Cognitive Science

The latest breakthroughs, innovations, and cool happenings at the cutting edge of the world of cognitive science. Updated daily.

One Cue’s Loss Is Another Cue’s Gain—Learning Morphophonology Through Unlearning

Abstract A word often expresses many different morphological functions. Which part of a word contributes to which part of the overall meaning is not always clear, which raises the question as to how such functions are learned. While linguistic studies tacitly assume the co-occurrence of cues and outcomes to suffice in learning these functions (Baer-Henney, […]

Published on May 15, 2024

Can adolescents be game changers for 21st-century societal challenges?

Adolescents growing up in the 21st century face novel challenges that affect today’s adolescents differently compared with previous generations. Adolescents’ prosocial values and social engagement can contribute in unique ways to combatting societal challenges. Participatory research provides tools to transform adolescents’ prosocial motivations into drivers for societal change. Read Full Article (External Site) Dr. David […]

Published on May 14, 2024

Learning the Meanings of Function Words From Grounded Language Using a Visual Question Answering Model

Abstract Interpreting a seemingly simple function word like “or,” “behind,” or “more” can require logical, numerical, and relational reasoning. How are such words learned by children? Prior acquisition theories have often relied on positing a foundation of innate knowledge. Yet recent neural-network-based visual question answering models apparently can learn to use function words as part […]

Published on May 14, 2024