Psycholinguistics

Course

URL study guide

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2024-2025/L_AABACIW109

Course Objective

The main objective of the course is to provide an introduction to core areas of psycholinguistics including language production, speech perception, word recognition, and language comprehension, as well as some aspects of first and second language acquisition, bilingualism and language disorders. Upon the completion of the course, students will: · be familiar with a wide range of experimental paradigms and techniques that are used in psycholinguistic research; · be well informed about the current state of our understanding of language processing and central debates in psycholinguistic research; · gain insight into different research methods in the filed of psycholinguistics; · be able to critically view and/or analyze other’s work in the field in an oral presentation; · have developed the following general academic skills: · Extracting knowledge from literature independently; · Synthesizing and analyzing information from different resources in an academic way; · Developing own research given certain research ideas/questions; · Presenting research proposal oral formats; · Writing a coherent, well-formulated report with adequate references.

Course Content

This course is an introduction to psycholinguistics, an interdisciplinary scientific field that integrates concepts and techniques from modern linguistics, psychology and neuroscience. It investigates and describes the mental processes involved in the production and comprehension of language. Through lectures, assignments, and hands-on sessions you will gain knowledge and learn skills and tools to address questions like: How do we produce, perceive and recognize spoken and written language? How do we acquire language(s)? How is linguistic knowledge represented, structured and stored in our mind and brain, and how this knowledge is used in the real-time processing of language?

Teaching Methods

There are three meeting moments scheduled each week, including (guest) lectures, seminars and also micro-lectures given by students. Attendance at the meetings is highly recommended.

Method of Assessment

Students are assessed for this course by the following components: · Assignments (individual): 5% · Micro-lecture (group): 20% · Research proposal (group): 15% · Oral presentation (group): 10% · Final written exam (individual): 50% In order to pass the course, a minimum grade of 5.5 is required for the final exam as well as for the final grade of the course. Please note that only the final written exam can be re-sit.

Literature

Text book: Sedivy, Julie (2019). Language in Mind: an Introduction in Psycholinguistics. Second Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Companion website: oup.com/us/sedivy2e Additional non-textbook readings are possible and will be announced during the course.

Target Audience

Bachelor Communication and Information Studies (CIS): Language learning and Mind

Recommended background knowledge

Basic knowledge of general linguistics.

Explanation Canvas

Canvas will be intensively used for all kinds of communication between the teacher and the students, among students, for group projects, group discussions and online collaborations.
Academic year1/09/2431/08/25
Course level6.00 EC

Language of Tuition

  • English

Study type

  • Bachelor