RESEARCH METHODS: APPROACHES

Psycholinguistics employs a wide range of research methods and draws upon various types of data.

Naturally occurring data, both written and spoken. Corpora of Slips of the Tongue have afforded insights into the process of assembling speech. Recordings of natural spoken language provide material for discourse analysis, which can offer insights into the planning and execution of connected speech. Recording also enables researchers to examine the effects upon language of damage to various parts of the brain and to classify the characteristics of speech impediments. In studying language acquisition, fixed microphones are widely used to collect samples of child language at random or at regularly timed intervals.

Observational. The approach might involve the keeping of research notes or diaries. This kind of case study has proved especially fruitful in studying first language acquisition.

Theory-driven. An obvious example is the use of Chomskyan theory as a framework for analysing language acquisition data– a method especially favoured by those on the linguistic rather than psychological wing of the field. They examine the productions of first language acquirers and the grammaticality judgements of second language acquirers for evidence of underlying universal principles of language or for the setting of language-specific parameters.

Neuropsychological. Physical evidence is sought of how activity within the brain correlates with language. Current brain imaging techniques permit researchers to observe changing states within the brain by monitoring electrical currents or the flow of blood.

Experimental. The most commonly used approach, especially in investigating language processing. It permits the researcher to control the many variables which are present in linguistic encounters and to focus upon one aspect of performance. It also enables findings to be tested across a wide range of subjects. Typically, experiments in psycholinguistics focus upon small-scale effects, from which larger conclusions may be derived. See Research methods: experimental.

Computer modelling. Researchers in Artificial Intelligence construct models which attempt to simulate natural language processing. A ‘strong’ rationale would suggest that there are important parallels between the way the mind works and the operations of a computer. A more generally accepted view is that, by modelling language processes, the experimenter can gain insights into the analytic and decision-making processes in which a human being engages.

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مواضيع ذات صلة

Problems with the dictionary view

The dictionary view

Dictionaries versus encyclopaedias

The encyclopaedic view of meaning

Embodiment and conceptual structure summary

Schematic systems

Semantic structure

Conceptual structure

Image schemas and abstract thought

Properties of image schemas

What is an image schema?

Image schemas