REVIEW article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Psychology of Language
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1666719
This article is part of the Research TopicReviews in Psychology of Language - Volume IIView all 5 articles
Language and Cognitive Function in Children: A Narrative Review of Neural, Behavioral, and Developmental Evidence
Provisionally accepted
- 1Ural Federal University, Yekaterinburg, Russia
- 2Department of Immunochemistry, Institute of Chemical Technology, Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia
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Language is not merely a conduit for thought-it plays an active, constitutive role in shaping cognitive development. This narrative review synthesizes interdisciplinary findings across bilingualism, theory of mind, developmental disorders (DLD and ASD), and cross-cultural studies to propose a dynamic, context-sensitive model of the language-cognition relationship. We argue that language functions not only as a cognitive tool but as a cognitive architect, influencing the structure and function of neural networks supporting executive function and social cognition. Evidence from behavioral and neuroimaging studies reveals bidirectional and developmentally contingent interactions between language and cognition, moderated by linguistic structure, developmental timing, and sociocultural context. By examining both typical and atypical populations, we challenge modular and unidirectional models, advocating instead for integrative frameworks that capture the diversity and plasticity of human cognition. We conclude with a roadmap for future research, emphasizing longitudinal, cross-linguistic, and translational approaches. This work calls for a rethinking of language's role-not as a passive reflection of mind, but as its formative force.
Keywords: Language, Cognition, cross-culture, cognitive development, languagecognition
Received: 15 Jul 2025; Accepted: 13 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Pu, Kiselev and Xiao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Sergey Kiselev, Ural Federal University, Yekaterinburg, Russia
Ningkun Xiao, Department of Immunochemistry, Institute of Chemical Technology, Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia
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