06 December 2024 at 08_45_01 -Talking About Language Processing_default_7f7f9789

Introduction

• Welcome to the last cognitive lecture of the term.

• Reminder about end-of-module questionnaires focusing on:

  • Pace of lectures

  • Level of content

Exam Tips

• Short Answers and Multiple Choice:

  • Write something even if unsure.

  • Make educated guesses where possible.

• Time Management during Exam:

  • Know marks allocation for each section (MCQs, short answers, essays).

  • Allocate time accordingly; do not overspend time on one section.

  • Aim for balance to avoid short essays.

Today's Topic: Language Processing

• Focus on the psychology of language and language processing.

• Psycholinguistics: Study of:

  • Representations

  • Mechanisms

  • Processes underlying language use and acquisition (though less emphasis on acquisition today).

Aspects of Language Use

• Comprehension: Understanding spoken/written language.

• Production: Speaking/writing processes.

• Interaction in conversations involves back and forth between comprehension and production.

Levels of Language Processing

1. Word Processing: Recognizing words.

2. Structural Processing: Arranging words into complex structures.

3. Meaning Processing: Understanding the meaning conveyed by words in structure.

   • Process requires knowledge from linguistics but focuses on distinct psychological questions.

Competence vs. Performance (Chomsky)

• Linguistic Competence: Knowledge of language.

• Linguistic Performance: Actual use of language, including mistakes.

  • Important to distinguish between competence and performance in understanding real language use.

Comprehension and Production Interaction

• Both processes likely share a common knowledge base but differ in execution.

• Common theories divide mechanisms for comprehension and production.

Stages of Language Processing

• Word Identification:

  • Spoken language poses segmentation problem (continuous stream of sounds).

  • Written language has clear word boundaries.

• Mental Lexicon: A store of word meanings and relationships.

Processing Written Language

• Eye Movements:

  • Saccades and Fixations: Jerky eye movements while reading.

  • Typically, only one fixation per word, with occasional regressions to re-read.

Production of Language

• Involves:

  • Idea formulation

  • Structuring to convey meaning

  • Choosing individual words.

• Challenges with complexity and real-time constraints in production.

Comprehension Over Production in Research

• Most psycholinguistic research focuses on comprehension; easier to measure outcomes.

• Written language research predominates due to easier experimental designs.

Word Processing Models

• Modern models (e.g., Interactive Activation Model by McClelland & Rumelhart) explain identification processes through interconnected detectors.

• Factors influencing word identification:

  • Length of words

  • Commonality of words

  • Spelling (regular vs. irregular)

Structural Processing (Syntax)

• Analyzing how words group into phrases and sentences.

• Syntactic processing considers multiple potential structures as hearing/reading unfolds:

  • Example of ambiguous sentences highlights structural decision-making issues.

  • Need for contextual help to resolve ambiguities (e.g., "The cops saw the man with the telescope").

Meaning Processing

• Pragmatics: Focus on implicit meanings and context importance.

• Studies indicate that sentences often convey cues that guide comprehension of causes and consequences.

Dialogue and Conversational Processing

• Alignment phenomenon: Speakers adapt to each other's speech patterns.

• Audience design: Difficulty tailoring speech to the listeners’ knowledge.

Conclusion

• Psycholinguistics includes storing and using language information, exploring comprehension, structure, meaning, written vs. spoken language intricacies, and dialogue dynamics.

• Good luck with the upcoming exams!