Developmental Science at UM



Contents Home Faculty Programs Courses Students Events Listserv	Courses The courses listed below have been identified by the Committee faculty as providing foundational training in developmental science for doctoral students across disciplines. In principle, these courses are open to any doctoral student affiliated with the Committee. Committee students encountering difficulties in registering for course should contact Amanda Woodward (awoodward@psyc.umd.edu). EDHD 750 Culture, Context, and Development (Killen) This course will cover theory and research on cultural and contextual influences on social development. EDHD 720 Social Development (Killen) This course covers social development and socialization processes across the life-span. The course typically covers the following topics: parent-child relationships, peer relationships, moral development, social cognition, social competence, social motivation, self-regulation, and cultural influences on development. This is core doctoral course. EDHD 721 Cognitive Development and Learning ( Azevedo) The purpose of this course is to present the major theories, issues, and research in learning and cognitive development with an emphasis on the application of these theories to education and the helping professions. A primary goal is to understand different perspectives on cognitive development and how cognitive change can be facilitated by educational/training settings and computer-based learning environments. The course is designed to help you acquire a basic understanding of theories in cognitive development and educational psychology through lectures, readings, review articles, journal articles, classroom discussions, group presentations and courseware demonstrations. The initial part of the course focuses on the main theories of cognitive development (e.g., Piaget, Information Processing, Vygotsky, Self-Regulated Learning). As such, roughly the first half of the course will be devoted to understanding and reading current research since a grounding in these theories is required when discussing their application in educational/training settings and computer-based learning environments (CBLEs). The later part of the course focuses on relatively more narrowly defined areas of cognitive development (e.g., using computers as metacognitive tools to enhance students' learning). EDHD 850 Social Cognition and Moral Development ( Killen) This course will cover theory and research on social-cognitive development and moral development, from infancy to adolescence. Social cognition and moral development is the study of how individuals conceptualize the social world, and in particular how children and adolescents acquire moral, societal, and psychological concepts. This topic includes studying the origins and emergence of these concepts, as well as the social interactional and behavioral bases for social attitudes, judgments, beliefs, and values. Topics to be studied include morality, autonomy, social relationships, social justice, exclusion, intergroup relationships, and cultural influences on development. We will discuss these issues in our analysis of the theoretical and research literature. EDHD 821 Socialization Processes in Human Development II (Killen) Advanced doctoral seminar on socialization and social development with consideration of selected topics introduced in EDHD 820. Identification of research problems and areas of application. EDHD 835 Achievement Motivation (Wigfield) Development of achievement motivation and how it relates to academic achievement during the elementary and secondary school years. Expectancy-value theory, attribution theory, self-efficacy theory, socialization of achievement motivation. EDHD 775 Psychophysiological Processes in Human Development I (Fox) Two hours of lecture and one hour of discussion/recitation per week. Course focuses on the biological bases of human behavior including physiological processes which have an impact on human development. EDHD 711 Peer-Culture and Group Processes in Human Development (Rubin) The process of group formation, role-taking and status-winning, and the emergence of the peer-culture during childhood and the evolution of the child society at different maturity levels to adulthood. The developmental tasks and adjustment problems associated with winning, belonging, and playing roles in the peer group. EDHD 779T Reading Acquisition in Young Children (Wang) This course is designed to introduce you to important theoretical and empirical research on basic processes in children's reading acquisition. This course will help you acquire concepts and principles central to language acquisition and its developmental stages. You will also learn concepts of emergent literacy, models of reading acquisition and skilled reading. We will also discuss individual differences and instructional approaches that impact reading achievement. FMST 698S Analysis of Family Systems and Dysfunction A survey of theory and research on family interaction in well-functioning and dysfunctional families. Micro-analysis of family process in communication, decision making, and problem solving. Theory and research on family coping with normative transitions and non-normative