Module manager: Chris Norton
Email: c.norton@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
Students are expected to have completed both of the following modules, or equivalent: • MODL1060 Language: Structure and Sound • LING1100 Language: Meaning and Use Students who have not completed these modules, but have completed LING2131 Psycholinguistics may also enrol. Students who have not completed MODL1060 Language: Structure and Sound should be prepared to do some additional reading to familiarise themselves with linguistic concepts built on in this module. Chapters 1–6 of Genetti’s How languages work: An introduction to language and linguistics (Cambridge University Press, 2019) are a good starting point.
This module is not approved as a discovery module
How do we go from words to thoughts, and vice versa? Bridging experimental psychology and linguistics, this module looks at the psycholinguistic and cognitive processes involved in human communication: how we recognise words, store meanings, and build sentences. Theoretical models offer explanations of how linguistic knowledge is used in the real-time processing of language. We explore these accounts, thinking about how they are tested, supported, and disputed. This encompasses evidence across linguistic domains, and includes speech errors and language disorders. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
Through lectures and seminars, this module aims to:
1. Familiarise students with psycholinguistic investigations into the cognitive processing of language, i.e. the mechanisms and types of information that speakers and listeners use to process language
2. Introduce students to the key experimental methodologies used in psycholinguistics, and how quantitative methods are used in linguistic research more widely
3. Allow students to compare the major theoretical accounts underpinning research in language processing
4. Develop students' analytical skills through practical analyses of experimental data and source readings
5. Develop students' independent research skills by creating an original research proposal for an empirical psycholinguistic study.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
1. Analyse psycholinguistic models and theories, including their key concepts and associated empirical research methodologies.
2. Apply key concepts in explaining psycholinguistic phenomena and interpreting experimental findings in language processing.
3. Evaluate primary psycholinguistic evidence from scientific journals with respect to methodological rigour, validity, and theoretical implication
4. Create a coherent and feasible plan for an empirical psycholinguistic study, integrating principles of experimental design and appropriate theoretical concepts and methodological approaches.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
5. Develop an evidence-based and well-structured argument, complying with the standards of academic integrity
6. Communicate concepts in clear, accessible terms suitable for different target audiences
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Seminar | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Independent online learning hours | 8 | ||
| Private study hours | 171 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 21 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Formative feedback is built into seminars, which scaffold and support both the assignments. Support runs throughout the seminars from the start, first focusing on the proposal, then the poster. Additionally a formative task of submitting a proposal outline provides further feedback.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Poster | 40 |
| Coursework | Research proposal | 60 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team