Date of Completion

Spring 5-1-2023

Thesis Advisor(s)

Sarah Hird

Honors Major

Molecular and Cell Biology

Disciplines

Child Psychology | Cognitive Science | Developmental Psychology | Development Studies | First and Second Language Acquisition | Genetics

Abstract

The argument about whether language acquisition is "nature" or "nurture" has been long debated. Linguists have concluded that it requires the two, but how much does language acquisition rely on nature? Children show the capacity to learn languages quickly and without much effort. While research suggests that infants absorb many visual and verbal cues in their environment, biological structures are the underlying component of how this knowledge is gathered and organized. The genetics that code for specific neurophysiological pathways affect how people interact with their environment and where information is stored, forming the basis for these biological structures. Genetic research started with early inheritance pattern recognition and has evolved to DNA sequencing, searching for specific genes. Mendelian genetics and twin studies laid the groundwork for geneticists to find a particular gene that has substantial effects on language, known as FOXP2. Studies involving FOXP2 have allowed researchers to investigate more genetic components of language. Comparing FOXP2 in other species is also guiding researchers to the ultimate question asked about human language: are humans special, and if so, how?

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