Competencies Addressed in This Assignment

Competency 1: Apply research findings to topics in human learning and cognition.

Competency 2: Apply psychology theories and concepts to human learning and cognition.

Competency 3: Describe the research methods used in the study of human learning and cognition.

Competency 4: Analyze theory and research to solve problems and inform professional behavior in human learning and cognition.

Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for professionals in the field of psychology.

Language and Individual Differences

We study language in the context of how we think, read, and comprehend and derive meaning from words. But what about language from our social environment? A recent area of linguistic research is the study of language in a social context. From this perspective, language is examined in terms of how people communicate whether in person or on the Internet. People change their pronunciations, grammar, vocabulary, and styles of language for many different purposes. Given that, sociolinguists are curious about how a language is acquired and learned in the context of one's gender, community and society. Some of these differences are related to biology. Others are related to the social environment and some differences are related to both, for example, do men and women speak different languages in our culture? Can misspelled words on a person's Facebook wall hurt their employability?

For this assignment, research either the language differences between men and women from a social context, or between one culture and another. Are there differences in their conversational, nonverbal, and cross-cultural styles of communicating? Analyze how knowledge gained from research about language differences can be used to solve problems in social and work settings.

For this assignment, think about situations where you had to adjust your use of language to suit a particular context. How did you change the language? What did you say or do? Feel free to use an example from one of the activities in the course.

In your written assignment:

Describe examples of events or situations where you changed your language in response to a situation or people with whom you were speaking. Since these are personal examples, you may write in first person for this part. Use third person throughout the remainder of the work.

Find at least three peer-reviewed research articles that help you understand language in a social context.

Describe the theoretical foundation for each study, including the psychological concepts that the researchers are using.

Summarize the research articles, including the research questions being asked in each study, the methods and measures, and the conclusions reached in each article.

Address how the research findings on language apply in solving communication problems.

Use the implications of the research to explain how people use language and how the knowledge can apply to personal and professional life. (Think about how this information can guide communication in social contexts).

Describe one or more specific ways that the information can be applied in the workplace to guide and improve communications.

To meet the criteria for the assignment, your paper should comprise 6-8 pages of content plus title and references pages. You should include a minimum of three scholarly sources. Strive to be as concise as possible and support your statements and analyses with references and citations from the three academic resources as well as any necessary scholarly resources.