| Unit name | Advanced Psychology of Language |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PSYCM0052 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1A (weeks 1 - 6) |
| Unit director | Professor. Damian |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
Students must not have taken PSYC31049 |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Psychological Science |
| Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
This unit is a comprehensive overview of the perceptual and cognitive mechanisms involved in language acquisition, comprehension and production. A major aim of this unit is to sensitise students to the fact that, although seemingly effortless, language activities require a great deal of complex and fast mental computation. In keeping with recent advances in behavioural neuroscience, the neuro-anatomical substrates of language functions will also be examined. The unit will cover the following topics: Language and thought, speech recognition, speech production., bilingualism, neuroscience of language and aphasiology, evolutionary perspectives.
At the end of the unit, students will be able to explain how language processing differs from other auditory and visual abilities and discuss current contentions about the status of language in evolution. They will also be able to answer the question, What do we know when we know language?Moreover, students will master basic notions in speech acoustics and they will be able to identify the areas controlling language on a brain map. By the end of the unit, students will have demonstrated independent study informed by primary sources and knowledge at the forefront of the discipline, and have a Master’s level ability in terms of critical insight, depth of knowledge, independent thought and the ability to propose new hypotheses.
This unit comprises 18 x 50 minute lectures and 5 x 50 minute tutorials
Summative assessment: one 2000 word essay (30%) and one 2 hour exam (70%)
Altmann, G. T. M. (1997). The ascent of Babel: An exploration of language, mind and understanding. Oxford: Oxford University Press. P37 ALT
Ellis, A. W., & Young, A. W. (1996). Human cognitive neuropsychology: A textbook with readings. Hove, England: Psychology Press. QP360 ELL
Gaskell, M. G. (2007). The Oxford handbook of psycholinguistics. Oxford: Oxford
University Press. BS455 OXF Pinker, S. (1994). The language instinct. New York: Harper Collins. P106 PIN
Traxler, M. J. & Gernsbacher, M. A. (2006). Handbook of psycholinguistics. London: Elsevier. P37 HAN
