Language and the Mind

Summary module description:

Aims:
The study of how the mind acquires, stores and processes language (known as psycholinguistics) covers a wide range of topics and draws its ideas from disciplines such as psychology, linguistic analysis, speech science and neuroscience. The aim of the module is to introduce some of the more accessible areas of interest, providing an introduction which illustrates the scope of the field and the research methods it employs. The approach places importance upon learning through reflecting on and analysing data, with a view to getting students to represent and interpret issues in the way a psycholinguist would.

Assessable learning outcomes:
By the end of the module it is expected that the student will be able to:
? demonstrate an understanding of the main concerns of psycholinguistics, and adopt a critical stance on the discussion of psycholinguistic issues;
? demonstrate the ability to interpret data from a psycholinguistic perspective;
? demonstrate familiarity with the research methods employed in psycholinguistics and the ability to follow, analyse and evaluate some of the simpler findings in the field;
? gain additional insights into the nature of language, and an understanding of the way language reflects the capabilities and the preferred routines of the human brain.
Additional outcomes:
The module aims to develop the students? oral communication skills and to foster the ability to discuss and analyse concrete data or problematic issues in pairs or in small groups. Students will also become familiar with some of the methods and measures employed in psychological research.

Outline content:
The focus of the module is on a) the storage of language and b) the ways in which the forms taken by language reflect predispositions of the human mind. Issues include animal communication and the extent to which it resembles language; where language is located in the brain; theories of how language first evolved; how vocabulary is stored and how it is retrieved when we need it; the relationship between language and thought; communication in visually impaired populations and sign language.

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:
Lectures with tasks in which students evaluate methods and data.

Summative Assessment Methods:
Report 30%
Class test administered by School 70%

Other information on summative assessment:
Coursework

Students will complete a small-scale project on lexical storage or lexical retrieval, using an established psycholinguistic method. Findings will be presented in a report of 1000 words. (30%)

Students will sit two in-class tests on the topics covered in the module. (70%)

Relative percentage of coursework: 100%

Formative assessment methods:

Penalties for late submission:
The Module Convener will apply the following penalties for work submitted late, in accordance with the University policy.
where the piece of work is submitted up to one calendar week after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for the piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/qualitysupport/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Requirements for a pass:
A mark of 40% overall.