PY3ELD-Early Lexical Development

Module Provider: Psychology
Number of credits: 10 [5 ECTS credits]
Level:6
Terms in which taught: Spring term module
Pre-requisites: PY2RM Research Methods and Data Analysis or PY2RMP Research methods in Psychology and PY2DAL Development across the lifespan
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2022/3

Module Convenor: Prof Vesna Stojanovik
Email: V.Stojanovik@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:
Early lexical development

Aims:

In this module, students study early word learning ('lexical development') in depth, exploring the journey that children take from the earliest stages of pre-linguistic development to becoming competent linguists. We concentrate on the early years: primarily from birth to three, but occasionally we will look at topics from the late pre-school years.

We aim to give students the opportunity to gain experience of critical evaluation of selected topics in relation to early lexical development; to provide students with an awareness of current research on the topic; and to help students develop the ability to study independently.

Assessable learning outcomes:

By the end of the module the student will be able to

1. Describe and explain some of the phenomena of lexical development from birth to the preschool years


2. Describe some of the theories of lexical development, and evaluate them critically in the light of evidence


3. Critically evaluate key studies in the fields of semantic development and word learningÌý

Additional outcomes:
Students will gain experience from participating in evaluative discussions of research and theory in large and small groups.

Outline content:

In this module we look at the early development of language, with a particular (but not exclusive) focus on vocabulary development. Words are the building blocks of language; how they are learned is both interesting and controversial. We’ll study a range of topics, combining current research with historically-important empirical studies. Content may include:

• Pre-linguistic development and the building blocks of language


• Methods in language development studies


• Early word learning


• Categorisation


• Principles, constraints, and biases


• The role of caregivers (usually parents) and the role of educational/childcare environments


• Individual differences in early lexical development


• Language development across cultures


• Nature, nurture and modularity of language


• Atypical language development


• Comparative psychology: what other species can tell us about human language development

Global context:

Studies will be discussed with reference to the cultural context in which they were conducted; we will also consider how language development varies across cultures and languages. ÌýÌý

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

Seminars consist of taught content and interactive discussions. Students will be encouraged to work in small groups to discuss studies and theories, or to solve problems. We will maintain an active online discussion board to provide effective Q and As which all students can benefit from. Students are set 'core' reading at the start of the term which we will discuss in detail in seminars. Students are encouraged to use the reading list as a starting point and to explore the literature independently.Ìý