crises across the family life-cycle. FMST 606 Ethnic Families Historical, cultural, social and economic factors influencing the structure and functioning of ethnic families. Implications of research for service delivery and family policy. FMST 641 Couples Therapy: Theory and Techniques Prerequisite: FMST 640. Exploration of the dynamics of the couple relationship and methods of facilitating growth and interaction within that relationship. Emphasis on couples with conflicting needs and expectations, dysfunctional communication and conflict-negotiation skills. Alternative theoretical approaches and methods of marital therapy. FMST 645 Sexuality: Issues in Family Therapy and Service Delivery Typical, dysfunctional, and pathological sexual functioning: effects on individuals, couples, and family systems. Sensitizes students to sexual issues, explores how perceptions of such issues affect work with people, and emphasizes implications for marriage and family therapy. FMST 698Q Qualitative Methods in Family Research Theoretical perspectives and methodological tools to conduct qualitative research with families, including research designs; participant fieldwork, observation and interview projects; data collection and analysis; and development of grounded theory. HESP 604 Acoustic and Perceptual Phonetics (Newman) Principles and current laboratory techniques in analysis of the acoustical characteristics of the speech signal and discussion of models of speech perception. This course is aimed at a study of the physical patterns (acoustic) of speech sounds and the importance of these acoustic patterns to speech recognition (perception). The course will focus on segmental phonemes (vowels and consonants) and on suprasegmental characteristics such as stress and intonation. Although much of the course will focus on speech produced by English-speaking adults, you will also learn how these speech sounds change in a variety of disorders. By the end of this course, you should be able to demonstrate knowledge of the nature of speech (both acoustic and articulatory) and how it is perceived. The first half of the course will focus on acoustic phonetics -- In this portion of the course, you will learn the different types of speech analysis techniques, and how to use these to study the acoustic patterns of speech sounds. During the last part of the course, we will turn to perceptual phonetics, and you will learn how these different aspects of the speech signal relate to listener perception. You will also learn about the use of synthetic speech. As part of this course, you will do a number of laboratory exercises, and will be expected to turn in your lab manual at the end of the semester. HESP 602 Neurological Bases of Communication (Shah) Basic neurology as it pertains to anatomical and physiological substrates of speech and language. The objective of this course is to provide an understanding of the neurological and cognitive processes involved in human communication. The content of the course includes: 1) neuroanatomy, including cortical and subcortical networks involved in speech, language, hearing, reading, and memory, 2) the component neurocognitive processes involved in speech, language, hearing, reading, and memory, 3) communication disorders with a neurological etiology, 4) neural development, aging, and plasticity, 5) methods used to study neural bases of communication/cognition, including -functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), event related potentials (ERP), electoencephalography (EEG), transcranial magnetic stimulation (MEG), sodium amytal tests (WADA), and neuropsychological tests. Course content will be disseminated via lectures, use of interactive 3-D neuroanatomical software, manipulation of actual brain specimens, neuropsychological case studies, and discussion of research findings. Requirements include a lab, quizzes, and two exams. HESP 838 Seminar in Language Acquisition (Staff) Models of normal and disordered first language acquisition, second language acquisition and bilingualism. HESP 888 Seminar in Neurobases of language (Staff) Neural ststrates of language function, brain image of normal and disordered language function, and neural plasticity for language. HESP 818 Seminar in Language Processing; (Ratner) Information processing models of language, relationships among language, memory and cognition. KNES 603 Advanced Motor Development ( Clark ) This course is an in-depth examination of motor skill development across the lifespan. Emphasis is on understanding and analyzing major issues, theories and research design problems associated with the study of motor skill development. The analysis of major theoretical positions in motor skill development. Stage theory in motor development; development of motor skill memory; the development of motor control and coordination; and the role of reflexes in motor development. KNES 689G Visuomotor coordination across the lifespan (Clark & Jeka) KNES 689P Development of Posture and Locomotion (Clark & Jeka) KNES 703 Advanced Seminar: Motor Development ( Clark ) Issues and strategies in the design and evaluation of research in motor skill development. Course culminates in student planning, conducting and interpreting