The cognitive processes involved in a child's interaction with the linguistic environment are discussed. Specifically, the general cognitive processes involved in outputting long spans of connected utterances are examined. Narrative data are classified into three developmental levels: the procedural phase, where the linguistic output is generated by data-driven processes; the metaprocedural phase, where the output is generated by top-down control processes; and a third level characterized by a dynamic interaction between data-driven and top-down control processes. These three levels form a model to account for how children constantly solve problems when they produce and perceive language. Children need to generate processes for the mapping between linguistic terms and extralinguistic referents. They need to generate processes for dealing with local syntax in order to produce well formed utterances. In addition, they need to generate processes for linking spans of utterances into a cohesive unit. The process oriented approach is a useful technique for understanding these needs and offers a way to rethink the relationship between cognition and language. (RW)