Our Research Focus

The Speech, Sign, and Systems Lab investigates psycholinguistic mechanisms involved in speech perception, gradient categorization, and linguistic flexibility. We explore how the human brain manages variability and complexity in language, allowing listeners and learners to adapt and thrive in environments characterized by rich linguistic input.

Key Research Areas:

  • Gradient Categorization and Flexibility: We study how continuous, rather than strictly categorical, processing of speech sounds helps individuals adjust dynamically to varying linguistic contexts. This work focuses on accents, dialects, and the experience of bi/multilingualism.
  • Social Network Analysis of Language Exposure: Using network science, we quantify language exposure within individuals' social networks, measuring network attributes such as size, entropy, and centrality to better understand their language experience and variability in communicative interactions.
  • Speech Perception and Computational Approaches: Using automatic speech recognition (ASR) models and computational linguistics, we investigate the cognitive processes underpinning human speech perception, particularly how computational models parallel or diverge from human performance.
  • Language Development: Our research examines how children and adults acquire and refine their language skills, emphasizing the role of variability and linguistic richness in fostering robust language abilities.

Methods and Tools:

Our lab integrates cutting-edge techniques such as:

  • Eyetracking: Capturing real-time processing during language comprehension by examining eye movements.
  • EEG: Monitoring brain activity to uncover neural correlates of speech perception and language processing.
  • Behavioral Experiments: Assessing cognitive and perceptual processes underlying language comprehension and categorization.
  • Computational Modeling: Employing advanced computational techniques, including ASR and neural network models, to simulate and understand human language processing.

Through our work, we aim to contribute to a deeper understanding of variability in language, informing theories of language processing and promoting innovative approaches to language science.