Psychology 2134A-001
Psychology of Language
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
This course introduces the vocabulary and concepts used by psychologists who study human language. The course covers traditional psycholinguistic topics such as meaning, speech perception, comprehension, production and theories of language acquisition.Prerequisite: At least 60% in a 1000 level Psychology course
4 lecture hours, 0.5 course
Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Marc Joanisse
Office and Phone Number: SSC 7336 – ext 86582
Office Hours: Fridays, 11:30-12:30
Email: marcj (at) uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: Nicolette Noonan
Office Hours: By appointment only
Email: nicolettenoonan (at) gmail.com
Time and Location of Lectures: Tuesday/Thursday KB-K106
If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you. Please visit: http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Required reader: Ludden, D. (2016). The Psychology of Language. Supplementary readings and other links will be posted on WebCT.4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
The field of psycholinguistics is the study of how people produce and understand language. It is a branch of cognitive science, which is the study of mental processes. This course will cover many areas of language research, including: the structure of language; language acquisition; speech perception and production; sentence processing; reading; language and the brain; and language disorders. The goal of the course is to familiarize you with psychological phenomena related to language, theories that try to explain how and why these phenomena occur, and experimental evidence supporting or challenging these theories.5.0 EVALUATION
Three Exams (100%). The first will be worth 30% and the second and third will be worth 35% each. They will consist of multiple choice and short answer questions. Each exam will test the material covered in the preceding unit. Exams are non-cumulative however concepts in later lectures build on those that we learned in the early classes. The exams will test knowledge of material presented in the assigned lectures and readings. Not everything in the lecture will be in the readings, and not everything in the readings will be discussed in the lectures. But assume that all of it will be on the exam.
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses
72% 2190-2990 level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows the University of Western Ontario grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/general/grades_undergrad.pdf):
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
F below 50 Fail
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
Exam #1: Oct 6, in class
Exam #2: Nov 10, in class
Final Exam: During exam period. Date/Time TBA
Missed ExamsPlease see Section 9 (below) for the policy on missed exams. (Short version: make-ups for missed exams are handled by the Academic Counsellor’s office, not by the professor. They are provided only in cases of illness on the day of the exam, or for compassionate reasons. No make-up exams without proper documentation).
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Note this is tentative and subject to change as time permits. Please attend class for updates.
Date Topic Chapter
Sep 10 (Thu) Introduction Overview of Human Language 1
Sep 15 (Tue) Biological Foundations; Language Evolution 1
Sep 17 (Thu) The Science of Language 2
Sep 22 (Tue) Language and the brain 2
Sep 24 (Thu) Speech Perception 3
Sep 29 (Tue) Infant Speech Perception 3
Oct 1 (Thu) Statistical Learning 3
Oct 6 (Tue) Midterm 1
Oct 8 (Thu) Speech Production 4
Oct 13 (Tue) Speech Production II 4
Oct 15 (Thu) Words I 5
Oct 20 (Tue) Words II 5
Oct 22 (Thu) Sentences I 6
Oct 27 (Tue) Sentences II 6
Oct 29 (Thu) Fall Break – no class today
Nov 3 (Tue) Reading – Visual Word Recognition 8
Nov 5 (Thu) Reading Development and Disorders 8
Nov 10 (Tue) Midterm 2
Nov 12 (Thu) Bilingualism 9
Nov 17 (Tue) Second language learning 9
Nov 19 (Thu) Class cancelled today
Nov 24 (Tue) Language Learning in Exceptional Cases
Nov 26 (Thu) Sign Languages 11
Dec 1 (Tue) Language and Thought I 12
Dec 3 (Thu) Language and Thought II 12
Dec 8 (Tue) Language and technology 13
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS
The University of Western Ontario’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2015/pg117.html
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
10.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2015 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.
