Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026
09:27
Using Eye Movements Recorded in the Visual World Paradigm to Explore the Online Processing of Spoken Language
Published on: October 13, 2018
The language machine: Psycholinguistics in review
1Department of Psychology, University of York, UK.
British Journal of Psychology (London, England : 1953)
|January 23, 2002
Summary
Psycholinguistics explores the mental basis of language, examining how humans acquire and process words and sentences. This field studies language from infancy through adulthood, offering insights into the human mind and communication.
Area of Science:
- Psycholinguistics
- Cognitive Science
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- The field of psycholinguistics has evolved significantly since the mid-1960s linguistic revolution.
- It integrates empirical and theoretical approaches to understand the mental faculty for language.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a comprehensive review of psycholinguistics' development from the 20th to the 21st century.
- To cover key areas including infant language acquisition, lexicon, sentence processing, and speech production.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of historical and contemporary psycholinguistic research.
- Synthesis of findings across diverse subfields of language study.
Main Results:
- Psycholinguistics has expanded to include a wide array of topics and interdisciplinary connections.
- Detailed examination of infant language abilities, word representation, sentence comprehension, and speech production.
Conclusions:
- Psycholinguistics offers profound insights into the human mind's capacity for communication.
- The study of language processing is integral to understanding cognition and the human mind itself.
Related Concept Videos
01:10Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language
Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
01:20Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive psychology is the field of psychology dedicated to examining how people think. It attempts to explain how and why we think the way we do by studying the interactions among human thinking, emotion, creativity, language, and problem-solving, as well as other cognitive processes. Cognitive psychology studies how information is processed and manipulated in remembering, thinking, and knowing.
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...
01:24Components of Language
Language, whether spoken, signed, or written, consists of specific components: lexicon and grammar. The lexicon is the vocabulary of a language, comprising its words. Grammar is the set of rules used to convey meaning through the lexicon. For example, English grammar adds “-ed” to most verbs to indicate past tense. Words are formed by combining phonemes, which are the basic sound units of a language. Different languages have different sets of phonemes (e.g., “ah” vs. “eh”). Phonemes combine to...
01:22Language Development
Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
01:27Language and Cognition
Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
01:28Automatic Processing and Automatic Social Behavior
Automatic processing refers to the cognitive operations that occur without conscious intent or awareness, playing a fundamental role in shaping social cognition and behavior. These processes enable individuals to navigate complex social environments efficiently by relying on mental shortcuts and pre-existing knowledge structures known as schemas. One of the most influential mechanisms underlying automatic processing is priming, which subtly activates mental representations through exposure to...