If human language must be squeezed through a narrow cognitive bottleneck, what are the implications for language processing, acquisition, change, and structure? In our target article, we suggested that the implications are far-reaching and form the basis of an integrated account of many apparently unconnected aspects of language and language processing, as well as suggesting revision of many existing theoretical accounts. With some exceptions, commentators were generally supportive both of the existence of the bottleneck and its potential implications. Many commentators (...) suggested additional theoretical and linguistic nuances and extensions, links with prior work, and relevant computational and neuroscientific considerations; some argued for related but distinct viewpoints; a few, though, felt traditional perspectives were being abandoned too readily. Our response attempts to build on the many suggestions raised by the commentators and to engage constructively with challenges to our approach. (shrink)

As a highly consequential biological trait, a memory “bottleneck” cannot escape selection pressures. It must therefore co-evolve with other cognitive mechanisms rather than act as an independent constraint. Recent theory and an implemented model of language acquisition suggest that a limit on working memory may evolve to help learning. Furthermore, it need not hamper the use of language for communication.

This paper argues that grammatical constructions, specifically argument structure constructions that determine the “who did what to whom” part of sentence meaning and how this meaning is expressed syntactically, can be considered a kind of relational category. That is, grammatical constructions are represented as the abstraction of the syntactic and semantic relations of the exemplar utterances that are expressed in that construction, and it enables the generation of novel exemplars. To support this argument, I review evidence that there are parallel (...) behavioral patterns between how children learn relational categories generally and how they learn grammatical constructions specifically. Then, I discuss computational simulations of how grammatical constructions are abstracted from exemplar sentences using a domain-general relational cognitive architecture. Last, I review evidence from adult language processing that shows parallel behavioral patterns with expert behavior from other cognitive domains. After reviewing the evidence, I consider how to integrate this account with other theories of language development. (shrink)

The paper discusses different approaches to the concept of recursion and its evolution from mathematics to cognitive studies. Such approaches are observed as: self‑embedded structures, multiple hierarchical levels using the same rule, and embedding structures within structures. The paper also discusses the concept of meta‑recursion. Examining meta‑recursion may enable understanding of the ability to apply recursive processes to multilayered hierarchies, with recursive procedures acting as generators. These types of recursive processes could be the fundamental elements of general cognition. The paper (...) also briefly discusses the role of probability in current recursive approaches to cognition. It is conjenctured that the hierarchical mechanism of cognition demonstrates a kind of meta‑recursion in the sense that recursive neural loops may support some primitive recursive cognitive processes, which in turn account for recursiveness of language grammars, space orientation, social cognition, etc. The study indicates that using multiple approaches to understand the phenomenon of recursion can provide a more complete understanding of the complexity of recursion, as it plays a significant role in fields like language, mathematics, and cognitive science. (shrink)