Students

LING2214 – Introduction to Psycholinguistics

2024 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Xin Wang
Felicity Cox
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
LING110 or LING111 or LING1111 or PSY104 or PSYC104 or PSYU1104 or PSYX104 or PSYX1104 or PSYU1101 or PSY105 or PSYC105 or PSYU1105 or PSYX105 or PSYX1105 or PSYU1102
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit introduces a psychological perspective into the study of language. We explore models of the perceptual and cognitive processes that are involved in acquiring and using linguistic knowledge, considering evidence from typical language users and people with language disorders. Specific topics will be drawn from a set that includes: word recognition and understanding; sentence comprehension; language production; aphasia; first language acquisition, skilled reading and reading development, second language acquisition, bilingualism and multilingualism.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Describe and evaluate theories and research in psycholinguistics
  • ULO2: Identify questions and issues raised in the field of Psycholinguistics.
  • ULO3: Identify the methods of data collection that psycholinguists use
  • ULO4: Critically analyse empirical research articles in psycholinguistics.
  • ULO5: Interpret empirical data in relation to theoretical questions/issues
  • ULO6: Analyse language disorders, including linguistic disorders in reading.
  • ULO7: Evaluate psycholinguistic theories of typical language processing using data from people with disordered language

General Assessment Information

General Assessment Information 

Grade descriptors and other information concerning grading are contained in the Macquarie University Assessment Policy.

All final grades are determined by a grading committee, in accordance with the Macquarie University Assessment Policy, and are not the sole responsibility of the Unit Convenors.

Students will be awarded a final grade and a mark which must correspond to the grade descriptors specified in the Assessment Procedure (clause 128).

To pass this unit, you must demonstrate sufficient evidence of achievement of the learning outcomes, meet any ungraded requirements, and achieve a final mark of 50 or better.

Further details for each assessment task will be available on iLearn.

Late Submissions

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (OF THE TOTAL POSSIBLE MARK) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern.  

 For example:

Number of days (hours) late

Total Possible Marks

Deduction

Raw mark

Final mark

1 day (1-24 hours)

100

5

75

70

2 days (24-48 hours)

100

10

75

65

3 days (48-72 hours)

100

15

75

60

7 days (144-168 hours) 

100

35

75

40

>7 days (>168 hours)

100

-

75

0

Late submissions for an assessment task will not be accepted once that assessment task has been marked and returned to students.

Late submission of time sensitive tasks, such as timetabled tests/exams, scheduled performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs, will be addressed by the Unit Convenors in a Special Consideration application.

Use of Generative AI

Please refer to instructions from your Unit Convenors on the use and acknowledgement of use of Generative AI in your submitted assignments.

Special Consideration

If you are unable to complete an assessment task on or by the specified date due circumstances that are unexpected, unavoidable, significantly disruptive and beyond your control, you may apply for special consideration in accordance with the special consideration policy. Applications for special consideration must be supported by appropriate evidence and submitted via ask.mq.edu.au.

1. You should only attempt an exam if you are well enough to do so. Note: Special Consideration is not normally granted if an exam has already been attempted. If you are unfit/unable to attempt the exam due to an eligible disruption, please do not attempt the exam. For information regarding Special Consideration and how attempting an exam will impact your application, refer to the Special Consideration webpage

2. In the event of illness or significant disruptions during an examination, you must promptly cease your work. If the incident occurs in an invigilated exam setting, you must inform the supervisor or invigilator immediately. If the disruption takes place outside an invigilated setting (e.g. non-invigilated timed assessment), it should be reported immediately to the appropriate course authority. Subsequently, you should promptly consult the Special Consideration webpage to review the FAQs and eligibility requirements and follow the steps to apply.

3. If you attempt an exam or timed assessment without reporting any issues during the assessment process to the supervisor or invigilator (in the case of invigilated exam) or appropriate course authority (unit convenor for example in the case of non-invigilated exam) and then apply for Special Consideration based on illness during the exam, the application will generally not be considered.

