Psychology 2134A 650
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
WESTERN UNIVERSITY
LONDON CANADA
Department of Psychology
May 3 – July 23, 2021
Psychology [2134A] Section 650
Psychology of Language
- 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.
Antirequisite: Not Applicable
Prerequisite: A mark of at least 60% in 1.0 credits of Psychology at the 1000 level.
Number of Lecture Hours: 33, online video lectures; Course Weight: 0.5
Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol 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. Nicolette Armstrong
Office Hours: Virtual meetings; by appointment only
Email: nnoonan3@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: Course material for each week will be posted via OWL on Thursdays
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Health and Wellness @Western https://www.uwo.ca/health/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
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 Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as Services for Students with Disabilities) at 519-661-2147.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Required text: D. Ludden, The Psychology of Language: An Integrated Approach, (2015). Sage Publications, Inc.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
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 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.
4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
|
Learning Outcome |
Learning Activity |
Assessment |
|
Compare and contrast speech, language and communication. |
Textbook reading Written lectures Video lectures |
Multiple choice/Short answer/Essay answer exams, multiple choice quizzes |
|
Evaluate theories of language processing (e.g., speech perception, sentence comprehension, word retrieval and speech production). |
Textbook reading Written lectures Video lectures |
Multiple choice/Short answer/Essay answer exams, multiple choice quizzes |
|
Describe research methods for assessing perception and production of speech and language across the lifespan. |
Textbook reading Written lectures Video lectures |
Multiple choice/Short answer/Essay answer exams, multiple choice quizzes |
|
Identify pathways and structures in the brain important for language functions. |
Textbook reading Written lectures Video lectures |
Multiple choice/Short answer/Essay answer exams, multiple choice quizzes |
|
Analyze differences in phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax and pragmatics across global languages. |
Textbook reading Written lectures Video lectures |
Multiple choice/Short answer/Essay answer exams, multiple choice quizzes |
5.0 EVALUATION
|
Weekly Quizzes (10) |
10% of final mark |
|
Midterm Examination |
35% of final mark |
|
Final Examination |
55% of final mark |
Formats
Quizzes are multiple choice and short answer, timed using universal design to accommodate students requiring extra time to complete assessments
Midterm/Final exams will be mixed format: multiple choice, short answer, and long answer questions. Exams will be open-book. I do not use Proctortrack or similar software for synchronous cheating detection. However, your answers must be your own. I will use offline tools (e.g., answer analysis, plagiarism detection software) to detect collaboration and other types of cheating.
Students found to be sharing the content of tests, quizzes or exams online will be referred to the Dean’s office for academic misconduct.
Make-up test format: students requiring a make-up examination may receive a different format exam from the original. These make-up exams cover a similar breadth and depth of the assigned material but using an alternative format such as essay questions. This is because we cannot assure exam confidentiality when tests are administered online.
Rounding policy
Exam and final grades will not be rounded
Grade distribution
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 to 2099-level courses
72% 2100-2999-level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows Western’s grading guidelines, which are as follows (see: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/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 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE
Weekly quizzes: There will be 10 weekly quizzes (with no quiz the week of May 24). Quizzes will be posted via OWL on Mondays, and will be due by the following Sunday, at 11:59pm.
Midterm: May 31 (online exam, via OWL)
Final exam: TBA (online exam, via OWL)
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Class is taught asynchronously, and each week’s materials will be posted online on Mondays.
|
Date |
Week |
Topic |
Reading |
|
May 3 |
1 |
Introduction/Overview Biology of Language, Language Evolution Quiz #1 |
Chapter 1 |
|
May 10 |
2 |
The Science of Language, Language and the Brain Quiz #2 |
Chapter 2 |
|
May 17 |
3 |
Speech Perception Quiz #3 |
Chapter 3 |
|
May 24* (Victoria Day) |
4 |
Language Development and Statistical Learning No quiz this week |
Saffran, 2003 (see OWL site) |
|
May 31 |
5 |
Midterm 1 – Covers all materials from weeks 1-4
|
|
|
June 7 |
6 |
Speech Production Quiz #4 |
Chapter 4 |
|
June 14 |
7 |
Turning Speech Into Words: Morphology and Semantics Quiz #5 |
Chapter 5 |
|
June 21 |
8 |
Sentence Processing Quiz #6 |
Chapter 6 |
|
June 28 |
9 |
Reading and Writing Quiz #7 |
Chapter 8 |
|
July 5 |
10 |
Bilingualism Quiz #8 |
Chapter 9 |
|
July 12 |
11 |
Signed Language Quiz #9 |
Chapter 10 |
|
July 19 |
12 |
Language and Technology Quiz #10 |
Chapter 13 |
|
(TBA) |
|
Final Exam, non-cumulative – Covers all materials from weeks 6-12 |
|
*Lecture material will be posted as scheduled on Monday, May 24th. There is no quiz this week (enjoy the holiday!). Material from the lecture and reading will be included on the Midterm exam.
