Psychology 525: Psycholinguistics

Fall 2002

 

Class meeting time: first class W 1 p.m., Sewall 462, subsequent courses TBA.

Instructor: Dr. Randi Martin

Ofc: Sewall A, x3417

Email: rmartin@rice.edu

This course takes a cognitive approach to the study of language production and comprehension. The course will cover the study of speech perception, reading, syntax, meaning, bilingualism, language and thought,, language development, and language
errors and disorders.

Requirements:

The first half of the course will be a lecture/discussion format covering basic material in the psychology of language. A midterm exam will be given covering this material. The second half of the course will be a seminar format, with individual students being in charge of assigning readings and leading the discussion for that week. Students should assign about 3 papers for the class to read. Students will also do a research project on a topic related to that covered during the session in which they lead the class. A paper on the project will be turned in at the end of the semester.

Grading will be based on the following:

33% midterm exam

33% research project and paper

33% class participation, including performance when leading the class

Research Project

Students will work individually on a research project. The research project can involve either carrying out an experiment or doing library research (i.e.,doing research for a typical term paper). If you choose to do an experiment, you need to start working on your project early, as experiments always take longer than you expect.

Each student will turn in a written report of his or her project. The project must be written up in American Psychological Association Publication Manual format.

Topics and Readings

The textbook is:

Harley, T. (2001). The Psychology of Language: From Data to Theory, 2nd ed. New York: Taylor & Francis.

Chapters listed below without an author name are from the text. This book will be supplemented by additional readings which will be available in the file cabinet outside Dr. Martin's office. Some additional readings are listed below by the author's last name.

Date (Week of

Topic

Readings

Aug. 26

Introduction

Chap. 1-2 overheads

Sept. 3

Biological bases/Language Development

Chap. 3-4, Altmann pp. 10-53

slides: phon & semantics, syntax

Sept 9

Reading

Chap. 6, Appendix (pp. 411-415)

Rayner. Slide: visual recog.

Sept. 16

Reading cont.

Spoken word recognition

Chap. 7, 8

Sept. 23

word meaning

sentnce comprehension

Chap. 10

Chap. 9

Burgess,

Sept. 30

Discouse comprehenion

Language production

Chap. 11, Gernsbacher

Chap, 12 , Griffin & Bock

Oct. 7

Structure of language. system

Bilingualism

 

Chap. 13, Martin, Lesch & Bartha

Chap. 5, Heredia

 

Oct. 14

Midterm exam

 

Oct. 21

student presentation

tba

Oct. 28

student presentation

tba

Nov. 4

student presentation

tba

Nov. 11

student presentation

tba

Nov. 18 student presentation tba

Nov. 25

student presentation

tba
Dec. 2 student presentation tba

Dec. 18, 5 p.m.

Papers due

 

Additional Readings

Altmann, G. (1997). The Ascent of Babel. New York: Oxford University Press.

Corina, D. (1998). Studies of neural processing in deaf signers: Toward a neurocognitive model of language processing in the deaf. J. of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 3, 35-48.

Ellis, A. (1993). Reading, writing and dyslexia: a cognitive anallysis. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Gernsbacher, M. A. (1990). Language comprehension as structure building. Hillsdale, N. J.: Erlbaum.

Heredia, R. (1997). Bilingual memory and hierarchical models: A case for language dominance. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 6, 34-39.

Martin, R., &Lesch, M., & Bartha, M. (1999). Independence of input and output phonology in word processing and short-term memory. J. of Memory and Language, 41, 3-29.