PSYC 4220 LANGUAGE AND THE MIND
SYLLABUS - FALL 2014
PSYC 4220 Fall 2014
LANGUAGE AND THE MIND
Course Description:
In this course, we will explore the role of language as part of the broader human cognitive experience with both breadth and depth. We will
examine not only the (assumed) mental representation of language involved in language processing, but also the relationship between
language and other domains, including music, emotion, numerical and spatial reasoning. We will consider topics that frequently appear in
popular media (e.g., “Does bilingualism make you ‘smarter’?”) and practice tackling these issues with a critical approach. The breadth of
our study will come from the wide range of topics we will cover, while the depth of study will come in the form of individual projects
which will allow you to spend more time researching questions and issues that are of particular interest to you.
Instructor
Time
Office hours
Location
Website
Materials
Dr. Jill Duffield cecily.duffield@colorado.edu
Tuesday/Thursday 2:00-3:15
Tuesday/Thursday 1:00-2:00
MUEN E432
D2L Course website
No textbook purchase will be required; all readings will be provided
on-line.
Students are expected to make group presentations at a poster
session at the end of the semester.
Course Goals:
This course is designed to help students practice and develop skills that will serve them in a professional setting. Throughout the course,
students are expected to identify and summarize relevant information, present ideas in a clear and concise manner, think critically about
current issues in the field, provide constructive feedback to their colleagues, and engage in discussion and debate in a professional manner.
Students are also expected to develop the skills necessary to engage in intelligent and reasoned discussions of language issues that are of
interest to the lay person, thereby contributing to the knowledge of their communities at large, outside of the academic setting.
PSYC 4220 LANGUAGE AND THE MIND
SYLLABUS - FALL 2014
Critical thinking is a main focus of this class. It is an important skill that is relevant not only to academic and professional pursuits, but to
our personal lives and the ways in which we engage our world. Students will be expected to practice and develop critical thinking skills
during the course of the semester. Consider the description of ‘critical thinking’ presented on Wikipedia (yes, gasp, Wikipedia! But it was
chosen after critical consideration.) Think about how the definition applies in our class (emphasis mine):
Critical thinking, in its broadest sense has been described as "purposeful reflective judgment concerning what to believe or what to
do."1 The list of core critical thinking skills includes interpretation, analysis, inference, evaluation, explanation and meta-cognition.
There is a reasonable level of consensus among experts that an individual or group engaged in strong critical thinking gives due
consideration to the evidence, the context of judgment, the relevant criteria for making the judgment well, the applicable
methods or techniques for forming the judgment, and the applicable theoretical constructs for understanding the problem and
the question at hand. In addition to possessing strong critical thinking skills, one must be disposed to engage problems and
decisions using those skills. Critical thinking employs not only logic but broad intellectual criteria such as clarity, credibility,
accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, significance and fairness.2 The positive habits of mind which characterize a person
strongly disposed toward critical thinking include
* a courageous desire to follow reason and evidence wherever they may lead,
* open-mindedness,
* foresight attention to the possible consequences of choices,
* a systematic approach to problem solving,
* inquisitiveness,
* fair-mindedness and maturity of judgment, and
* confidence in reasoning.3
Critical thinking: A statement of expert consensus for purposes of educational assessment and instruction. ERIC Document No. ED 315-423
See NCES 95-001, op cit. page 14-15.
3 The National Assessment of College Student Learning: Identification of the Skills to be Taught, Learned, and Assessed, NCES 94-286, US Dept of Education,
Addison Greenwod (Ed), Sal Carrallo (PI). See also, Critical thinking: A statement of expert consensus for purposes of educational assessment and instruction. ERIC
Document No. ED 315-423
1
2
PSYC 4220 LANGUAGE AND THE MIND
SYLLABUS - FALL 2014
Course requirements:
PARTICIPATION
(ATTENDANCE/DISCUSSION
& POSTED QUESTIONS)
20%
QUIZZES
15%
BLOG POST
15%
FINAL PROJECT:
POSTER
15%
GROUP PRESENTATION
20%
FINAL PROJECT:
FINAL PAPER
15%
Participation (20% of the final grade) is essential to the success of the course! This includes not only attendance, but engaging in
discussion in the classroom, participating in discussion of readings and data analysis, asking questions of and providing feedback to your
colleagues, coming in to office hours to prepare for presentations and discuss final projects, and participating in on-line discussions. Each
of the following will be counted in evaluating participation:
 Attendance is strictly required (you can’t participate if you don’t show up!). However, it is understood that events sometimes may
prevent you from attending class (life happens!) You will be allowed two absences in the course of the semester with no penalty on
your grade. These will include sick days, emergencies, and ‘mental health’ days. Additional absences will only be excused in
emergency situations with documentation. More than 8 absences will result in an automatic failure of the course—please
note that this policy will be held in place regardless of your scores in other areas.
