Hierarchical clause structure as a tool for cognitive advances in early childhood

Rakhlin, Natalia; Progovac, Ljiljana

doi:10.1016/j.langsci.2020.101316

Cited by 3 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…6. Rakhlin and Progovac (2020) explore the possibility that many of human cognitive functions, including the consideration of MTT and the ToM, have basic foundational precursors in non-linguistic mechanisms but that various milestones in the acquisition of syntax (by children) hone these basic cognitive strategies into much more precise, richer devices. This is consistent with the view that language not only relies on those core cognitive precursors but also that it acts as the augmenter of such non-verbal cognition, the hypothesis consistent with the core knowledge theory of cognitive development (e.g., Spelke, 2003;Spelke & Kinzler, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At the same time, the gradual complexification of grammars certainly provided increasingly better expressive tools for further sophistication of pragmatic principles, contributing to the mutually reinforcing feedback loop. For example, it has been suggested that important abilities for the use of language in conversational contexts, such as the ToM and perspective-taking (more on this in Sections 8 and 9), are enhanced by the acquisition of grammatically sophisticated linguistic structures (e.g., De Villiers, 2005;Heyes & Frith, 2014;Milligan, Astington, & Dack, 2007;Moore, 2020;Rakhlin & Progovac, 2020;Woensdregt, Cummins, & Smith, 2020).…”

Section: Human Self-domestication and Pragmaticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…So does verbal aggression, as discussed in the context of the evolution of early grammars, and in the context of sexual selection, by, e.g. Progovac and Locke (2009), Progovac (2016), and Progovac and Benítez‐Burraco (2019). Much more on the role of cooperation versus competition is found in Section 8.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…8.8.Because the topic of this paper is not language structure per se, but language use, here we provide only a brief summary of our model, which can be found explicated in Progovac and Benítez‐Burraco, 2019; Benítez‐Burraco & Progovac, 2020, 2021.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Human Self‐Domestication and the Evolution of Pragmatics

2021

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As proposed for the emergence of modern languages, we argue that modern uses of languages (pragmatics) also evolved gradually in our species under the effects of human self‐domestication, with three key aspects involved in a complex feedback loop: (a) a reduction in reactive aggression, (b) the sophistication of language structure (with emerging grammars initially facilitating the transition from physical aggression to verbal aggression); and (c) the potentiation of pragmatic principles governing conversation, including, but not limited to, turn‐taking and inferential abilities. Our core hypothesis is that the reduction in reactive aggression, one of the key factors in self‐domestication processes, enabled us to fully exploit our cognitive and interactional potential as applied to linguistic exchanges, and ultimately to evolve a specific form of communication governed by persuasive reciprocity—a trait of human conversation characterized by both competition and cooperation. In turn, both early crude forms of language, well suited for verbal aggression/insult, and later more sophisticated forms of language, well suited for persuasive reciprocity, significantly contributed to the resolution and reduction of (physical) aggression, thus having a return effect on the self‐domestication processes. Supporting evidence for our proposal, as well as grounds for further testing, comes mainly from the consideration of cognitive disorders, which typically simultaneously present abnormal features of self‐domestication (including aggressive behavior) and problems with pragmatics and social functioning. While various approaches to language evolution typically reduce it to a single factor, our approach considers language evolution as a multifactorial process, with each player acting upon the other, engaging in an intense mutually reinforcing feedback loop. Moreover, we see language evolution as a gradual process, continuous with the pre‐linguistic cognitive abilities, which were engaged in a positive feedback loop with linguistic innovations, and where gene‐culture co‐evolution and cultural niche construction were the main driving forces.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Human Self-domestication and Pragmaticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Human Self‐Domestication and the Evolution of Pragmatics

2021

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“…which new syntactic structures gradually increase in frequency (Rakhlin & Progovac, 2021). For instance, know with that-complement constructions may be infrequent, especially at first, but become somewhat more common during development in early childhood.…”

Section: Guessing and Knowingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Language and children's understanding of knowledge: Epistemic talk in early childhood

Montgomery

2022

Mind & Language

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Research on children's theory of mind often restricts conceptually meaningful talk about knowledge to instances where know references a corresponding mental state. This article offers a reappraisal of that view. From a social‐pragmatic perspective, even nonreferential talk is meaningful when appropriately embedded in social routines. A synthesis of corpus data suggests children's early talk about knowledge routinely occurs in question–answer contexts. It is argued that the influence of interrogative contexts is evident in children's over‐attributions of knowledge when someone is only guessing. This influence is taken as evidence for the role of linguistic practices in shaping the concept of knowledge.

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Play-Based Assessment: Psychometric Properties of an Early Childhood Learning and Development Assessment Battery

Montoya-Fernández,

Gil-Madrona,

Losada-Puente

et al. 2024

Education Sciences

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This study aims to explore the reliability, construct validity, and content validity of the Child Learning and Developmental Playful Assessment Battery (Batería de Evaluación Lúdica del Aprendizaje y Desarrollo Infantil; BELADI), a quantitative instrument based on the authentic assessment and playful learning principles, the purpose of which is to assess infant learning and development through motor and competitive games as well as storytelling. The sample was composed of 113 children from Albacete (Spain) between 58 and 72 months of chronological age (M = 64.72; SD = 3.671). To explore the content validity, an expert judgement was carried out and the Content Validity Coefficient (CVC) was calculated. The reliability was analysed using the Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s Ω, and an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted. The results revealed high reliability indexes in each of the developmental domains, and the EFA included 11 items distributed in two factors for the psychomotor domain, 27 items grouped in three factors for the cognitive domain, and 20 items divided into four factors for the socioemotional domain. In conclusion, the study verifies the validity and reliability of the BELADI for the assessment of the infant learning and development through play, which may be used in research, education, and psychopedagogy.

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Hierarchical clause structure as a tool for cognitive advances in early childhood

Cited by 3 publications

References 117 publications

Human Self‐Domestication and the Evolution of Pragmatics

Human Self‐Domestication and the Evolution of Pragmatics

Language and children's understanding of knowledge: Epistemic talk in early childhood

Play-Based Assessment: Psychometric Properties of an Early Childhood Learning and Development Assessment Battery

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