a research study. LING 640 - Psycholinguistics I (Staff) Core graduate course in psycholinguistics, covering leading theoretical approaches and experimental methods in language acquisition, language processing, and neurolinguistics. Psycholinguistics stands at the crossroads of linguistics, psychology, computer science and neuroscience. The basic objective of psycholinguistics is to understand how the human mind/brain supports the learning, comprehension and production of language. This course is a two-semester core graduate sequence in psycholinguistics, covering issues and techniques relevant for research in language acquisition, language processing and neurolinguistics. The aim is to provide a hands-on introduction to the state-of-the-art in psycholinguistics, covering the following general questions: Knowledge: What is the current state of our understanding of language learning and processing? How far are we towards having a neurobiologically explicit model of language? This will be studied through readings, lectures and in-class discussions, and written homework assignments. Techniques: What experimental and analytic techniques have been used to learn these things? This will be studied over the course of a series of Lab Assignments and larger research projects (Spring Semester), which together will provide hands-on experience in designing and running experiments, analyzing data, searching databases and manipulating computer models. The course will also provide an opportunity to develop research skills such as efficient literature searches, abstract writing, etc. Frontiers: What areas of psycholinguistics are still poorly understood, and where can we hope to make significant progress in coming years? LING 641 Issues in Psycholinguistics (Phillips) Psycholinguistics stands at the crossroads of linguistics, psychology, computer science and neuroscience. The basic objective of psycholinguistics is to understand how the human mind/brain supports the learning, comprehension and production of language. This course is a two-semester core graduate sequence in psycholinguistics, covering issues and techniques relevant for research in language acquisition, language processing and neurolinguistics. The aim is to provide a hands-on introduction to the state-of-the-art in psycholinguistics, covering the following general questions:Knowledge: What is the current state of our understanding of language learning and processing? How far are we towards having a neurobiologically explicit model of language? This will be studied through readings, lectures and in-class discussions, and written homework assignments. Techniques: What experimental and analytic techniques have been used to learn these things? This will be studied over the course of a series of Lab Assignments and larger research projects (Spring Semester), which together will provide hands-on experience in designing and running experiments, analyzing data, searching databases and manipulating computer models. The course will also provide an opportunity to develop research skills such as efficient literature searches, abstract writing, etc. Frontiers: What areas of psycholinguistics are still poorly understood, and where can we hope to make significant progress in coming years? Topics of current interest in psycholinguistics, including both theoretical approaches and experimental and analytical issues in language acquisition, language processing, and neurolinguistics. LING 849 - Seminar in Psycholinguistics (Lidz & Phillips) Learning and parsing share a certain abstract structure. Learners must determine the structure of their language on the basis of partially ambiguous data. Likewise, parsers must determine the structure of a sentence on the basis of incomplete or ambiguous data. This kind of "reasoning under uncertainty" lends itself to solutions from the domain of probability theory. Looked at from another angle, learners and parsers have been shown to be sensitive to statistical information under various experimental conditions. Many have argued that the successes of probabilistic methods in NLP and the demonstrations of statistical learning in young children fundamentally change the nature of long-standing debates about the structure of the language acquisition device. However, there have been very few attempts to show how these methods can actually solve the problems that have motivated approaches such as the Principles and Parameters approach to syntax. At the same time, parameter-based learning models have also had only limited successes in explaining the kinds of problems that they were designed to solve. In this seminar we aim to explore what, if anything, distributional learning and parsing models have to offer for the problems of learning and parsing grammatically rich representations. We will start by outlining the learning and parsing challenges that we aim to address. This will include selecting a series of 'model problems' that we will bear in mind as we read relevant experimental and computational literature. We will then review first a selection of experimental studies on statistical learning and parsing, and then some of the methods that the NLP community considers to be most useful, and evaluate whether