 Preparation for class discussion. This includes:
o Preparing & posting at least 2 questions/comments/reactions to 5 of the assigned readings (10%) for days that
you attend. These questions MUST be emailed to me at least four hours before the beginning of class.
o Other methods that may be helpful to you:
 Keeping a list of questions or comments that come to mind as you do the reading
 Comparing the ideas presented in the reading with ideas we’ve previously discussed in class
 Summarizing the main ideas of the reading and deciding whether or not you agree with the author
o Participating in discussion—which requires attendance—in each class (10%). Even shy students will be expected to
participate a bit during every class! Our discussions will take many different formats, including small groups and one-onone discussions, so even if you feel nervous speaking in a large group, you should have an opportunity to participate in a
forum that is comfortable. However, it may happen that you have a brilliant idea about the discussion that doesn’t pop into
PSYC 4220 LANGUAGE AND THE MIND
SYLLABUS - FALL 2014
your head until two hours after class has finished! In this case, you are encouraged to participate in on-line discussion after
class (and even if you’ve spoken up, you are encouraged to post comments on-line!). Students who choose to participate in
on-line discussion are encouraged respond to others’ comments as well as provide their own insights, contributing to the
interactive nature of the class.
During the semester, each student will produce a blog post (15% of the final grade) on a topic of their choice related to the class. This
blog post should be written for the general public from the point of view of an expert. The details of the topics and formats this
assignment can take will be discussed in the first two weeks of classes.
There will be 5 in-class quizzes (15%) over the course of the semester. You will be asked to briefly summarize key concepts and theories
in your own words, and to express your intelligent and informed opinion on those topics. No make-up quizzes will be allowed.
Students will also be asked to work in groups (of no more than 3 people) to present in one class during the semester. Group
presentations (20% of the final grade) will be based on peer-reviewed research papers relevant to the topics covered in the course.
Presentations should generally be 15 minutes long, followed by 5-10 minutes for questions and class discussion. Please see “Guidelines for
Class Presentations” (to be handed out in the second week of classes) for more details. All group members are expected to meet with me as
part of their preparation for the presentation. Every member of the group is expected to participate during the presentation, and your grade
will be based on both the overall group presentation and on individual performance.
Students may complete final projects (30% of the final grade) as individuals or as part of a group of up to 4 people. Final projects will
consist of two parts. One part is a final paper (15%), outlining a detailed design of a study that addresses a topic that we have covered in
the course. The paper should be written in a style that is accessible to the intelligent layperson. In other words, your paper should be able
to clearly summarize and explain the issues you are addressing, the methods of your proposed study, and the interpretation of your
expected results to someone who has no background in the course material. Final papers should incorporate feedback received from
colleagues at the poster session (15%), which is the other part of the final project. Students will present posters of their projects at a
professional academic style poster session. Posters should present information in a visually appropriate manner such that the main ideas,
methods, and expected results are clearly communicated to the audience. Students will also be expected to prepare a brief “elevator
speech,” explaining their poster to colleagues. Finally, students should solicit feedback and incorporate suggestions into their final papers.
More details on both the paper and the poster will be given in the second half of the semester.
PSYC 4220 LANGUAGE AND THE MIND
SYLLABUS - FALL 2014
Week
Date
Theme
Assigned Reading
Presentations,
Blogs, Quizzes
INTRODUCTION
Week
1
26Aug
Overview of the course
Thinking critically about the
issues
Jackendoff, R.(2011). What is the human language faculty?: Two views. Language 87(3),
586-624. Linguistic Society of America.
