Three Lines in the Emergence of Prelinguistic Communication and Social Cognition

Author: Liszkowski, Ulf

Source: Journal of Cognitive Education and Psychology, Volume 10, Number 1, 2011 , pp. 32-43(12)

Publisher: Springer Publishing Company

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Abstract:

Sociocultural theories of development posit that higher cognitive functions emerge through socially mediated processes, in particular through language. However, theories of human communication posit that language itself is based on higher social cognitive skills and cooperative motivations. Prelinguistic communication is a test case to this puzzle. In the current review, I first present recent and new findings of a research program on prelinguistic infants' communication skills. This research provides empirical evidence for a rich social cognitive and motivational basis of human communication before language. Next, I discuss the emergence of these foundational skills. By considering all three lines of development, and by drawing on new findings from phylogenetic and cross-cultural comparisons, this article discusses the possibility that the cognitive foundations of prelinguistic communication are, in turn, mediated by social interactional input and shared experiences.

Keywords: CROSS-CULTURAL; SOCIO-HISTORIC; INFANT COMMUNICATION; POINTING; GESTURE

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/1945-8959.10.1.32

Publication date: 2011-02-01

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