Introduction to Psychology of Language
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Questions and Answers

What is a key function of eye tracking during reading?

  • To measure the speed of speech production
  • To determine the number of words in a sentence
  • To understand the character recognition process
  • To analyze the temporal ambiguity in sentences (correct)
  • What does fMRI primarily measure in relation to cognitive activity?

  • Electrical impulses in the brain
  • Changes in skin conductance
  • Variations in blood oxygen levels (correct)
  • Neurotransmitter release rates
  • Which aspect of virtual reality allows researchers to control variables effectively?

  • Absolute ecological validity in real-world settings
  • Full recording of conscious thought processes
  • Constant behavior of virtual agents (correct)
  • High levels of experimental control with no randomness
  • Which process allows participants to respond as they read a word or phrase?

    <p>Self-paced reading (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In word naming, what routes facilitate the transformation from orthographic to phonological representation?

    <p>Active lexical and sublexical routes (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary difference between reading and listening in terms of processing?

    <p>Reading is parallel while listening is sequential. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which component is responsible for articulating utterances during language production?

    <p>Articulator (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What processing flow primarily characterizes comprehension in language?

    <p>Bottom-up and signal-driven (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In language production, which process precedes the selection of words?

    <p>Formulating thoughts and intentions (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What aspect of long-term memory is primarily concerned with the categorization of sounds as phonemes?

    <p>Phonology (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which encoder is primarily responsible for determining the phonetic characteristics of selected words?

    <p>Phonological Encoder (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How does the reliance on long-term memory impact language processing?

    <p>It helps in the recognition of sound patterns and meanings. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What term describes the sounds that do not change word meaning within a phoneme category?

    <p>Allophones (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which component of a syllable is known as the nucleus?

    <p>The vowel sound in the syllable (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following properties does not belong to lexicology?

    <p>Cognitive understanding of words (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which aspect of language does syntax primarily deal with?

    <p>The structure of sentences (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does morphological analysis focus on in language?

    <p>The formation of words from simpler elements (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is primarily measured by the speed of word retrieval in Long Term Memory?

    <p>The duration or length of words (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What aspect of language refers to how meaning varies based on the situation in which a word is used?

    <p>Pragmatics (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When comparing the sentences 'boy sees shark' and 'shark sees boy', which linguistic feature is being altered?

    <p>Word order (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which component is included in the mental lexicon that pertains to the letters forming a word?

    <p>Orthographic properties (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does lexical decision help to study in individuals?

    <p>The organization of the mental lexicon (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which method directly assesses real-life linguistic behavior?

    <p>Word naming tasks (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which route involves looking up a word's orthographic representation in the mental lexicon?

    <p>Lexical route (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What primarily triggers the activation of semantic representation during picture naming?

    <p>Visual identification of the object (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does grapheme-to-phoneme conversion refer to?

    <p>Recoding letters into sounds (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What aspect does word naming remove compared to lexical decision tasks?

    <p>Metalinguistic component (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following describes a pseudoword?

    <p>A pronounceable letter string that is not a word (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How is the phonological representation of a word typically generated?

    <p>By converting orthographic representation directly (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What can affect how the mental lexicon is organized according to research findings?

    <p>The aging process (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which statement about sentence context and ambiguous words is accurate?

    <p>Sentence context helps guide the interpretation of ambiguous words. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which factor leads to faster reaction times in lexical decision tasks?

    <p>The age at which the word was first acquired (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic of words with high neighbourhood density?

    <p>They exhibit slower reaction times in lexical decision tasks (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In a lexical decision task, what effect does imageability have on reaction time?

    <p>Words that evoke clear images are processed faster (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is masked priming in the context of lexical decision?

    <p>The prime word is presented with a mask before a short exposure (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following best defines semantic priming?

    <p>A preceding word that has a related meaning to the target word (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How does orthographic regularity influence reaction time?

    <p>More regular spellings result in faster reaction times (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which task involves recalling action verbs presented previously?

    <p>Free recall (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of the progressive demasking method?

    <p>To gradually enhance the visibility of the target word (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which statement about lexical decision and word frequency is true?

    <p>More frequent words tend to elicit faster reaction times (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does 'cross-modal priming' involve?

