Untitled Flashcards Set

Study Guide for Midterm 1 - Psychology 125: Psychology of Language

Exam Date: Tuesday, January 28th

Exam Format: In-person, bring a pen or pencil

Note: This study guide highlights key topics and terms from class and assigned readings. Personalize it as needed for effective study.

Introduction to Language Science

Design Features of Language

  • Semanticity: Language conveys meaning.

  • Arbitrariness: The relationship between words and their meanings is not inherent (e.g., the word "dog" does not sound like or resemble a dog).

  • Duality of Patterning: Language can be broken down into units (like phonemes and morphemes) which can be combined in various ways.

  • Displacement: Language allows us to discuss things not present in time or space (past/future).

  • Productivity: Language can create and understand an infinite number of messages.

Key Psycholinguistic Processes & Terms

  • Phonology: Study of sounds (phonemes, minimal pairs).

  • Orthography: Written representation of language (graphemes).

  • Morphology: Structure of words (morphemes).

  • Semantics: Study of meaning.

  • Syntax: Rules for sentence structure.

Language from an Evolutionary Perspective

Reverse Engineering Approach

  • Suggests looking at which language features might have evolved first, such as the ability to communicate symbolically.

Language Adaptations

  • Anatomical structures specialized for speech (vocal tract).

  • Distinctions between experience-expectant vs. experience-dependent systems in language acquisition.

  • Examples of Pidgins & Creoles, which show spontaneous language generation.

  • Nicaraguan Sign Language serves as an example of a new language developing from gesture systems.

Continuity vs. Discontinuity Hypothesis

  • Continuity: Language evolved from simpler forms.

  • Discontinuity: Human language is fundamentally different from animal communication.

Communication Abilities in Other Species

  • Consider evidence from primates (e.g., vocalizations, signing).

Speech Production

WEAVER++ Model

  • Process of speech production in stages:

    1. Conceptualization: Formulating an idea.

    2. Formulation: Selecting words and grammatical structures.

    3. Articulation: Producing sounds.

    4. Self-monitoring: Detecting and correcting errors.

Evidence for WEAVER++

  • Tip of Tongue States: Indicate issues at phonological encoding.

  • Speech Errors: Semantic substitutions and phonetic errors reveal processing stages.

  • Picture Naming Studies: Show word retrieval dynamics and naming time differences based on frequency.

Coarticulation

  • Description of how sounds overlap in speech production.

Speech Errors

  • Different types like semantic substitutions and sound exchanges reveal how errors map to speech production models.

Word Decoding

Characteristics of Speech

  • Vowels & Consonants: Differences in production (frequency spectra, formants).

  • Voice Onset Time (VOT): Relates to speech perception of voicing.

Challenges to Perception

  • Variability (coarticulation, speaker variability).

  • Categorical Perception: The tendency to perceive sounds as categories rather than continuous variations.

Context Cues in Perception

  • Use of prosody, syntax, and semantics to aid in understanding speech.

Phonemic Restoration Effect & McGurk Effect

  • Examples of how context helps fill in perceived gaps in speech data.

Theories of Speech Perception

Motor Theory

  • Suggests speech perception is based on recognizing the articulatory gestures used in speech.

General Auditory Approach

  • Proposes that speech perception uses the same auditory mechanisms as non-speech sounds.

Additional Topics

Sign Language

  • Organized system with its own phonological features, distinct from mere gestures.

Reading

  • Requires specific cognitive processing; differs from decoding spoken language and involves understanding writing systems.

Writing Systems

  • Types include alphabets, syllabaries, and logographic systems, each with different grapheme-phoneme mappings.

Study Tips:

  • Review your notes and lectures, focusing on understanding definitions and examples.

  • Formulate questions from the material to quiz yourself or study in groups.

  • Explore key concepts in depth, especially those highlighted by your instructor or in readings.

Ensure you're comfortable with the topics mentioned above for a thorough preparation ahead of your exam. Good luck!