Discussion of experimental
methods
28Aug
What do language users know?
Defining human language
A basic review of linguistic
structure
Chp. 1 pp 3-15 "The Complexity of Linguistic Structure" in Jackendoff (2003)
Foundations of language: Brain, meaning, grammar, evolution. Oxford University
Press
Optional: Chp 1. pp. 1-40 "An Introduction to psycholinguistics: What do
language users know?" from Berko-Gleason & Bernstein Ratner (1993)
Thompson Learning
HUMAN LANGUAGE and ANIMAL COMMUNICATION
2
2-Sep
Animal Cognition
4-Sep
Animal Communication Systems
Optional: Cartmill, E. A., Beilock, S., & Goldin-Meadow, S. (2012). A word
in the hand: action, gesture and mental representation in humans and nonhuman primates. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences,
367(1585), 129-143.
http://www.npr.org/2011/01/20/132650631/new-language-discovered-prairiedogese
http://www.radiolab.org/story/98611-wild-talk/
Quiz 1
PSYC 4220 LANGUAGE AND THE MIND
SYLLABUS - FALL 2014
LANGUAGE and “INTELLIGENCE”
3
9-Sep
Language and the young mind
http://www.radiolab.org/story/256407-mapping-the-bilingual-brain/
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (2014, July 21). Try, try again? Study says no:
Trying harder makes it more difficult to learn some aspects of language,
neuroscientists find. ScienceDaily.
Optional: Johnson, J. S., & Newport, E. L. (1989). Critical period effects in
second language learning: The influence of maturational state on the
acquisition of English as a second language. Cognitive psychology, 21(1), 60-99.
11-Sep
Language and the aging mind
http://www.bu.edu/lab/files/2011/11/Clark-Cotton-Goral-Obler.-2007.-Languageand-Communication-in-Aging.pdf
Optional: Bialystok, E., Craik, F. I., Klein, R., & Viswanathan, M. (2004).
Bilingualism, aging, and cognitive control: evidence from the Simon task.
Psychology and aging, 19(2), 290-303.
4
16-Sep
Language modalities I: Spoken
and signed language
Goldin-Meadow, S. (2014). Widening the lens: what the manual modality reveals about
language, learning and cognition. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological
Sciences, 369(1651), 20130295.
http://www.radiolab.org/story/91730-new-words-new-world/
18-Sep
Language modalities II: Reading
and writing
Optional: Perfetti, C. A., & Sandak, R. (2000). Reading optimally builds on
spoken language: Implications for deaf readers. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf
Education, 5(1), 32-50.
Optional: Harris, M., & Moreno, C. (2004). Deaf children's use of
phonological coding: Evidence from reading, spelling, and working memory.
Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 9(3), 253-268.
5
23-Sep
Language and impairments I:
Aphasia
Goodwin, Charles (1995). Co-Constructing Meaning in Conversations with an
Aphasic Man. Research on Language and Social Interaction, 28(3), 233-260.
Blog topics due!
PSYC 4220 LANGUAGE AND THE MIND
SYLLABUS - FALL 2014
25-Sep
Language and impairments II:
Dyslexia, SLI, Autism
--reading TBA---
Quiz 2
Inner speech
Whitehouse, A. J., Maybery, M. T., & Durkin, K. (2006). Inner speech impairments in
autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47(8), 857-865.
Blog drafts due!
2-Oct
Language and Theory of Mind
Morgan, G., & Kegl, J. (2006). Nicaraguan sign language and theory of mind: The
issue of critical periods and abilities. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47(8), 811819.
7-Oct
Speaker perspectives I: Speaking
for the speaker, or speaking for
the listener?
Fields, R. D. (2010) Of two minds: Listener brain patterns mirror those of the speaker.
Scientific American. http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2010/07/27/oftwo-minds-listener-brain-patterns-mirror-those-of-the-speaker/
LANGUAGE and THE SELF AND OTHERS
6
7
30-Sep
Hough, A. (2010). Humans ‘subconsciously mimic other accents’, psychologists claim.