    <p>Using auditory cues to precede visual stimuli (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Flashcards

    Self-paced reading

    The time it takes for someone to press a button after reading a word or phrase, revealing how long it takes to process the information.

    Disambiguating region

    This term refers to a region in a sentence that clarifies ambiguity, helping the reader understand the meaning.

    Eye tracker

    A device that tracks eye movements, revealing information about reading patterns and comprehension.

    Perceptual span

    The range of characters we can see at any given time while reading.

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    Visual world paradigm

    A technique that involves listening to spoken instructions or descriptions while viewing objects, revealing how we make predictions during language comprehension.

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    Comprehension

    The process of taking information from the environment (like sounds) and understanding it. It involves breaking down the information into smaller parts (like sounds and words) and then making sense of it by relating it to what we already know.

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    Production

    The process of creating and expressing language. It involves planning what to say, choosing the right words, and then speaking or writing it out.

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    Mental Model

    The mental representation of the message we want to convey. It includes the ideas, thoughts, and emotions that we want to share.

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    Grammatical Encoder

    The part of the brain responsible for putting together the words and sentences we want to say. It makes sure the grammar is correct and the message makes sense.

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    Phonological Encoder

    The part of the brain that determines how the words we want to say will sound. It converts the words into the sounds we make.

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    Articulator

    The part of the brain that controls the muscles involved in speaking, allowing us to produce the sounds we want to make.

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    Sequential Processing

    The process of receiving and making sense of information from the environment, which is often processed in a linear order (one step after another).

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    Word Recall

    A task where participants recall as many words as possible from a previously learned set.

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    Free Recall

    A type of word recall where participants are given no cues or hints.

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    Cued Recall

    A type of word recall where participants are given cues or hints to help them remember.

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    Lexical Decision

    A task where participants decide if a presented item is a real word or not.

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    Visual Lexical Decision

    A type of lexical decision where the stimulus is presented in printed form.

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    Auditory Lexical Decision

    A type of lexical decision where the stimulus is presented in spoken form.

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    Neighborhood Density

    The number of similar-looking words in a language. A higher density means slower reaction times.

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    Imageability

    The ease of creating a mental image of a word. Words that are easier to visualize are processed faster.

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    Orthographic Regularity

    The regularity of a word's spelling. More regular spellings are processed faster.

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    Progressive Demasking

    A technique where a target word is gradually revealed by removing a mask that covers it. This helps measure how quickly participants identify the word.

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    Allophones

    Different sounds that represent the same phoneme. For example, the aspirated /p/ in 'pat' and the unaspirated /p/ in 'spot' are allophones of the same phoneme.

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    Phoneme

    The smallest unit of sound that can change the meaning of a word. For example, /b/ and /p/ are phonemes in English because they distinguish words like 'bad' and 'pad'.

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    Syllable

    A unit of pronunciation that consists of a vowel sound and any surrounding consonants. Syllables can be single sounds (like the vowel /a/) or combinations of sounds (like /baed/).

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    Onset

    The part of a syllable that comes before the vowel. In the syllable /baed/, the onset is /b/.

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    Coda

    The part of a syllable that comes after the vowel. In the syllable /baed/, the coda is /d/.

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    Nucleus

    The core of a syllable, usually a vowel. In the syllable /baed/, the nucleus is /ae/.

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    Mental Lexicon

    The collection of all words a person knows, including their pronunciations, meanings, and grammatical functions.

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    Morphology

    The study of the structure of words, including how they are formed and how they relate to other words.

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    Syntax

    The study of how words are organized into sentences and how those sentences convey meaning.

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    Lexical Decision Task

    A cognitive task where participants are presented with words and non-words and asked to decide as quickly as possible if each stimulus is a real word.

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    Mental Lexicon Organization

    The study of how the mental lexicon is structured and organized, including how it changes with age, in bilinguals, and other factors.

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    Word Naming

    The process of translating written words into their spoken form.

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    Pseudowords

    Pronounceable letter strings that are not actual words. Example: 'breat'

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    Response Onset Time

    A method used to analyze speech recordings to pinpoint the exact moment a participant begins saying a word.

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    Lexical Route

    A pathway in the brain that uses stored knowledge of a word's pronunciation directly from the mental lexicon, bypassing the need for individual letter-to-sound conversion.

