WESTERN UNIVERSITY
LONDON
CANADA
Department of Psychology
Winter Distance 2015
Psychology 2134B Section 650 - Online
Psychology of Language
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
This course introduces the vocabulary and concepts used by psychologists who study human
language. The course covers traditional psycholinguistic topics such as meaning, speech
perception, comprehension, production and theories of language acquisition.
Prerequisite: At least 60% in a 1000 level Psychology course
0.5 course
Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean
to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This
decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you
are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor:
Dr. Olessia Jouravlev
Office and Phone Number: 7236 SSB
Office Hours: by appointment
Email: ozhuravl@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: Xuan Pan
Office: 7222 SSB
Office Hours: by appointment
Email: xpan55@uwo.ca
If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to
assist you. Please visit: http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these
resources and on mental health.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any
other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services
for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an
accommodation.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Title
Note
The psychology of language: from data to theory / Trevor A. Harley. 4th
edition, Hove: Psychology Press, 2014
This textbook is available free online as an electronic resource
https://www.lib.uwo.ca/cgibin/ezpauthn.cgi?url=http://lib.myilibrary.com?id=553025
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
Psycholinguistics is the study of how people produce and understand language. It is a branch of
cognitive science, which is the study of mental processes. In this course, we will cover a number of
topics in psychology of language, including the biological bases of language, language development,
bilingualism and second language acquisition, visual word recognition etc. The goal of the course is
to familiarize you with psychological phenomena related to language, theories that try to explain how
and why these phenomena occur, and experimental evidence supporting or challenging these
theories.
5.0 EVALUATION
Exams (80%): There are two multiple-choice exams, each worth 40% of your final grade. Each exam will
test the material covered in the preceding lectures. Exams are non-cumulative, however, concepts in later
lectures build on those that we learned in the early classes. The exams will test knowledge of material
presented in the lectures and readings.
Assignments (20%). There will be ten short assignments, each worth 2% of your grade. Details about
each assignment will be provided over the course of the term .
The Psychology Department follows the University of Western Ontario grading guidelines, which are as
follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/general/grades_undergrad.pdf):
A+
A
B
C
D
F
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
50-59
below 50
One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
Superior work that is clearly above average
Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
Competent work, meeting requirements
Fair work, minimally acceptable
Fail
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to
conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following
averages:
70% 1000 level and 2000 level courses
72% 2100-2990 level courses
75% 3000 level courses
80% 4000 level courses
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
These are tentative dates, subject to change
Midterm Exam will take place the week of 16 – 20 February
Final Exam: During the exam period. Date/Time TBA
7.0 LECTURE SCHEDULE
Week
Date
Lecture Topic
Reading
1
5 Jan
Introduction
Chapters 1 & 2
2
12 Jan
The biological basis of language
Chapter 3
3
19 Jan
Language development
Chapters 4
4
26 Jan
Recognizing visual words
Chapter 6
5
2 Feb
Reading and Learning to Read
Chapters 7 & 8
6
9 Feb
Reading Week
No Readings
7
16 Feb
Midterm Exam this week
No Readings
8
23 Feb
Understanding speech
Chapter 9
9
2 March
Chapters 10 & 12
10
9 March
Understanding the structure of sentence
& Comprehension
Word Meaning
11
16 March
Language Production
Chapter 13
12
23 March
Language Use
Chapter 14
13
30 March
Bilingualism
Chapter 5
14
6 Apr
No Lecture – Final Exam Preparation
No Readings
Chapter 11
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and
other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they
undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are
described at the following link:
http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic
offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses
using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All
written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by
comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s
databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference
database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of
the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between The University of Western Ontario
and Turnitin.com (http://www.turnitin.com).
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course,
suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergradresponsibilities.htm
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2014 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.