Language Acquisition and Processing
Code: 101730 ECTS Credits: 9| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2500893 Speech therapy | FB | 1 | 2 |
Errata
Change in course coordination: Melina Aparici Aznar (melina.aparici@uab.cat)
Contact
- Name:
- Olga Soler Vilageliu
- Email:
- olga.soler@uab.cat
Use of Languages
- Principal working language:
- catalan (cat)
- Some groups entirely in English:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Catalan:
- Yes
- Some groups entirely in Spanish:
- No
Other comments on languages
IMPORTANT If any student has difficulty understanding the question of the tests written in Catalan (exchange students, for example) they may request the test in Spanish. Do it in writing to the co-ordinator of this matter BEFORE THE 4TH week.Teachers
- Melina Aparici Aznar
- Alondra Camus Torres
- María Inés Caño Melero
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for attending this course. However, we recommend a good command of orthography and grammar of student’s first language.
We recommend to follow the course Expressió oral i escrita offered by the faculty in the beginning of the semester. Reading in English is a plus.
Objectives and Contextualisation
The aim of this course is to provide students with basic knowledge about two basic subjects in psycholinguistics: how we acquire language in infancy and how we process language.
The main objectives of the subject are:
- Know the main theoretical frameworks in psycholinguistics
- Describe the features and functions of human language
- Understand the different phases of human language processing and know the internal representations associated with it.
- Know the stages in the acquisition of linguistic and communicative skills from infancy to adulthood
- Identify different data collection methods for the study of psycholinguistics
- Relate language development with cognitive and social development.
- Detect difficulties in first stages of language acquisition
Competences
- Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
- Adapt one's communication to various audiences in accordance with age, pathology, etc.
- Analyse and synthesise information.
- Demonstrate an understanding and correct use of the terminology and methodology of speech-therapy research.
- Evaluate the scientific production that supports speech therapists' professional development.
- Integrate the foundations of biology (anatomy and physiology), psychology (evolutionary processes and development), language and teaching as these relate to speech-therapy intervention in communication, language, speech, hearing, voice and non-verbal oral functions.
- Managing communication and information technologies.
- Take account of social, economic and environmental impacts when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
- Understand, integrate and relate new knowledge deriving from autonomous learning.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyse and synthesise.
- Assess and judge the adequacy of the methodology used in specific research.
- Correctly use the terminology and methodology characteristics of scientific research.
- Describe the basic mechanisms of communicative function in language and know how to apply this the conversational environment
- Describe the various psychological processes involved in the production and comprehension of discourse, and relate these.
- Identify and assess the adequacy of scientific productions on the acquisition and development of language.
- Identify key inputs from scientific processes related to psychological processes that support the professional development of speech therapists.
- Identify the psychological and psycholinguistic foundations of speech.
- Identify the social, economic and/or environmental implications of academic and professional activities within one's own area of knowledge.
- Identify, describe and relate the different phases of natural language processing in perception and production.
- Identify, describe and relate the different stages of language acquisition.
- Infer the implications of evolutionary-development processes on language, speech, hearing, voice and non-verbal oral functions.
- List and relate the features and functions of human language.
- Managing communication and information technologies.
- Understand, integrate and relate new knowledge deriving from autonomous learning.
- Use strategies appropriate to presenting oral arguments on issues covered in class.
- Weigh up the impact of any long- or short-term difficulty, harm or discrimination that could be caused to certain persons or groups by the actions or projects.
Content
- 1. Language acquisition
1.1. Theories on language acquisition
1.2. Methodology in psycholinguistics research
- 2. Stages of language acquisition
2.1. Pre-linguistic communication: intentional communication, speech perception skills in babies, adult adaptations
2.2. Lexical acquisition: first words, explosion of the lexicon, developmental phenomena in meaning acquisition
2.3. Phonological development: pre-linguistic behaviour, phonological development and simplifying procedures
2.4. Morpho-syntactic acquisition: telegraphic speech, morphology acquisition, simple sentences, complex sentences and sentence modalities.
2.5. Pragmatics development: conversational skills and speech acts
- 3. Language development beyond five years: late developments
3.1. Late semantic and pragmatic developments: non-literal meaning.
3.2. Late syntactic developments: compound sentences; complex syntactic structures.
3.3. Discourse building
- 4. Language processing in perception
4.1. Understanding language
4.1.1. Speech perception in adults and children
4.1.2. Word storing and recognition
4.1.3. Language structure: syntactic processing
4.2. Communication and language
4.2.1. Pragmatics
4.2.2. Discourse comprehension
- 5. Language production
5.1. Speech production. Stages and spontaneous speech errors.
5.2. Production of written language
- 6. Language as a modular skill
6.1. Fundamental debates on cognition and language
Methodology
- Master classes: the lecturer will provide theoretical content with the support of multimedia materials. Students are expected to participate in debates and other classroom activities.
- Workshop classes will deal with cases or experiments which students have to carry out and discuss.