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    Sublexical Route

    A pathway in the brain that converts individual letters of a word into corresponding sounds (graphemes to phonemes), assembling them into a pronounceable word.

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    Grapheme-to-Phoneme Conversion

    The process of converting a written letter into its corresponding sound.

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    Picture Naming

    A cognitive task where participants are presented with pictures and asked to name the objects they depict as quickly as possible.

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    Study Notes

    Introduction to Psychology of Language

    • Language can be studied at several levels, using different aims:
      • Phonetics (raw sounds)
      • Phonology (sound categories)
      • Morphology (words and their formation)
      • Semantics (meaning)
      • Syntax (grammar)
      • Pragmatics (language use)
      • Discourse studies (language in interaction)

    Definition of Language

    • "A system of form-meaning pairings that can be used to intentionally communicate meaning"
    • Language has a structure
    • Language has various uses (modalities)
    • Language has a purpose/communicative intent
    • Language can be expressed in numerous forms

    Different Levels Explained

    • Form-meaning pairings: includes words, elements within words, and other smaller units
    • Language use: spoken, heard, signed, seen, written, read.
    • Acquisition, learning, and loss of language are processes

    Intentional Communication

    • Language is used for exchanging information
    • Expressing feelings/emotions
    • Getting others to do something
    • Language's importance in communication sciences

    Basic Assumptions

    • Humans are embodied (bodies and senses are used in communication)
    • Humans are embedded in social contexts/situations
    • Humans possess mental models (representations of the external situation)
    • Communication is incremental (information is processed piece by piece, building on each other throughout the communicative act)

    Basic Assumptions Cont.

    • Bodily communication plays crucial role (channels and their limitations (e.g., articulation speed, intonation))
    • Both verbal and non-verbal communication are used
    • Cognitive systems are not modular (information from different sources are combined)
    • Communication takes place in context (social/cultural, language)

    Language Without Sound (Sign Language)

    • Handshape, location, orientation, movement are elements of sign language
    • Learning phonemes in sign language, similar to spoken language acquisition in many ways
    • Gestural origins of language (possible gestural stages before oral language)
    • Importance of pointing in language evolution

    Language User Framework

    • Comprehension and production of language
    • How language works in the human mind (e.g., language comprehension, production, memory)
    • Different tasks related to language use

    Language Research Techniques

    • On-line tasks measure mental processes as they occur (e.g., eye movements, reaction times)
    • Off-line tasks measure content/memory (e.g., memory studies, word recognition)

    Lexical Decision

    • Participants decide if a presented item is a word or not
    • Factors affecting reaction time (RT): age of acquisition, frequency, length of the word.

    Priming

    • Target concept is preceded by word or sentence
    • Similar/related concepts speed up recognition

    Recognizing Spoken Words

    • Process described in prelexical, then lexical
    • Signal recognizer segments speech into phones/phonemes
    • Spoken word recoginizer integrates phonemes, checks storage of similar words
    • Importance of knowledge, context, & predictability

    Recognizing Printed Words

    • Logographic, syllabic, alphabetic writing systems
    • Different meanings from similar scripts (e.g., languages like Japanese, including Kanji and other systems of writing)

    Eye Tracking

    • Device measures eye movements during reading or listening to speech
    • Eye movements provide insight into perceptual span, fixation duration, & regressions

    Neurophysiological Techniques

    • fMRI measures brain activity changes to understand language-related processes
    • Electroencephalogram (EEG) measures electrical activity, used to study event-related potentials (ERPs), which are waveforms related to specific events (e.g., incoming stimulus)

    Models of Word Recognition

    • TRACE model - localist, symbolic connectionist - uses concepts of bottom up and top-down activation in reading, links letter features, phonemes, and words together
    • Cohort model - involves parallel activation of possible words as input in words' mental lexicon, and elimination of potential mismatches between input and words in storage
    • Designed for multilingual populations
    • Assumes words from different languages are stored in one mental lexicon
    • Computes similarity between input and stored representations

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    Description

    This quiz explores the various levels and definitions of language, focusing on phonetics, phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, pragmatics, and discourse studies. The role of language in intentional communication and its structured nature will also be examined. Test your understanding of how language is formed, used, and acquired across different modalities.

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