Researchers have examined the possible relationships between cognition, comprehension and language production. One way of describing this relationship is to note that cognitive abilities contribute to comprehension. Comprehension, in turn, contributes to the ability to learn new words and rules of language. As Hulit, et al. (2011) point out, language "often reflects what we understand about things, people, and events" (p. 226). Children must understand certain concepts before they can development certain language skills. According to Hulit, et al. (2011), "the child must gain understanding of concepts in order to learn to use some forms of grammar and meaning effectively" (p. 226). Similarly, Dockrell & Messer (2004) note that comprehension is needed "for the recognition of words and to produce templates for production" (p. 39). For example, children cannot make effective use of words like "sheep" and "happy" until they have learned to understand the concepts that apply to sheep as animals and happiness as an emotion (Dockrell & Messer, 2004, p. 36). These concepts are learned through interactions with parents and other caregivers. Thus, the relationship between cognition, comprehension and language production can be explained by the interactionist theory of language learning.
Language development is also associated with a skill in young children known as fast mapping. Fast mapping refers to the ability of children to "acquire information about the meaning of a novel term after a single exposure to its use" (Dockrell & Messer, 2004, p. 36). The process of fast mapping is yet another way of describing the connection between cognitive ability, comprehension and the production of language. Hulit, et al. (2011) point out that the relationship between these factors is not a simple, straightforward one. Rather, "these three phenomena intersect and interact to such an extent that the lines that seem to separate them are blurred and...