- Online classroom: Moodle will be used to provide students with materials and assessment tests, as well as promote communication.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Master classes with the support of TIC and group discussion | 64.5 | 2.58 | 3, 16 |
| Workshop (Lab) | 8 | 0.32 | 1, 6, 3, 2 |
| Workshop classes (Seminar) | 6 | 0.24 | 1, 6, 7, 16, 2 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Individual attention to students | 10.5 | 0.42 | 1, 6, 7, 2 |
| Participation in discussions and other activities at the online campus. | 10 | 0.4 | 1, 15, 3, 14 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Autonomous search of information | 20 | 0.8 | 1, 15, 6, 7, 14, 2 |
| Individual study and exam preparation | 50 | 2 | 1, 15 |
| Reading papers and book chapters | 48 | 1.92 | 1, 15, 7 |
Assessment
Evidences 1 and 2: There will be two multiple-choice examinations (1st and 2nd evaluation period). Each of them adds 40% to the final grade (40%+40%=80%). These examinations will be taken individually.
Evidence 3: The remaining 20% is the average grading of workshops. Workshops will be assessed by means of short questionnaires and brief reports. A minimum of 4 evaluations must be submitted.
Students with a grade of 5 or more will pass the course. In order to be assessed, the student must take part in the three assessment activities mentioned above and it is necessary to obtain a minimum score of 3,5 in EV1 and EV2. Any student that did not complete any examination or did not obtain a 3,5 in each assessment will NOT pass the course, even if the average of the qualifications reaches 5 or above.
Any student that has presented a 40% of evaluation activities will be considered assessable.
Reassessment:
Students who have covered 2/3 of the assessment but has obtained a grade between 3.5 and 5, can take a reassessment exam (reassessment period). This exam will be on the subjects the student failed. The maximum grade to be obtained in this exam is 5. In case the student resits and obtains a qualification higher that 5, the original grade will be changed for a 5 in order to compute the final qualification.
The guidelines for assessment can be found here:
https://www.uab.cat/web/estudiar/graus/graus/avaluacions-1345722525858.html
No unique final synthesis test for students who enrole for the second time or more is anticipated.
The examination form will be in Catalan. Any student that wishes to take the exam in Spanish needs to ask for its translation before week 4.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ev1 | 40% of the final score | 2 | 0.08 | 15, 5, 4, 13, 8, 6, 7, 11, 10, 12, 14 |
| Ev2 | 40% of the final score | 2 | 0.08 | 15, 5, 4, 13, 8, 6, 7, 11, 10, 12, 14 |
| Ev3 Brief reports | 20% of the final score | 4 | 0.16 | 1, 9, 3, 16, 2, 17 |
Bibliography
Basic references:
Aparici, M. (2012). L’adquisició del llenguatge. A Ll. Barrachina, Ll. (coord.), M. Aparici & E. Noguera, Desenvolupament i Avaluació del llenguatge oral. Barcelona: Editorial UOC.
Soler, O. (coord.) (2006). Psicologia del Llenguatge. Barcelona: EdiUOC.
Complementary references:
Aguado, G. (1995) El desarrollo del lenguaje de 0 a 3 años. Madrid: Ciencias de la Educación Preescolar y Especial.
Andreu, L.; Serra, J.M.; Soler, O.; Tolchinsky, L. (2013) Trastorns d'aprenentatge de l'escriptura i de les matemàtiques. Barcelona: Editorial UOC.
Aparici, M. & Igualada, A. (2019). El desarrollo del lenguaje y la comunicación en la infancia. Barcelona: Editorial UOC.
Ellis, A.W. (2016). Reading, Writing and Dyslexia (Classic edition). A cognitive approach. Oxford: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group.
Garton, A. (1994) Interacción social y desarrollo del lenguaje y la cognición. Barcelona: Paidós.
Gràcia, M. (2003) Comunicacióny lenguaje en primeras edades. Intervención con familias. Lleida: Editorial Milenio.
Karmiloff, K. & Karmiloff-Smith,A. (2001) Hacia el lenguaje. Madrid: Morata (Original: Pathways to language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.)
López-Higes, R. (2003). Psicología del lenguaje. Madrid: Piràmide.
López-Ornat, S. (2011). La adquisición del lenguaje, un resumen en 2011. Revista de investigación en Logopedia, 1,1 pp. 1-11.
Mariscal, S. i Gallo, M. P. (2014). Adquisición del lenguaje. Madrid: Síntesis.
Moreno Ríos, S. (2005). Psicología del desarrollo cognitivo y adquisición del lenguaje. Biblioteca Nueva: Madrid.
Owens, R. E. (2003). Desarrollo del lenguaje. Madrid: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Perera, J., Aparici, M., Rosado, E., Salas, N. (2016). Written and Spoken Language Development across the Lifespan. Dordrecht: Springer.
Rondal, J.A. (1990). La interacción adulto-niño y la construcción del lenguaje. México: Trillas.
Serra, M., Serrat, E., Solé, M. R., Bel, A. y Aparici, M. (2000). La adquisición del lenguaje. Barcelona: Ariel.
Torrens, V. (ed.) (2018) La adquisición del lenguaje. Londres: Pearson.
Software
Not applicable