these tools provide what we need in order to solve our problems. LING 646: Cognitive Neuroscience of Language ( Phillips & Poeppel) Overview of classical and recent work on the neural basis of speech and language, with a goal of introducing contemporary methods and results to prepare the student to read the neurolinguistics and cognitive neuroscience literature. An emphasis will be placed on current techniques. The past 10 years have seen significant advances in the neuroscience of language, and perhaps even greater promises have been made. This course is a foundational graduate course in the state of the art in the cognitive neuroscience of language. We will be concerned with questions of how to understand language at the level of the brain, and of how to more fully integrate our theories at this level with theories in theoretical linguistics and psycholinguistics. Classic work in neurolinguistics was based overwhelmingly on patient-based studies and deficit-lesion correlation techniques. More recently, there has been an explosion of interest in non-invasive brain recording techniques that provide detailed information about the location of brain activity (e.g., PET, fMRI) or its timing (EEG, MEG). There is also a growing body of research in the computational neuroscience of language, that investigates basic questions of how a neural system might, in principle, represent linguistic information. In this course we will aim to provide a critical synthesis of these different strands of research. LING 859: Seminar in Language Acquisition (Lidz) This course will explore current issues in the acquisition of syntax and semantics. We will focus on learning about methodologies for assessing linguistic representations and about the learning mechanisms that underlie syntactic acquisition. We will consider the interactions between linguistic representations, the parser, conceptual representations and learning. PSYC 611 Advanced Developmental Psychology (Cassidy, Woodward). This course surveys classic and current work in Developmental Psychology. We will consider the foundational work of Piaget, Kohlberg, Bowlby, and others, as well as state of the art approaches and findings. We will cover development across a broad range of domains, including cognitive, linguistic, moral, social and emotional development. Across these domains, we will consider the contributions of nature and nurture to developmental trajectories, continuity and discontinuity in development, the mechanisms that give rise to developmental change, and the insights that can be gleaned from studies of both general patterns and individual differences. The course will consist of lectures, group discussion, videotape viewings, and observations of babies, children, and parents during in-class demonstrations. Readings will be primary empirical and theoretical works. Assignments include contributions to class discussion as well as midterm and final examinations. PSYC 623 Child Psychopathology (Chronis) Examines the scientific and clinical literature relevant to normal and pathological behavior in children and adolescents. Issues in developmental psychopathology and consideration of processes initiated in childhood which manifest as pathology in adulthood are also considered. PSYC 632 Behavioral and Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Children and Adolescents (Chronis) Introduces students to the process of therapy with particular focus on behavioral and cognitive behavioral interventions in children and adolescents. Syllabus focuses on theory, research, client diversity, ethics and practical aspects of conducting therapy. PSYC 679A Seminar in Cognitive Development (Woodward). In the first years of life, children's cognition undergoes dramatic qualitative and quantitative change. For nearly a century, experimental psychologists have sought to understand the nature and causes of these developmental changes. This course surveys classic and current approaches to the study of cognitive development in infants and children. We will begin with a review of the major theoretical perspectives from which cognitive development has been investigated. Then we will survey development in topical domains including: perception, concepts, memory, problem solving, social cognition, language and academic skills. The seminar will involve active group discussion and analysis of the course readings, with occasional lectures to set the stage for discussion. Assignments will include weekly essays, leading class discussion, and a take home final exam. PSYC 798L Graduate Seminar: Attachment (Cassidy) PSYC798J Development of Social Cognition (Woodward) This graduate seminar will focus on current work on infants' and children's reasoning about others' actions and minds. We will begin with the now classic literature on children's understanding of beliefs and desires. Then we will consider recent extensions to and reformulation of this work from crosscultural, neuroscientific, cross-species comparative, and infant cognition research paradigms. Our focus will be developments during infancy and early childhood. Throughout the seminar we will consider this domain of development in the broader contexts of conceptual development and social behavior.

