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Connectionist psycholinguistics involves using (artificial) 'neural' networks, which are inspired by brain architecture, to model empirical data on the acquisition and processing of language. As such, connectionist psycholinguistics has had a far-reaching impact on language research. In this course, we will survey the state of the art of connectionist psycholinguistics, ranging from speech processing and word recognition, to inflectional morphology, sentence processing, language production and reading. An important focus of discussion will be the methodological and theoretical issues related to computational modeling of psychological data. We will furthermore discuss the broader implications of connectionist models of language, not only for psycholinguistics, but also for computational and linguistic perspectives on language.
Dr. Christiansen has worked extensively with connectionist models of language and has edited the book Connectionist Psycholinguistics (with Dr. Nick Chater, University College London), which serves as the textbook for the seminar.
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Required Text: |
Course Outline
* indicates extra readings for presenters and graduate students (628).
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Week |
Dates |
Topics |
Readings |
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Week 1 |
9/2 |
Organizational Meeting |
Chapter 1 |
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Week 2 |
9/9 |
Psycholinguistics and Computational Modeling Presenter: Morten Christiansen (christiansen@cornell.edu) |
Bernstein Ratner, Berko Gleason & Narasimhan (1998) Simpson (2000) * Gupta (2008) |
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Week 3 |
9/16 |
Neural networks and language Presenter: Morten Christiansen (christiansen@cornell.edu) |
McLeod, Plunkett & Rolls (1998) Chapter 2 |
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Week 4 |
9/23 |
Speech processing I: Segmentation Presenter: Morten Christiansen (christiansen@cornell.edu) |
Christiansen, Allen & Seidenberg (1998) Christiansen & Curtin (1999) Marcus (1999) Christiansen, Conway & Curtin (2005) |
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Week 5 |
9/30 |
Speech processing II: Word recognition Presenter: Linka Preus (ckp23@cornell.edu) Meeting in 255 Uris Hall |
Chapter 3 Allopenna, Magnuson & Tanenhaus (1998) * Sibley, Kello, Plaut & Elman (2008) |
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Week 6 |
10/7 |
Morphology Presenters: Chrissy Hosea & Trevor Caira (ch534@cornell.edu & toc3@cornell.edu) |
Chapter 4 Nakisa, Plunkett & Hahn (2000) * Marcus (2000) |
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10/14 |
Fall Break | ||
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Week 7 |
10/21 |
Sentence Processing I: Recursion and working memory Presenter: Morten Christiansen (christiansen@cornell.edu) |
Chapter 5 Christiansen & MacDonald (submitted) MacDonald & Christiansen (2002) * Wells, Christiansen, Race, Acheson & MacDonald (in press) |
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Week 8 |
10/28 |
Sentence Processing II: Ambiguity resolution Presenter: Brian Gainor (bjg29@cornell.edu) |
Chapter 6 Mayberry, Crocker & Knoeferle (in press) * Chapter 11 |
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Week 9 |
11/4 |
Language Production Presenter: Chrissy Hosea (ch534@cornell.edu) |
Chapter 7 Chang, Dell & Bock (2006) Fitz & Chang (2008) |
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Week 10 |
11/11 |
Reading Presenter: Trevor Caira (toc3@cornell.edu) 1-page synopsis due |
Chapter 8 Harm, McCandiss & Seidenberg (2003) * Monaghan & Shillcock (in press) |
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Week 11 |
11/18 |
Language acquisition Presenters: Linka Preus & Jennifer Misyak (ckp23@cornell.edu & jbm36@cornell.edu) |
Li, Zhao & MacWhinney (2007) Christiansen, Dale & Reali (in press) * Colunga & Smith (2000) |
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Week 12 |
11/25 |
Developmental language disorders Presenter: Jennifer Misyak (jbm36@cornell.edu) |
Conway, Ellefson, Dale & Christiansen (submitted) Thomas & Karmiloff-Smith (2003) * Bullinaria (2007) |
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Week 13 |
12/2 |
Future prospects for connectionist psycholinguistics Presenter: Brian Gainor & Trevor Caira (bjg29@cornell.edu & toc3@cornell.edu) |
Chapters 9 and 10
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12/5 |
Final paper due (before noon) |
| Note: Chapter numbers refer to the chapters in the required textbook. Changes may be made to the readings and their order but this will be announced in class and on this course web page. |
Readings
Allopenna, P.D, Magnuson, J.S., & Tanenhaus, M.K. (1998). Tracking the time course of spoken word recognition using eye movements: Evidence for continuous mapping models. Journal of Memory and Language, 38, 419-439.Bernstein Ratner, N., Berko Gleason, J. & Narasimhan, B. (1998). Introduction to psycholinguistics: What do language users know? In J. Berko Gleason & N. Bernstein Ratner (Eds.), Psycholinguistics (2nd ed., pp. 1-40). Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace.
