Methods of Psycholinguistic Research as Possible Cognitive Approaches to Linguistic Data Processing

Abstract

The efficiency of any study depends on consistency in the choice of material, methods and objectives. The effective examination of cognitive processes on the basis of verbal matter requires an integrated use of various methods, including psycholinguistic ones. Hence, the aim of this article is to discuss the advantages of psycholinguistic methods and the prospects of their employment in language and pedagogical design. In addition, the article provides an overview of the most popular psycholinguistic experimental approaches, such as the method of speech activity observation, semantic analysis, the method of semantic differential, and free and directed associative experiments. The advantage of each of these methods in the study of cognitive underpinning verbalized by language material is shown, and the examples of their practical use are demonstrated. The most popular mathematical and statistical procedures for processing obtained data as a result of psycholinguistic experiments are discussed. Specific examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the use of formulas, such as Student’s t-distribution and the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. It is concluded that in order to establish the validity of the indicators obtained through psycholinguistic experiments, it is necessary to use mathematical and statistical data processing methods. Precise calculations guarantee the diagnostic value of the results.