Two faculties that set us apart from other animals are our extraordinary capacity to learn and to communicate. This strand focuses on these faculties through the psychological study of infant and child development, and the acquisition of language skills from infancy to adulthood. 

Like the other core topic modules, the Development & Language modules run through Years 1 and 2 and is in Semester 2 in both years. In each year, the module is split into four teaching blocks covering different topics. These blocks are often taught by different members of staff.

Year 1

Year 1 begins with a broad introduction to language and development, leading to a more detailed look at infancy (including cognitive, linguistic, and motoric abilities) and early language acquisition. 

• Block 1: Introduction to  Language - Dr Silvia Gennari 
• Block 2: Introduction to Development - Prof Liz Meins
• Block 3: Infancy - Dr Alex Reid
• Block 4: Language Development - Prof Sven Mattys

Year 2

Year 2 begins by considering how, as children, we learn to recognize printed words through the mapping between sounds and letters, and how, as children and adults, we understand meaning through the mapping between words, grammar, and world knowledge. We end with a more detailed look at alternative accounts of cognitive development, and developmental changes in social, and emotional development. With normal development as the back-drop, we also consider developmental disorders of cognitive functions.

• Block 1: Brain and Language - Dr. Silvia Gennari
• Block 2: Social and Emotional Development - Dr Harriet Over
• Block 3: Cognitive Development - Dr Mandy Hickey
• Block 4: Sentences and Meaning - Prof Gareth Gaskell

Text Books

 Sedivy, J. (2014). Language in Mind: An introduction to psycholinguistics. Sinauer Associates. 

 Slater S. & Bremner, J. G. (2011). An Introduction to Developmental Psychology, 2nd edition. 

Teaching Team