Neurocomputational Emergentism as a Framework for Language Development

Abstract Neurocomputational Emergentism (Neuroemergentism) is a new framework that provides explanation for the nonlinear dynamics that occur across development. Recent findings in the literature are consistent with the view that the brain involves emergent properties in which processing at a small scale is dynamically aggregated to produce more complex cognition. In this piece, a link is made between Emergentism at the cognitive level with that observed at the neural level. Language development in bilinguals and multilinguals, which shows many nonlinearities, is discussed in light of Neuroemergentism. These results are discussed with regard to reductionism and the importance of sensorimotor processing during early development. The piece ends by considering a model in which reward-based learning systems, declarative memory and sensorimotor processing contribute to language development.