relationship between language and cognition is debated among experts, with three main positions: language develops independently, cognition influences language, or language precedes cognition. All positions have research to support them. Language is a system of rules used to communicate knowledge, while cognition includes processes like reasoning and problem solving. Linguistics and cognitive psychology study language and cognition, respectively. Language allows for the sharing of knowledge and information.
Language and cognition are closely connected, practically and conceptually, although there is considerable disagreement among experts about the precise nature of this connection. The debate between linguists and psychologists is very similar to the chicken and egg debate: they question whether the ability to think or the ability to speak comes first. There are three main positions regarding the relationship between language and cognition: language develops largely independently of cognition, cognition influences both language and the pace of language development, and language precedes cognition and is the primary influence on the development of thought.
All three theories on the nature of the connection between language and cognition are thought to be valid. There is considerable research and evidence to support each position. Much of the disagreement among child development experts is about “when,” not “if.”
Language is the use of sounds, grammar and vocabulary according to a system of rules which is used to communicate knowledge and information. While many nonhuman species have a communicative ability that might loosely be called language, only humans employ a system of rules that incorporate grammar and vocabulary. The word “cognition” is often used synonymously with “thinking” or “thinking,” but its general meaning is more complex. It refers to the process or act of gaining knowledge not only through perception, but also through recognition and judgment. Cognition also includes thought processes such as reasoning, remembering, categorizing, decision making, and problem solving.
Linguistics deals with the scientific study of language in all its manifestations, and there are several branches of the social sciences that focus on cognition. For example, cognitive anthropology studies cultural differences in reasoning and perception. Cognitive science is the formal study of the mind, and models and theories in this discipline were the basis for the original theories of artificial intelligence.
The branch of psychology that studies mental processes such as memory and attention is called cognitive psychology. In the realm of psychology, cognitive therapy is behavioral therapy based on the idea that how a person cognitively perceives themselves in the world determines how they feel. Cognitive therapists believe that people can change their emotions by first changing their cognitive perceptions.
In its simplest form, the connection between language and cognition for ordinary human adults, regardless of their ethnicity or culture, is profound. The word gives voice to thoughts. Although individual cognitive processes are internalized and therefore silent, language, spoken or written, allows for the sharing of knowledge and information.
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