The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/sciencenews/7931299/Humans-subconsciously-mimic-other-accents-psychologistsclaim.html
9-Oct
Speaker perspectives II: Speaking
for the speaker, or speaking for
the listener?
Keysar, B., Barr, D. J., & Horton, W. S. (1998). The egocentric basis of language use:
Insights from a processing approach. Current Directions in Psychological Research 7 (2) 4650.
Quiz 3
PSYC 4220 LANGUAGE AND THE MIND
SYLLABUS - FALL 2014
LANGUAGE and OTHER DOMAINS
8
14Oct
Language and Categorization
Lupyan, G., Rakison, D. H., & McClelland, J. L. (2007). Language is not just for talking
redundant labels facilitate learning of novel categories. Psychological Science, 18(12), 10771083.
Winawer, J., Witthoft, N., Frank, M. C., Wu, L., Wade, A. R., & Boroditsky, L. (2007).
Russian blues reveal effects of language on color discrimination. Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, 104(19), 7780-7785.
Optional: (podcast) http://www.radiolab.org/story/211213-sky-isnt-blue/
16Oct
Language and Numbers
Gordon, P. (2004). Numerical cognition without words: Evidence from Amazonia.
Science, 306(5695), 496-499.
Spaepen, E., Coppola, M., Spelke, E. S., Carey, S. E., & Goldin-Meadow, S. (2011).
Number without a language model. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(8),
3163-3168.
9
21Oct
Language and Music
Patel, A. D. (2003) Language, music, syntax and the brain. Nature Neuroscience, 6(7), 674681.
Musical Language (podcast) http://www.radiolab.org/story/91512-musical-language/
10
23Oct
Language and Emotion
Barrett, Lindquist, & Gendron (2007) Language as a context for the perception of
emotion. Trends Cogn Sci. 11(8), 327–332.
28Oct
Language and Spatial Reasoning
Pyers et al. (2010) Evidence from an emerging sign language reveals that language
supports spatial cognition. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 107:27, pp.
12116-12120 ( can be found at: www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.0914044107)
http://news.uchicago.edu/article/2011/11/09/learning-spatial-terms-improveschildrens-spatial-skills (read article and watch video interview with Prof. Susan Levine)
(Optional—original paper: Pruden, Levine, & Huttenlocher (2011) Children’s
spatial thinking: Does talking about the spatial world matter? Developmental
Science 14(6), 1417–1430.)
Final blog post
due!
PSYC 4220 LANGUAGE AND THE MIND
SYLLABUS - FALL 2014
30Oct
Review
Quiz 4
LANGUAGE and OUR PERCEPTION OF THE WORLD
11
12
13
4-Nov
Metaphor I
Thibodeau, P. H., & Boroditsky, L. (2011). Metaphors we think with: The role of
metaphor in reasoning. PLoS One, 6(2), e16782.
6-Nov
Metaphor II
Casasanto, D., & Dijkstra, K. (2010). Motor action and emotional memory. Cognition,
115(1), 179-185.
11Nov
Linguistic Relativity I
--reading TBA--
13Nov
Linguistic Relativity II
Von Stutterheim, C. and Nuse, R. (2003) Processes of conceptualization in language
production: language-specific perspectives and event construal. Linguistics 41(5) 851-881.
18Nov
Sound symbolism
Peña, M., Mehler, J., & Nespor, M. (2011). The role of audiovisual processing in early
conceptual development. Psychological science, 22(11), 1419-1421.
Coulter, K. S., & Coulter, R. A. (2010). Small sounds, big deals: phonetic symbolism
effects in pricing. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(2), 315-328.
20Nov
14
11/2428
Language and the Consumer
No class—Fall Break!
WRAPPING IT ALL UP!
15
2-Dec
Review
4-Dec
POSTER SESSION I
http://languageoffood.blogspot.com/2011_11_01_archive.html
Quiz 5
PSYC 4220 LANGUAGE AND THE MIND
SYLLABUS - FALL 2014
16
9-Dec
POSTER SESSION II
11Dec
Concluding Remarks
14Dec
FINAL PAPERS DUE
Course policies:
Be respectful of your colleagues. Cell phone use and inappropriate use of laptops are distracting to others, and will not be permitted in
class. Anyone using their phone or using their laptop for purposes other than those related to the class will be asked to leave, and will be
counted as absent for the day.