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Courses

The courses listed below have been identified by the Committee faculty as providing foundational training in developmental science for doctoral students across disciplines. In principle, these courses are open to any doctoral student affiliated with the Committee. Committee students encountering difficulties in registering for course should contact Amanda Woodward (awoodward@psyc.umd.edu).

EDHD 750 Culture, Context, and Development (Killen)

This course will cover theory and research on cultural and contextual influences on social development.

EDHD 720 Social Development (Killen)

This course covers social development and socialization processes across the life-span. The course typically covers the following topics: parent-child relationships, peer relationships, moral development, social cognition, social competence, social motivation, self-regulation, and cultural influences on development. This is core doctoral course.

EDHD 721 Cognitive Development and Learning ( Azevedo)

The purpose of this course is to present the major theories, issues, and research in learning and cognitive development with an emphasis on the application of these theories to education and the helping professions. A primary goal is to understand different perspectives on cognitive development and how cognitive change can be facilitated by educational/training settings and computer-based learning environments. The course is designed to help you acquire a basic understanding of theories in cognitive development and educational psychology through lectures, readings, review articles, journal articles, classroom discussions, group presentations and courseware demonstrations. The initial part of the course focuses on the main theories of cognitive development (e.g., Piaget, Information Processing, Vygotsky, Self-Regulated Learning). As such, roughly the first half of the course will be devoted to understanding and reading current research since a grounding in these theories is required when discussing their application in educational/training settings and computer-based learning environments (CBLEs). The later part of the course focuses on relatively more narrowly defined areas of cognitive development (e.g., using computers as metacognitive tools to enhance students' learning).

EDHD 850 Social Cognition and Moral Development ( Killen)

This course will cover theory and research on social-cognitive development and moral development, from infancy to adolescence. Social cognition and moral development is the study of how individuals conceptualize the social world, and in particular how children and adolescents acquire moral, societal, and psychological concepts. This topic includes studying the origins and emergence of these concepts, as well as the social interactional and behavioral bases for social attitudes, judgments, beliefs, and values. Topics to be studied include morality, autonomy, social relationships, social justice, exclusion, intergroup relationships, and cultural influences on development. We will discuss these issues in our analysis of the theoretical and research literature.

EDHD 821 Socialization Processes in Human Development II (Killen)

Advanced doctoral seminar on socialization and social development with consideration of selected topics introduced in EDHD 820. Identification of research problems and areas of application.

EDHD 835 Achievement Motivation (Wigfield)

Development of achievement motivation and how it relates to academic achievement during the elementary and secondary school years. Expectancy-value theory, attribution theory, self-efficacy theory, socialization of achievement motivation.

EDHD 775 Psychophysiological Processes in Human Development I (Fox)

Two hours of lecture and one hour of discussion/recitation per week. Course focuses on the biological bases of human behavior including physiological processes which have an impact on human development.

EDHD 711 Peer-Culture and Group Processes in Human Development (Rubin)

The process of group formation, role-taking and status-winning, and the emergence of the peer-culture during childhood and the evolution of the child society at different maturity levels to adulthood. The developmental tasks and adjustment problems associated with winning, belonging, and playing roles in the peer group.

EDHD 779T Reading Acquisition in Young Children (Wang)

This course is designed to introduce you to important theoretical and empirical research on basic processes in children's reading acquisition. This course will help you acquire concepts and principles central to language acquisition and its developmental stages. You will also learn concepts of emergent literacy, models of reading acquisition and skilled reading. We will also discuss individual differences and instructional approaches that impact reading achievement.

FMST 698S Analysis of Family Systems and Dysfunction

A survey of theory and research on family interaction in well-functioning and dysfunctional families. Micro-analysis of family process in communication, decision making, and problem solving. Theory and research on family coping with normative transitions and non-normative crises across the family life-cycle.

FMST 606 Ethnic Families

Historical, cultural, social and economic factors influencing the structure and functioning of ethnic families. Implications of research for service delivery and family policy.