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offences. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offences because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offence 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 offences. 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).
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams will be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
In classes that involve the use of a personal response system (PRS), data collected using the PRS will only be used in a manner consistent to that described in this outline. It is the instructor’s responsibility to make every effort to ensure that data remain confidential. However, students should be aware that as with all forms of electronic communication, privacy is not guaranteed. Your PRS login credentials are for your sole use only. Students attempting to use another student’s credentials to submit data through the PRS may be subject to academic misconduct proceedings.
Possible penalties for a scholastic offence include failure of the assignment/exam, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR ILLNESS OR OTHER ABSENCES
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
The full policy for consideration for absences can be accessed at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf
If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:
- Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
- For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;
- For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation. The self-reported absence form must be submitted before the exam/coursework deadline in order to be valid. It may NOT be used for absences longer than 48 hours; coursework/tests/exams/etc., worth more than 30% of the final grade; or exams scheduled in the December or April final-exam periods: http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
Students seeking academic consideration:
- are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;
- are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) or upsets (argument with a friend) are not normally an appropriate basis for a self-reported absence;
- must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence
Students seeking accommodation for religious purposes are advised to contact Academic Counselling at least three weeks prior to the religious event and as soon as possible after the start of the term.
10.0 CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR RETURN TO LOCKDOWN: IN-PERSON & BLENDED CLASSES
In the event of a COVID-19 resurgence during the term that necessitates the course delivery moving away from face-to-face interaction, all remaining course content will be delivered entirely online, either synchronously (i.e., at the times indicated in the timetable) or asynchronously (e.g., posted on OWL for students to view at their convenience). The grading scheme will not change. Any remaining assessments will also be conducted online, as determined by the course instructor.
11.0 STATEMENTS CONCERNING ONLINE ETIQUETTE
In courses involving online interactions, the Psychology Department expects students to honour the following rules of etiquette:
- please “arrive” to class on time
- please use your computer and/or laptop if possible (as opposed to a cell phone or tablet)
- please ensure that you are in a private location to protect the confidentiality of discussions in the event that a class discussion deals with sensitive or personal material
- to minimize background noise, kindly mute your microphone for the entire class until you are invited to speak, unless directed otherwise
- In classes larger than 30 participants please turn off your video camera for the entire class unless you are invited to speak
- In classes of 30 students or fewer, where video chat procedures are being used, please be prepared to turn your video camera off at the instructor’s request if the internet connection becomes unstable
- Unless invited by your instructor, do not share your screen in the meeting
The course instructor will act as moderator for the class and will deal with any questions from participants. To participate please consider the following:
- If you wish to speak, use the “raise hand” function and wait for the instructor to acknowledge you before beginning your comment or question.
- Please remember to unmute your microphone and turn on your video camera before speaking.
- Self-identify when speaking.
- Please remember to mute your mic and turn off your video camera after speaking (unless directed otherwise).
General considerations of “netiquette”:
- Keep in mind the different cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the students in the course.
- Be courteous toward the instructor, your colleagues, and authors whose work you are discussing.
- Be respectful of the diversity of viewpoints that you will encounter in the class and in your readings. The exchange of diverse ideas and opinions is part of the scholarly environment. “Flaming” is never appropriate.
- Be professional and scholarly in all online postings. Use proper grammar and spelling. Cite the ideas of others appropriately.
Note that disruptive behaviour of any type during online classes, including inappropriate use of the chat function, is unacceptable. Students found guilty of Zoom-bombing a class or of other serious online offenses may be subject to disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct.
12.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services: 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
- 2021-2022 Calendar References
If you wish to appeal a grade, please read the policy documentation at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/appealsundergrad.pdf
Please first contact the course instructor. If your issue is not resolved, you may make your appeal to the Undergraduate Chair in Psychology (psyugrd@uwo.ca).
Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, videos and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute any course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
