The Limitations of Large Language Models for Understanding Human Language and Cognition

The paper "The Limitations of Large Language Models for Understanding Human Language and Cognition" from "Open Mind: Discoveries in Cognitive Science" argues that Large Language Models (LLMs) offer limited insights into human language and cognition, particularly concerning acquisition and evolution. The authors, Christine Cuskley, Rebecca Woods, and Molly Flaherty, contend that while LLMs can functionally imitate human writing, their underlying mechanisms and developmental processes are fundamentally different from how humans acquire and use language. They employ an ethological "four questions" framework to highlight these distinctions, emphasizing that LLMs lack true meaning, multimodality, and the diverse, interactive aspects characteristic of human language. Ultimately, the report concludes that LLMs should be viewed as tools for specific, carefully constructed research questions rather than comprehensive models for understanding the full scope of human linguistic behavior.