FMST 641 Couples Therapy: Theory and Techniques
Prerequisite: FMST 640.

Exploration of the dynamics of the couple relationship and methods of facilitating growth and interaction within that relationship. Emphasis on couples with conflicting needs and expectations, dysfunctional communication and conflict-negotiation skills. Alternative theoretical approaches and methods of marital therapy.

FMST 645 Sexuality: Issues in Family Therapy and Service Delivery

Typical, dysfunctional, and pathological sexual functioning: effects on individuals, couples, and family systems. Sensitizes students to sexual issues, explores how perceptions of such issues affect work with people, and emphasizes implications for marriage and family therapy.

FMST 698Q Qualitative Methods in Family Research

Theoretical perspectives and methodological tools to conduct qualitative research with families, including research designs; participant fieldwork, observation and interview projects; data collection and analysis; and development of grounded theory.

HESP 604 Acoustic and Perceptual Phonetics (Newman)

Principles and current laboratory techniques in analysis of the acoustical characteristics of the speech signal and discussion of models of speech perception. This course is aimed at a study of the physical patterns (acoustic) of speech sounds and the importance of these acoustic patterns to speech recognition (perception). The course will focus on segmental phonemes (vowels and consonants) and on suprasegmental characteristics such as stress and intonation. Although much of the course will focus on speech produced by English-speaking adults, you will also learn how these speech sounds change in a variety of disorders. By the end of this course, you should be able to demonstrate knowledge of the nature of speech (both acoustic and articulatory) and how it is perceived. The first half of the course will focus on acoustic phonetics -- In this portion of the course, you will learn the different types of speech analysis techniques, and how to use these to study the acoustic patterns of speech sounds. During the last part of the course, we will turn to perceptual phonetics, and you will learn how these different aspects of the speech signal relate to listener perception. You will also learn about the use of synthetic speech. As part of this course, you will do a number of laboratory exercises, and will be expected to turn in your lab manual at the end of the semester.

HESP 602 Neurological Bases of Communication (Shah)

Basic neurology as it pertains to anatomical and physiological substrates of speech and language. The objective of this course is to provide an understanding of the neurological and cognitive processes involved in human communication. The content of the course includes: 1) neuroanatomy, including cortical and subcortical networks involved in speech, language, hearing, reading, and memory, 2) the component neurocognitive processes involved in speech, language, hearing, reading, and memory, 3) communication disorders with a neurological etiology, 4) neural development, aging, and plasticity, 5) methods used to study neural bases of communication/cognition, including -functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), event related potentials (ERP), electoencephalography (EEG), transcranial magnetic stimulation (MEG), sodium amytal tests (WADA), and neuropsychological tests. Course content will be disseminated via lectures, use of interactive 3-D neuroanatomical software, manipulation of actual brain specimens, neuropsychological case studies, and discussion of research findings. Requirements include a lab, quizzes, and two exams.

HESP 838 Seminar in Language Acquisition (Staff)

Models of normal and disordered first language acquisition, second language acquisition and bilingualism.

HESP 888 Seminar in Neurobases of language (Staff)

Neural ststrates of language function, brain image of normal and disordered language function, and neural plasticity for language.

HESP 818 Seminar in Language Processing; (Ratner)

Information processing models of language, relationships among language, memory and cognition.

KNES 603 Advanced Motor Development ( Clark )

This course is an in-depth examination of motor skill development across the lifespan. Emphasis is on understanding and analyzing major issues, theories and research design problems associated with the study of motor skill development. The analysis of major theoretical positions in motor skill development. Stage theory in motor development; development of motor skill memory; the development of motor control and coordination; and the role of reflexes in motor development.

KNES 689G Visuomotor coordination across the lifespan (Clark & Jeka)

KNES 689P Development of Posture and Locomotion (Clark & Jeka)

KNES 703 Advanced Seminar: Motor Development ( Clark )

Issues and strategies in the design and evaluation of research in motor skill development. Course culminates in student planning, conducting and interpreting a research study.

