PSYb2861 The Psychology of Language

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2020
Extent and Intensity
0/0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
Radim Lacina, B.A., M.Sc. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Jan Širůček, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology – Faculty of Social Studies
Supplier department: Department of Psychology – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Thu 18:00–19:40 U43
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/20, only registered: 0/20, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/20
Course objectives (in Czech)
Language is undoubtedly one of the cognitive abilities that set us humans apart from animals. In this course, we will explore language as it is acquired in childhood and as it is produced and comprehended in adulthood. We will do so by examining a series of concrete questions in the field with the broader implications for linguistic theory and cognitive science in mind.
Learning outcomes (in Czech)
Having successfully completed the course, the student will be able to:
- exhibit knowledge in selected areas of the acquisition, production, and comprehension of language;
- understand how the research questions of psycholinguistics fit within linguistics and cognitive science;
- debate the scientific merit of positions taken with regards to major controversies within psycholinguistics;
- understand the most commonly used methods in psycholinguistic research
Syllabus (in Czech)
  • 1. What is language? An introduction to linguistics
  • 2. Are we born with language? The “Poverty of the Stimulus” argument
  • 3. Word learning: How do children figure out what they mean?
  • 4. From thinking to speaking: Producing language step by step
  • 5. How do we pick what to say? Syntactic choice
  • 6. How far ahead do we plan when we speak? Incremental production
  • 7. Parsing and modularity: Comprehending sentences in real time
  • 8. Dependency completion: Memory in comprehension
  • 9. Prediction in comprehension: Looking ahead
  • 10. Sentences in context: What does focus do?
  • 11. Going beyond what is said: Pragmatics
  • 12. Does knowing more than one language make you smarter? The bilingual advantage
  • 13. Conclusion: What was this all about?
Teaching methods (in Czech)
lectures, class discussion, reading
Assessment methods (in Czech)
This course will be assessed by a colloquium. The assessment will consist in a 2000-word essay answering either any one of the discussion questions or the student’s own question so long as it pertains to an issue in psycholinguistics. Should students wish to write an essay on their own question, they are advised to consult their choice with the lecturer first. These essays will then be discussed in a colloquium either individually or in a group. The essay and the discussion together will then serve as the basis of the student’s passing or failing the course.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2022.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2020, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/autumn2020/PSYb2861