 

 

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
multiple choice questions 45% No exam period
Brief outline of a research report (300 words) 5% No 2024-10-11
A research report (2400 words) 30% No 2024-10-25
A written task critically reviewing a published research article (1000 words) 20% No 2024-08-30

multiple choice questions

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: exam period
Weighting: 45%

 

Exam questions assessing knowledge from the unit.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe and evaluate theories and research in psycholinguistics
  • Identify questions and issues raised in the field of Psycholinguistics.
  • Identify the methods of data collection that psycholinguists use
  • Interpret empirical data in relation to theoretical questions/issues
  • Analyse language disorders, including linguistic disorders in reading.

Brief outline of a research report (300 words)

Assessment Type 1: Design Task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 4 hours
Due: 2024-10-11
Weighting: 5%

 

Students will plan out information for their class project report

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe and evaluate theories and research in psycholinguistics
  • Identify questions and issues raised in the field of Psycholinguistics.

A research report (2400 words)

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 26 hours
Due: 2024-10-25
Weighting: 30%

 

The report is based on a class experiment for which each student is encouraged to participate.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe and evaluate theories and research in psycholinguistics
  • Identify questions and issues raised in the field of Psycholinguistics.
  • Identify the methods of data collection that psycholinguists use
  • Critically analyse empirical research articles in psycholinguistics.
  • Interpret empirical data in relation to theoretical questions/issues
  • Analyse language disorders, including linguistic disorders in reading.
  • Evaluate psycholinguistic theories of typical language processing using data from people with disordered language

A written task critically reviewing a published research article (1000 words)

Assessment Type 1: Literature review
Indicative Time on Task 2: 18 hours
Due: 2024-08-30
Weighting: 20%

 

Students need to answer 15 questions based on a research article.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe and evaluate theories and research in psycholinguistics
  • Identify questions and issues raised in the field of Psycholinguistics.
  • Identify the methods of data collection that psycholinguists use
  • Critically analyse empirical research articles in psycholinguistics.
  • Interpret empirical data in relation to theoretical questions/issues
  • Analyse language disorders, including linguistic disorders in reading.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

TEXTBOOK Harley, T.A. (2014). The psychology of language: From data to theory (4th ed.). Hove, East Sussex: Psychology Press Ltd

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Inclusion and Diversity

Social inclusion at Macquarie University is about giving everyone who has the potential to benefit from higher education the opportunity to study at university, participate in campus life and flourish in their chosen field. The University has made significant moves to promote an equitable, diverse and exciting campus community for the benefit of staff and students. It is your responsibility to contribute towards the development of an inclusive culture and practice in the areas of learning and teaching, research, and service orientation and delivery. As a member of the Macquarie University community, you must not discriminate against or harass others based on their sex, gender, race, marital status, carers' responsibilities, disability, sexual orientation, age, political conviction or religious belief. All staff and students are expected to display appropriate behaviour that is conducive to a healthy learning environment for everyone.

Professionalism

In the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, professionalism is a key capability embedded in all our courses. 

As part of developing professionalism, students are expected to attend all small group interactive sessions including clinical, practical, laboratory, work-integrated learning (e.g., PACE placements), and team-based learning activities. Some learning activities are recorded (e.g., face-to-face lectures), however you are encouraged to avoid relying upon such material as they do not recreate the whole learning experience and technical issues can and do occur. As an adult learner, we respect your decision to choose how you engage with your learning, but we would remind you that the learning opportunities we create for you have been done so to enable your success, and that by not engaging you may impact your ability to successfully complete this unit. We equally expect that you show respect for the academic staff who have worked hard to develop meaningful activities and prioritise your learning by communicating with them in advance if you are unable to attend a small group interactive session.

Another dimension of professionalism is having respect for your peers. It is the right of every student to learn in an environment that is free of disruption and distraction. Please arrive to all learning activities on time, and if you are unavoidably detained, please join activity as quietly as possible to minimise disruption. Phones and other electronic devices that produce noise and other distractions must be turned off prior to entering class. Where your own device (e.g., laptop) is being used for class-related activities, you are asked to close down all other applications to avoid distraction to you and others. Please treat your fellow students with the utmost respect. If you are uncomfortable participating in any specific activity, please let the relevant academic know.


Unit information based on version 2024.02 of the Handbook