This document discusses the psychological mechanisms involved in language processing. It describes the information processing system, including sensory store, working memory, and permanent memory. It then discusses several aspects of language processing such as serial vs parallel processing, top-down vs bottom-up processes, automatic vs controlled processes, and modularity. Development of the language processing system from infancy through childhood is also summarized.
This document discusses the psychological mechanisms involved in language processing. It describes the information processing system, including sensory store, working memory, and permanent memory. It then discusses several aspects of language processing such as serial vs parallel processing, top-down vs bottom-up processes, automatic vs controlled processes, and modularity. Development of the language processing system from infancy through childhood is also summarized.
This document discusses the psychological mechanisms involved in language processing. It describes the information processing system, including sensory store, working memory, and permanent memory. It then discusses several aspects of language processing such as serial vs parallel processing, top-down vs bottom-up processes, automatic vs controlled processes, and modularity. Development of the language processing system from infancy through childhood is also summarized.
Psychol ogi cal Mechani sms The informat ion processing syst em Cent ral issues in language processing Development of t he processing syst em A gener al model of i nf or mat i on pr ocessi ng Sensor y st or e rich in informat ion short in life (visual 1s; audit ory 4s) 1 4 1 4 9 6 8 3 2 0 9 0 2 9 9 4 0 Wor ki ng ( shor t t er m) memor y Small processing capacit y Chunking Relat ively short life (maybe up t o 30 minut es) Per manent ( l ong t er m) memor y Episodic memory: memory of specific event s, linked t o a t ime and a place Semant ic memory: knowledge not linked t o a t ime and a place psycholinguistics 10/12/04 Dr. Jenny Kuo 2 Language pr ocessi ng WORKI NG MEMORY st ore in t he audit ory sensory st ore for 2-4 seconds. Pat t ern recogni t i on Organize sounds syllables words constituents PERMANENT MEMORY Semant ic memory Episodic memory Ser i al and par al l el pr ocessi ng Serial processinga group of processes t akes place one at a t ime Parallel processingt wo or mor e of t he processes t ake place simult aneously Parallel dist ribut ed processing ( PDP) simult aneously process a large amount of inf ormat ion Top-down and Bot t om-up Pr ocesses Bottom-up processingproceeds from t he lowest level t o t he highest level Top-down processinginformat ion at t he highest levels may influence processing at t he lower levels Aut omat i c and cont r ol l ed pr ocesses AUTOMATI C PROCESS Do not require much processing capacity Unrelat ed t o t he age of the individual and the st rat egy employed Biologically built or consequence of pract ice CONTROLLED PROCESS Require extra processing resources more sensit ive t o development and strategy effects Modul ar i t y I ndependence of t he language processing syst em, t aken as a whole, from t he general cognit ive syst em Linguist ic subsyst ems, such as semant ics and synt ax operat e independent ly rat her t han int eract ively. psycholinguistics 10/12/04 Dr. Jenny Kuo 3 Def i ni ng pr oper t i es ( Fodor 1983) Aut omat ic: f ast , comput at ionally ef f icient , obligat ory Domain-specif ic: only deal wit h one kind of inf ormat ion I nformat ionally encapsulat ed: t here are only very limit ed ways of get t ing inf ormat ion int o and out of each module Neurologically dist inct : a module is realized in brain by a dist inct neural subnet work I s l anguage a modul e? Automatic: native speakers process their language fast and efficient ly. Domain- specific: language processors can only process language, not ot her kinds of sounds or st ruct ures? I nformationally encapsulated: beliefs dont affect language st ruct ure, or vice versa? Neurologically distinct: there are people who show double disassociations between language and int elligence, e.g., specific language impairment affects only language, not other cognitive skills Williams Syndrome results in mental retardation while language skills are act ually enhanced. Exampl es of l anguage pr ocessi ng I was afraid of Alis powerful punch, especially since it had already laid out many t ougher men who had bragged t hey could handle t hat much alcohol. (from Clark & Clark, 1977, p.81)
Devel opment of t he pr ocessi ng syst em 1. Percept ual processing I nfant s prefer human faces and human voices I nfant s can dist inguish phonet ic cont rast s in all t he languages of t he world. Habituation / dishabit uat ion Wor ki ng memor y There is no subst ant ial increase in overall working memory capacit y wit h development at least from 6 years t o adult hood. Sensor i mot or devel opment Obj ect permanence (18- 24months) 4 mont hs or younger out of sight , out of mind. 8 mont hs search for obj ect s part ially covered. Pret end play: use an obj ect in playful and unconventional manner. Deferred imitation: imitate a behavior seen somet ime before. Transit ion from sensorimotor to preoperational period