Psycholinguistics Info Sheet
Introduction
Psycholinguistics is the study of how humans acquire, produce, and comprehend language. It is an interdisciplinary field that combines aspects of linguistics, psychology, neuroscience, and computer science.
Key Concepts
- Language acquisition: how children learn language
- Language production: how speakers generate language
- Language comprehension: how listeners understand language
- Bilingualism: the ability to speak two or more languages
Theories
- Innateness hypothesis: the idea that humans are born with innate language abilities
- Cognitive processing theory: the idea that language processing occurs in the brain
- Connectionist theory: the idea that language processing involves the interaction of different neural networks
Methods
- Behavioral experiments: experiments that measure participants' responses to language stimuli
- Neuroimaging techniques: brain imaging techniques such as MRI and EEG
Applications
- Second language acquisition: understanding how speakers learn a second language
- Language disorders: understanding the basis of language disorders such as aphasia
- Machine language processing: using cognitive theories to develop algorithms for language processing
Takeaways
- Psycholinguistics is an interdisciplinary field that combines linguistics, psychology, neuroscience, and computer science
- Key concepts include language acquisition, production, comprehension, and bilingualism
- Theories include the innateness hypothesis, cognitive processing theory, and connectionist theory
- Methods include behavioral experiments and neuroimaging techniques
- Applications include second language acquisition, language disorders, and machine language processing
References
- Traxler, M. J., & Gernsbacher, M. A. (Eds.). (2006). Handbook of Psycholinguistics. Academic Press.
- Harley, T. A. (2014). The psychology of language: From data to theory. Psychology Press.