THE
PSYCHOLOGY OF LANGUAGE
Haverford College
Psychology 238
Marilyn
Boltz
Office:
405 Sharpless
Email: mboltz@haverford.edu
Phone:
896-1235
Language characterizes one of the most important and pervasive aspects
of human behavior. Through both
written and vocal means, language allows us to express our thoughts and
feelings to others as well as obtaining information from the world around
us. Indeed, it would be difficult
to imagine the sense of isolation or the probability of surviving in a society
in which its members are unable to communicate with one another.
The
intent of this course is to examine various aspects of language behavior from a
psychological perspective. After
considering some of the evolutionary and biological pressures leading to the
emergence of language, we'll then look at the underlying processes involved in
both perceiving and producing speech as well as deriving the intended meaning
of the speech message itself. As we
will discover, some of these comprehension processes rely on prior knowledge of
objects and events from the natural environment, while others rely on nonverbal
behavior and certain "rules" of conversational interaction. Lastly, variations in language use will
be addressed, not only from the perspective of the child who is attempting to
acquire language, but also from individuals who differ in gender, race, and
socioeconomic status. The
culmination of these various issues will then allow us to consider the
relationship between language and thought and whether one's particular
linguistic background constrains and determines the way we think about our
environment.
The required text for this course is Psychology of Language, Third
Edition by D.W. Carroll. In
addition to this, other required readings will be available on e-reserve
through the Magill Library home page.
Your course grade will be weighted by the following factors:
Exam
One 25%
Exam
Two 25%
Exam
Three 25%
Paper 25%
LECTURE OUTLINE
I. Linguistics and Psychology
- What is
psycholinguistics and what issues are of interest?
- Historical
Origins
Behaviorism
Influence of Noam Chomsky
READINGS:
Carroll, Chapters 1 and 2
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II. Biological Foundations of
Language
- Neurological mechanisms of language production and
comprehension
- Aphasia and
implications for normal language processing
- Hemispheric
differences
- Evolution of
language
- Language in
other animal species - dolphins, bees, and primates
READINGS:
Carroll, Chapter 13
á
Springer, S. &
Deutsch, G. (l998). The human split brain: Surgical separation of the hemispheres. In R. Honeck (Ed.), Introductory
readings for cognitive psychology.
NY: McGraw Hill.
á
Demers, R. (l988). Linguistics and animal
communication. In F. Newmeyer
(Ed.), Linguistics: The Cambridge survey. Vol. III. Cambridge University Press.
á
Rumbaugh, D.M. &
Savage-Rumbaugh, S. (l994) Language in comparative
perspective. In N.J. MacKintosh
(Ed.), Animal learning and cognition. (pp. 307-333). NY: Academic Press.
á
Dingwall, W.O. (l988). The evolution of human communicative behavior. In F. Newmeyer (Ed.), Linguistics:
The Cambridge survey. Vol. III. Cambridge University Press.
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III. Perception of Language
- Articulatory
phonetics and the production of speech sounds
- Acoustic
phonetics and the physical characteristics of speech
- Categorical
perception
- Models of
speech perception
- Reading
behavior
READINGS:
Carroll, Chapter 4
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EXAM ONE
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IV. The Internal Lexicon
- How are words
and their concepts stored?
- Models of
semantic memory
Hierarchical Models
Feature Comparison Model
Spreading Activation Model
- Retrieval of
words from memory - factors influencing lexical access
- Role of
linguistic context in lexical access
READINGS:
Carroll, Chapter 5
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V. Sentence Comprehension
- Role of
syntax in understanding sentences
- Memory for
sentences:
constructive memory and inferences
presuppositions
propositional models of sentence memory
- Applications
to eyewitness testimony and advertising
READINGS:
Carroll, Chapter 6
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VI. Discourse Comprehension
-
Microstructure of stories: Sentential relations and the Given-New Contract
-
Representations of discourse in memory
- Role of
inferential processes
-
Macrostructure of stories: The role of schemata and story grammars
- Applications
to education and classroom learning
READINGS:
Carroll, Chapter 7
á
Taylor, S. &
Crocker, J. (l981). Schematic bases of social information
processing. From E.T. Higgins,
C.P. Herman, & M.P. Zanna (Eds.), Social Cognition: The Ontario
Symposium, Vol. 1 Erlbaum Press.
á
Black, J. Understanding and remembering stories.
VII. Language Production
- Insights from
"slips of the tongue"
- Stages of
language planning
- Mechanisms of
speech production
- Hesitations
and syntactic planning
- Insights from
sign language
READINGS:
Carroll, Chapter 8
á
Motley, M. (l985). Slips of the tongue. Scientific American, 253, 116-127.
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EXAM TWO
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VIII.
Conversational Interaction
- Display of
nonverbal behavior:
proxemics and kinesics
eye gaze
information from qualities of the voice
- The temporal structure of
conversation - interactional synchrony and speaker accomodation
- Conversation
as an implicit contract - conversational maxims
- Turn-taking
behavior
- Influence of
social factors
- Schizophrenic
thought and language - a breakdown of conversational norms
READINGS:
Carroll, Chapter 9
á
Laver, J. (l976). Language and nonverbal communication. In E.C. Carterette & M.P. Friedman
(Eds.), Handbook of perception, Vol. 7, Language and speech.
á
Tartarr, V.C. (l986). Language changes from personality disorders. From Language processes by V.C. Tartarr. NY: Holt,
Rhinehart, & Winston.
á
Chaika, E. (l986). Crazy talk. In
D. Goleman & D. Heller (Eds.),
The pleasures of psychology. NY: Mentor Publishing.
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IX. Linguistic Diversity
- Variations
due to socioeconomic status
- Eubonics and
Black English
- Gender
differences in language behavior - What do they reflect?
- Relationship
between thought and language - Does oneÕs linguistic system influence
perception, memory, and thinking?
READINGS:
Carroll, Chapter 14
á
Foss, D. & Hakes,
D. (l978). Language and thought in the context of
linguistic diversity and linguistic universals.
á
Thorne, B. &
Henley, N. (l975). Difference and
dominance: An overview of language, gender, and society.
á
Henley, N. &
Kramarae, C. (l994). Gender, power, and
miscommunication. In C. Roman, S.
Juhasz & C. Miller (Eds.), The woman and language debate. (pp.
383-406). Rutgers University
Press.
á
Tannen, D. (l997). ÒPut down that paper and talk to me!Ó: Rapport-talk and report-talk. In D. Sattler & V. Shabatay (Eds.),
Psychology in context. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin.
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X. Language Development
- Factors
influencing language acquisition
- Stages of
language development: The
preverbal child, acquisition of phonology, the lexicon
and
grammar
- Emergence of
linguistic awareness and meta-linguistic skills
- Development
of conversational skills
- Language
acquisition in the school - reading behavior
READINGS:
Carroll, Chapters 10, 11
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EXAM THREE
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