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!