LING 640 - Psycholinguistics I (Staff)

Core graduate course in psycholinguistics, covering leading theoretical approaches and experimental methods in language acquisition, language processing, and neurolinguistics. Psycholinguistics stands at the crossroads of linguistics, psychology, computer science and neuroscience. The basic objective of psycholinguistics is to understand how the human mind/brain supports the learning, comprehension and production of language. This course is a two-semester core graduate sequence in psycholinguistics, covering issues and techniques relevant for research in language acquisition, language processing and neurolinguistics. The aim is to provide a hands-on introduction to the state-of-the-art in psycholinguistics, covering the following general questions: Knowledge: What is the current state of our understanding of language learning and processing? How far are we towards having a neurobiologically explicit model of language? This will be studied through readings, lectures and in-class discussions, and written homework assignments. Techniques: What experimental and analytic techniques have been used to learn these things? This will be studied over the course of a series of Lab Assignments and larger research projects (Spring Semester), which together will provide hands-on experience in designing and running experiments, analyzing data, searching databases and manipulating computer models. The course will also provide an opportunity to develop research skills such as efficient literature searches, abstract writing, etc. Frontiers: What areas of psycholinguistics are still poorly understood, and where can we hope to make significant progress in coming years?

LING 641 Issues in Psycholinguistics (Phillips)

Psycholinguistics stands at the crossroads of linguistics, psychology, computer science and neuroscience. The basic objective of psycholinguistics is to understand how the human mind/brain supports the learning, comprehension and production of language. This course is a two-semester core graduate sequence in psycholinguistics, covering issues and techniques relevant for research in language acquisition, language processing and neurolinguistics. The aim is to provide a hands-on introduction to the state-of-the-art in psycholinguistics, covering the following general questions:Knowledge: What is the current state of our understanding of language learning and processing? How far are we towards having a neurobiologically explicit model of language? This will be studied through readings, lectures and in-class discussions, and written homework assignments. Techniques: What experimental and analytic techniques have been used to learn these things? This will be studied over the course of a series of Lab Assignments and larger research projects (Spring Semester), which together will provide hands-on experience in designing and running experiments, analyzing data, searching databases and manipulating computer models. The course will also provide an opportunity to develop research skills such as efficient literature searches, abstract writing, etc. Frontiers: What areas of psycholinguistics are still poorly understood, and where can we hope to make significant progress in coming years? Topics of current interest in psycholinguistics, including both theoretical approaches and experimental and analytical issues in language acquisition, language processing, and neurolinguistics.

LING 849 - Seminar in Psycholinguistics (Lidz & Phillips)

Learning and parsing share a certain abstract structure. Learners must determine the structure of their language on the basis of partially ambiguous data. Likewise, parsers must determine the structure of a sentence on the basis of incomplete or ambiguous data. This kind of "reasoning under uncertainty" lends itself to solutions from the domain of probability theory. Looked at from another angle, learners and parsers have been shown to be sensitive to statistical information under various experimental conditions. Many have argued that the successes of probabilistic methods in NLP and the demonstrations of statistical learning in young children fundamentally change the nature of long-standing debates about the structure of the language acquisition device. However, there have been very few attempts to show how these methods can actually solve the problems that have motivated approaches such as the Principles and Parameters approach to syntax. At the same time, parameter-based learning models have also had only limited successes in explaining the kinds of problems that they were designed to solve. In this seminar we aim to explore what, if anything, distributional learning and parsing models have to offer for the problems of learning and parsing grammatically rich representations. We will start by outlining the learning and parsing challenges that we aim to address. This will include selecting a series of 'model problems' that we will bear in mind as we read relevant experimental and computational literature. We will then review first a selection of experimental studies on statistical learning and parsing, and then some of the methods that the NLP community considers to be most useful, and evaluate whether these tools provide what we need in order to solve our problems.