* Bullinaria, J.A. (2007). Understanding the emergence of modularity in neural systems. Cognitive Science, 31, 673-695.
Chang, F., Dell, G.S. & Bock, K. (2006). Becoming syntactic. Psychological Review, 113, 234-272.
Christiansen, M.H., Allen, J. & Seidenberg, M.S. (1998). Learning to segment speech using multiple cues: A connectionist model. Language and Cognitive Processes, 13, 221-268.
Christiansen, M.H., Conway, C.M. & Curtin, S. (2005). Multiple-cue integration in language acquisition: A connectionist model of speech segmentation and rule-like behavior. In J.W. Minett & W.S.-Y. Wang (Eds.), Language acquisition, change and emergence: Essays in evolutionary linguistics (pp. 205-249). Hong Kong: City University of Hong Kong Press.
Christiansen, M.H. & Curtin, S.L. (1999). Transfer of learning: Rule acquisition or statistical learning? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 3, 289-290.
Christiansen, M.H., Dale, R. & Reali, F. (in press). Connectionist explorations of multiple-cue integration in syntax acquisition. In S.P. Johnson (Ed.), Neoconstructivism: The new science of cognitive development. New York: Oxford University Press.
Christiansen, M.H. & MacDonald, M.C. (submitted). A learning-based approach to recursion in sentence processing. Submitted to appear in a Special Issue of Language Learning on "Language as a complex adaptive system".
* Colunga, E. & Smith, L.B. (2000). Committing to an ontology: A connectionist account. In Proceedings of the 22nd Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 89-94). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Conway, C.M., Ellefson, M.R., Dale, R. & Christiansen, M.H. (submitted). Connectionist models of developmental disorders: A critical appraisal. In D.L Molfese & V.J. Molfese (Eds.), Handbook of Developmental Neuropsychology. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
* Fitz, H. & Chang, F. (2008). The role of the input in a connectionist model of the accessibility hierarchy in development. In Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Boston University Conference on Language Development (pp. 120-131). Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press.
* Gupta, P. (2008). The role of computational models in investigating typical and pathological behaviors. Seminars in Speech and Language, 29, 211-225.
Harm, M., McCandliss, B.D., & Seidenberg, M.S. (2003). Modeling the successes and failures of interventions for disabled readers. Scientific Studies of Reading, 7, 155-182.
Li, P., Zhao, X. & MacWhinney, B. (2007). Dynamic self-organization and early lexical development in children. Cognitive Science, 31, 581-612.
MacDonald, M.C. & Christiansen, M.H. (2002). Reassessing working memory: A comment on Just and Carpenter (1992) and Waters and Caplan (1996). Psychological Review, 109, 35-54.
Marcus, G.F. (1999). Reply to Christiansen and Curtin. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 3, 290-291.
* Marcus, G.F. (2000). Children's overregularization and its implications for cognition. In P. Broeder & J. Murre (Eds.), Models of language acquisition: Inductive and deductive approaches (pp. 154-176). New York: Oxford University Press.
Mayberry, M., Crocker, M. & Knoeferle, P. (in press). Learning to attend: A connectionist model of situated language comprehension. Cognitive Science.
McLeod, P., Plunkett, K. & Rolls, E.T. (1998). Introduction to connectionist modeling of cognitive processes (pp. 9-21 + 30-50). New York: Oxford University Press.
* Monaghan, P. & Shillcock, R.C. (in press). Hemispheric dissociation and dyslexia in a computational model of reading. Brain and Language.
Nakisa, R., Plunkett, K. & Hahn, U. (2000). Single- and dual-route models of inflectional morphology. In P. Broeder & J. Murre (Eds.), Models of language acquisition: Inductive and deductive approaches (pp. 201-222). New York: Oxford University Press.
* Sibley, D.E., Kello, C.T., Plaut, D.C. & Elman, J.L. (2008). Large-scale modeling of wordform learning and representation. Cognitive Science, 32, 741-754.
Simpson, P. (2000). Using the computer to define and explore theories in psychology. In G.M. Breakwell, S. Hammond & C. Fife-Schaw (Eds.), Research methods in psychology (2nd ed., pp. 338-349). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Thomas, M.S.C. & Karmiloff-Smith, A. (2003). Modelling language acquisition in atypical phenotypes. Psychological Review, 110, 647-682.
* Wells, J., Christiansen, M.H., Race, D.S., Acheson, D. & MacDonald, M.C. (in press). Experience and sentence processing: Statistical learning and relative clause comprehension. Cognitive Psychology.
Contact Information
Contact Information for Dr. ChristiansenDepartment of Psychology
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
Office: 228 Uris Hall
Office Hours: Tuesdays 12-1:25PM and by appointment
Phone: (607) 255-3570
Fax: (607) 255-8433
Email: christiansen@cornell.edu
Cornell home page
Lab web site
Last modified November 25, 2008, by mhc.