MAAL7006 Psycholinguistics
COURSE TEACHER:
Dr. Derek Chan
Email: dhlchan@hku.hk
Overview
This course is an introduction to psycholinguistics – the use of experiments to study how psychological and cognitive processes affect language comprehension, production, and acquisition. The course will examine issues and debates central to the psycholinguistics of bilingualism and second language acquisition, following a survey of foundational topics including basic psychological processes, memory, speech production and errors, word recognition, sentence comprehension and processing, language disorder and aphasia, language and thought.
Aims
Drawing on interdisciplinary insights and tools from philosophy, cognitive psychology, linguistics, cognitive neuroscience, and computer science, the course guides students to explore the following key questions:
What is language? Its origin, function(s), and universality, compared to animals and machines?
How is language performed and developed among individuals and societies?
What cognitive processes are required to support various language functions and development? What happens if things go wrong?
What are the tools that allow us to measure language performance, i.e. from speaking to comprehension?
Is language independent from thinking?
Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs):
| CLO No. | CLO Statement
Upon successful completion of this Module, you should be able to: |
| 1 | Establish a broad understanding of key concepts, questions, theories, and applications in psycholinguistics |
| 2 | Analyze and evaluate theoretical and empirical literature critically and scholarly |
| 3 | Appreciate basic design principles, methods, and complexities of psycholinguistic experiments |
| 4 | Apply psycholinguistic knowledge to varying fields such as psychology, marketing, translation, legal studies, and language teaching |
Assessment
Students will write an 1,800-word paper (+/- 10%) on a topic in psycholinguistics, demonstrating their knowledge and critical understanding of relevant concepts, theories, and approaches from the course. There will also be an in-class group presentation component. Further details will be provided at the start of the module.
GenAI Policy
Responsible and transparently documented use of GenAI is permitted for brainstorming and language editing. It is not permitted for generating analysis or writing any sections of the paper. Students are encouraged to use AI as a thought partner; however, the final submission must demonstrably represent the student’s own intellectual work. A complete GenAI Use Declaration is required where GenAI has been used.
Key References
Carroll, D. W. (2008). Psychology of language. (5th Ed.). Thomson Wadsworth.
Traxler, M. J. (2012). Introduction to psycholinguistics: Understanding language science. Wiley.
Schedule (Semester 2)
| Session | Topic |
| 1 | Introduction |
| 2 | Speech production and errors |
| 3 | Comprehension and sentence processing |
| 4 | Language disorder and aphasia |
| 5 | Language and thought |
| 6 | In-class group presentations and course wrap-up |