Course: Psycholinguistics 2: selected problems

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Course title Psycholinguistics 2: selected problems
Course code KOL/OPL2
Organizational form of instruction Seminary
Level of course Master
Year of study not specified
Semester Winter and summer
Number of ECTS credits 6
Language of instruction Czech
Status of course unspecified
Form of instruction Face-to-face
Work placements This is not an internship
Recommended optional programme components None
Lecturer(s)
  • Zámečník Hadwiger Lukáš, Mgr. Ph.D.
Course content
(1) Who, what, where: orientation in the course and basic information subject matter of psycholinguistics and structure of the field, basic topics and sub-disciplines, information sources (web, journals, anthologies), databases, comments on recommended reading (2) History of psycholinguistics: beginnings, basic paradigms, contemporary approaches precursors of specific research (Wundt, Vygotskik), construction based vs. nativist approach, (neo)behaviourism (learning, parallel processing of information), discourse-oriented psycholinguistics (3) Neuropsychology: neural and psychological foundations of language and speech basic structural-functional knowledge of relation between mind, brain and language: basic psychological processes of information processing, the issue of conscious and tacit knowledge, perception, models of memory and representation of knowledge, anatomical overview - structure and activity of neuron and brain, topology, localization and holistic theories, applied methods in neurolinguistics (4) Mental lexicon: structural principles 1 - form lexical entry and its structure, trade-off between approach and structural organization, organization on the level of form: relation between phonological and orthographical representation, prosodic structuring, bathtub effect (5) Mental lexicon: structural principles 2 - meaning theories of semantic/conceptual representation in mental lexicon: classical (Aristotelian) and neoclassical model, (probabilistic) theories of prototypes and specimen, theory of theories, conceptual atomism, semantic organization of mental lexicon from the standpoint of traditional linguistic categories (hierarchy, synonymy and antonymy, collocation) (6) Issues of hearing Problem of perception of speech signal on segmental and suprasegmental level, problem of non-invariance, segmentation and linearity, categorical processing of information, problem of co-articulation, phonemic reconstruction effect, prosodic clues, question of context information (7) Issues of writing overview of models of written production, research methods (protocol analysis, controlled retrospection), three-level model according to Heyes and Flower, neuropsychological models (Shallice), problem of graphemic and phonological lexicon (8) Issues of reading single- and dual-route decoding model, processing on the level of word (approach in mental lexicon), high-level language skills: inference in text, structure of story (9) Issues of comprehension representations of meaning on sound, word, sentence and text level, mental model, serial and parallel models of representation (cohorts, garden-path problems), Kintsch-van Dijk model of comprehension (10) Models of speech production comparison of basic parallel and serial models of production: Levelt, Dell, Carammazza, classes of evidence (reaction times, speech impediments, pathology of language) (11) Language acquisition basic approaches to language acquisition: nativist/rationalist, empiricist/constructional and interactional, research paradigms and methods, selected knowledge (beginnings of identification of speech units, phases and speed of vocabulary expansion, various views on grammar acquisition: bootstrapping, emergentism, critical period, socio-pragmatic aspects of language) (12) Language and speech impairments overview of the field of innate and acquired language pathology: specific language impairment (SLI), impairments of language and speech in autism and Down syndrome, problem of genetics, typology of aphasias (Boston classification)

Learning activities and teaching methods
Lecture, Monologic Lecture(Interpretation, Training), Dialogic Lecture (Discussion, Dialog, Brainstorming), Work with Text (with Book, Textbook), Methods of Written Work
Learning outcomes
The course aims to provide basic orientation in several dimensions of investigating the relation between language and human cognition: history of the discipline, main topics of psycholonguistic research, preferred approaches to solving basic questions and concrete analyses of selected problems. Students will be offered research models which address the issue of language and communication by posing questions related to the nature of their representation in human mind (and thus constitute an alternative/complement to traditional linguistic descriptions).
Students can navigate basic topics, theories and terminology of contemporary and experimental psycholinguistics. They understand the principles of experiment construction and possess basic knowledge of its evaluation and interpretation. They are able to propose a meaningful and context-aware project. They have learned to work with experiment-oriented tools (software, testing batteries).
Prerequisites
Basic reading knowledge of English. It is advised to have completed the course Basics of Mathematics for Linguists before taking this course.

Assessment methods and criteria
Written exam, Didactic Test, Systematic Observation of Student, Seminar Work

(1) Regular attendance (80 %) (2) Active participation in class and completing of assignments (required reading) (3) Test
Recommended literature
  • Aitchison, J. Words in the Mind. Blackwell 2003.
  • Aitchison, J. (2003). Words in the Mind. Blackwell.
  • Altmann, G. T. M., & Turbová, M. (2005). Výstup na babylonskou věž: otázky jazyka, mysli a porozumění. Praha: Triáda.
  • Altmann,G.T.M.: . (2005). Výstup na babylonskou věž. Otázky jazyka, mysli a porozumění.. Praha.
  • Eyesenck, M. W.-Keane, M. T. (2008). Kognitivní psychologie. Praha.
  • Eysenck, M. W., & Keane, M. T. (2008). Kognitivní psychologie. Praha: Academia.
  • Field, J. Psycholinguistics: A resource book for students. London and New York: Routledge 2004.
  • Field, J. (2004). Psycholinguistics: A resource book for students. London and New York: Routledge.
  • Field, J. Psycholinguistics: The Key Concepts. London and New York: Routledge 2004.
  • Field, J. (2004). Psycholinguistics: The Key Concepts. London and New York: Routledge.
  • Schwarzová, M. (2009). Úvod do kognitivní lingvistiky. Praha.
  • Volín, J. (2007). Statistické metody ve fonetickém výzkumu. Praha.


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester