| Effective Term: | 2026/05 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Education, Arts & Community |
| Unit Title: | Applied Psycholinguistics |
| Unit ID: | EDBSP2014 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | (EDBSP1013) |
| Co-requisite(s): | Nil |
| Exclusion(s): | (EDMSP6014) |
| ASCED: | 061707 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
This unit provides undergraduate students with a foundation in applied psycholinguistics and basic methodological training in psychometric testing and experimental research. The subject offers an overview of the theoretical and experimental knowledge related to language psychology, and how this relates to language education and speech pathology. Psycholinguistics is inherently multidisciplinary and, as such, this unit draws on work from psychology, linguistics, education, speech pathology, audiology, behavioural science and cognitive science. Students will build on their understandings of language development and language learning gained in EDMST6010, and delve deeper into exploring the complexities of how language - as a phenomenon that is both embodied and embedded in social and cultural contexts - is processed and produced by humans across neurodiverse populations, and how meaning is made and negotiated in and through discourse. Students will learn about, design, and conduct their own forms of basic psycholinguistic experiments, including lexical decision tasks, primed response time tasks, and speech sample error analysis. Students will consider how psycholinguistic research informs evidence-based practice in Speech Pathology and educational psychology. |
| Grade Scheme: | Graded (HD, D, C, P, MF, F, XF) |
| Work Experience Indicator: |
| No work experience |
| Placement Component: | |
| Supplementary Assessment:Yes |
| Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment |
| Course Level: |
| Level of Unit in Course | AQF Level(s) of Course | | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | | Introductory | | | | | | | | Intermediate | | | |  | | | | Advanced | | | | | | |
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| Learning Outcomes: |
| Knowledge: |
| K1. | Analyse language and its subsystems in the context of cognitive science |
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| K2. | Recognise and examine how psycholinguistic theories and methods can be applied to classroom and/or speech pathology clinical practice |
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| K3. | Critically examine and apply methods of psycholinguistic experimentation and psychometric testing related to language processing and production |
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| K4. | Develop and implement potential lines and processes of inquiry commensurate with undergraduate level research |
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| K5. | Recognise and explore speech perception and production and models of processing |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Analyse cognitive operations of language processing |
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| S2. | Identify the components of language production |
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| S3. | Design and differentiate speech pathology interventions or service responses and/or pedagogy for diverse individuals based on psycholinguistic data |
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| S4. | Collaborate with peers to conduct experimental research related to psychometric evaluation of speech and communication that upholds Speech Pathology Australia’s Code of Ethics and Federation University’s policies and procedures related to human research ethics |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Read and critique current research in psycholinguistics and interpret theory and research in relation to educational and/or speech pathology practice |
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| A2. | Benchmark observed language behaviours from research participants against theory and research |
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| A3. | Interpret and implement appropriate pedagogical and/or speech pathology interventions to promote oral language, literacy outcomes, and speech development |
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| Unit Content: |
This unit will cover the following topics: - What is psycholinguistic research and how does it inform professional practices in education and speech pathology
- Components of a language system and how ideas about how these are processed by the brain
- The relationship between language and thought
- Different models of language processing and production, including -
- Speech perception and production
- Functional-cognitive models of language
- The mental lexicon
- Semantic representation
- Language errors, language play, and communication repair
- Psycholinguistics and literacy
- Types of basic psycholinguistic testing and experimental design
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| Graduate Attributes: |
| Federation University recognises that students require key transferable employability skills to prepare them for their future workplace and society. FEDTASKS (Transferable Attributes Skills and Knowledge) provide a targeted focus on five key transferable Attributes, Skills, and Knowledge that are be embedded within curriculum, developed gradually towards successful measures and interlinked with cross-discipline and Co-operative Learning opportunities. One or more FEDTASK, transferable Attributes, Skills or Knowledge must be evident in the specified learning outcomes and assessment for each FedUni Unit, and all must be directly assessed in each Course.
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| FED TASK and descriptor | Development and acquisition of FEDTASKS in the Unit | | Level | FEDTASK 1
Interpersonal | Students will demonstrate high-level skills to effectively communicate, interact and work with others both individually and in groups Students will be required to display (in person and/or online) high-level skills in-person and/or online in: • Effective verbal and non-verbal communication via a range of synchronous and asynchronous methods • Active listening for meaning and influencing • High-level empathy for others • Negotiating and demonstrating extended conflict resolution skills • Working respectfully in cross-cultural and diverse teams | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 2
Leadership | Students will demonstrate the ability to apply leadership skills and behaviours Students will be required to display skills in: • Creating, contributing to, and enabling collegial environments • Showing self-awareness and the ability to self-reflect for personal growth • Inspiring and enabling others • Making informed and evidence-based decisions through consultation with others • Displaying initiative and ability to solve problems | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 3
Critical Thinking and Creativity | Students will demonstrate an ability to work in complex and ambiguous environments, using their imagination to create new ideas Students will be required to display skills in: • Reflecting critically on complex problems • Synthesising, evaluating ideas, concepts and information • Proposing alternative perspectives to refine ideas • Challenging conventional thinking to clarify concepts through deep inquiry • Proposing creative solutions in problem solving | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 4
Digital Literacy | Students will demonstrate the ability to work proficiently across a range of tools, platforms and applications to achieve a range of tasks Students will be required to display high-level skills in: • Finding, accessing, collating, evaluating, managing, curating, organising and appropriately and securely sharing complex digital information at a high-level • Receiving and responding to messages in a range of digital media • Using digital tools appropriately to conduct research • Contributing proficiently to digital teams and working groups • Participating in and utilising digital learning opportunities | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 5
Sustainable and Ethical Mindset | Students will demonstrate the ability to think ethically and sustainably. Students will be required to display skills in: • The responsible conduct of research • Making informed judgments that consider the impact of devising solutions in multiple global economic environmental and societal contexts • Demonstrating commitment to social responsibility as a professional and a citizen • Generating research solutions which are sustainable,ethical, socially responsible and/or sustainable • Extending lifelong, life-wide and life-deep learning to be open to diverse others • Demonstrate extended actions to foster sustainability in their professional and personal life. | 1 - Yes |
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| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | | 1. | K1, K2, K5, S1, S2, A1, A2 | Multiple choice and/or short answer quiz on key concepts related to psycholinguistic research, psychometric testing, and their applications to clinical practice in speech pathology | Quiz | 20-30% | | 2. | K2, K3, K4, S3, S4, A1 | Design a small-scale psycholinguistic study on a topic of interest, present the research proposal to a group of peers, and provide feedback on other peers’ proposals | Oral presentation and/or peer group learning activity | 20-40% | | 3. | K1, K2, K3, K4, K5, S1, S3, S4, A1, A2, A3 | Conduct a small-scale psycholinguistic study, analyse the results, and write a report on the findings | Written task | 40-50% |
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