Accommodations for disabilities, trauma or disruptive life events will be arranged in a private and respectful manner for any qualifying
student. Students who qualify for accommodations due to a disability should present a letter from Disabilities Services within the first two
weeks of the course. Students who have experienced a traumatic event and do not wish to contact me directly may contact the Office of
Victim Assistance for help in arranging accommodations.
(1) The Boulder Provost’s Disability Task Force recommended syllabus statement:
If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit to your professor a letter from Disability Services in a
timely manner (for exam accommodations provide your letter at least one week prior to the exam) so that your needs can be
addressed. Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities. Contact Disability Services at 303492-8671 or by e-mail at dsinfo@colorado.edu. If you have a temporary medical condition or injury, see Temporary Medical
Conditions: Injuries, Surgeries, and Illnesses guidelines under Quick Links at Disability Services website and discuss your needs
with your professor.
Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to deal reasonably and fairly with all
students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance. If you
PSYC 4220 LANGUAGE AND THE MIND
SYLLABUS - FALL 2014
have any religious obligations that conflict with assignments or attendance, please notify me within the first two weeks of the semester if
possible. At the very latest, requests for accommodation must be made two weeks in advance.
All students are responsible for knowing the CU Honor Code. Violations of the Honor Code will be taken very seriously and will be dealt
with according to University policy. Violations include, but are not limited to: cheating, plagiarism, aid of academic dishonesty, fabrication,
lying, bribery, and threatening behavior. All incidents of academic misconduct shall be reported to the Honor Code Council
(honor@colorado.edu; 303-735-2273). Students who are found to be in violation of the academic integrity policy will be subject
to both academic sanctions from the faculty member and non-academic sanctions (including but not limited to university
probation, suspension, or expulsion). Other information on the Honor Code can be found at
http://www.colorado.edu/policies/honor.html and at http://honorcode.colorado.edu
Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Those who fail to adhere to
such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with
respect to individuals and topics dealing with differences of race, color, culture, religion, creed, politics, veteran’s status, sexual
orientation, gender, gender identity and gender expression, age, disability, and nationalities. Class rosters are provided to the
instructor with the student's legal name. I will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender
pronoun. Please advise me of this preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records. See
policies at
http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html and at
http://www.colorado.edu/studentaffairs/judicialaffairs/code.html#student_code
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU-Boulder) is committed to maintaining a positive learning, working, and living
environment. The University of Colorado does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability,
creed, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status in admission and access to, and treatment and employment in, its
educational programs and activities. (Regent Law, Article 10, amended 11/8/2001). CU-Boulder will not tolerate acts of
discrimination or harassment based upon Protected Classes or related retaliation against or by any employee or student. For
purposes of this CU-Boulder policy, "Protected Classes" refers to race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability,
creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or veteran status. Individuals who believe they have been
discriminated against should contact the Office of Discrimination and Harassment (ODH) at 303-492-2127 or the Office of
Student Conduct (OSC) at 303-492-5550. Information about the ODH, the above referenced policies, and the campus resources
available to assist individuals regarding discrimination or harassment can be obtained at http://hr.colorado.edu/dh/
PSYC 4220 LANGUAGE AND THE MIND
SYLLABUS - FALL 2014
The instructor reserves the right to adapt the syllabus, schedule, and course requirements to fit the needs of the class, in accordance with
Departmental and University policy.
Useful Resources
-
Writing Center: www.colorado.edu/pwr/writingcenter.html
Disabilities Services: www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices/
Office of Victim Assistance: http://cuvictimassistance.com/
Office of Harassment and Discrimination: www.colorado.edu/odh/
Counseling & Psychological Services: www.colorado.edu/sacs/counseling/index.html
The Honor Code: www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/
Appropriate Learning Environment: www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html and
www.colorado.edu/studentaffairs/judicialaffairs/code.html#student_code
Religious Observances: www.colorado.edu/policies/fac_relig.html