LING 646: Cognitive Neuroscience of Language ( Phillips & Poeppel)

Overview of classical and recent work on the neural basis of speech and language, with a goal of introducing contemporary methods and results to prepare the student to read the neurolinguistics and cognitive neuroscience literature. An emphasis will be placed on current techniques. The past 10 years have seen significant advances in the neuroscience of language, and perhaps even greater promises have been made. This course is a foundational graduate course in the state of the art in the cognitive neuroscience of language. We will be concerned with questions of how to understand language at the level of the brain, and of how to more fully integrate our theories at this level with theories in theoretical linguistics and psycholinguistics. Classic work in neurolinguistics was based overwhelmingly on patient-based studies and deficit-lesion correlation techniques. More recently, there has been an explosion of interest in non-invasive brain recording techniques that provide detailed information about the location of brain activity (e.g., PET, fMRI) or its timing (EEG, MEG). There is also a growing body of research in the computational neuroscience of language, that investigates basic questions of how a neural system might, in principle, represent linguistic information. In this course we will aim to provide a critical synthesis of these different strands of research.

LING 859: Seminar in Language Acquisition (Lidz)

This course will explore current issues in the acquisition of syntax and semantics. We will focus on learning about methodologies for assessing linguistic representations and about the learning mechanisms that underlie syntactic acquisition. We will consider the interactions between linguistic representations, the parser, conceptual representations and learning.

PSYC 611 Advanced Developmental Psychology (Cassidy, Woodward).

This course surveys classic and current work in Developmental Psychology. We will consider the foundational work of Piaget, Kohlberg, Bowlby, and others, as well as state of the art approaches and findings. We will cover development across a broad range of domains, including cognitive, linguistic, moral, social and emotional development. Across these domains, we will consider the contributions of nature and nurture to developmental trajectories, continuity and discontinuity in development, the mechanisms that give rise to developmental change, and the insights that can be gleaned from studies of both general patterns and individual differences. The course will consist of lectures, group discussion, videotape viewings, and observations of babies, children, and parents during in-class demonstrations. Readings will be primary empirical and theoretical works. Assignments include contributions to class discussion as well as midterm and final examinations.

PSYC 623 Child Psychopathology (Chronis)

Examines the scientific and clinical literature relevant to normal and pathological behavior in children and adolescents. Issues in developmental psychopathology and consideration of processes initiated in childhood which manifest as pathology in adulthood are also considered.

PSYC 632 Behavioral and Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Children and Adolescents (Chronis)

Introduces students to the process of therapy with particular focus on behavioral and cognitive behavioral interventions in children and adolescents. Syllabus focuses on theory, research, client diversity, ethics and practical aspects of conducting therapy.

PSYC 679A Seminar in Cognitive Development (Woodward).

In the first years of life, children's cognition undergoes dramatic qualitative and quantitative change. For nearly a century, experimental psychologists have sought to understand the nature and causes of these developmental changes. This course surveys classic and current approaches to the study of cognitive development in infants and children. We will begin with a review of the major theoretical perspectives from which cognitive development has been investigated. Then we will survey development in topical domains including: perception, concepts, memory, problem solving, social cognition, language and academic skills. The seminar will involve active group discussion and analysis of the course readings, with occasional lectures to set the stage for discussion. Assignments will include weekly essays, leading class discussion, and a take home final exam.

PSYC 798L Graduate Seminar: Attachment (Cassidy)

PSYC798J Development of Social Cognition (Woodward)

This graduate seminar will focus on current work on infants' and children's reasoning about others' actions and minds. We will begin with the now classic literature on children's understanding of beliefs and desires. Then we will consider recent extensions to and reformulation of this work from crosscultural, neuroscientific, cross-species comparative, and infant cognition research paradigms. Our focus will be developments during infancy and early childhood. Throughout the seminar we will consider this domain of development in the broader contexts of conceptual development and social behavior.