Research
Infant directed speech and language development in infants with hearing loss
Funding source: National Institutes of Health – National Institutes on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
PI: Derek Houston, Ph.D. & Laura Dilley, Ph.D.
Very little is known about the linguistic development of language in infants with hearing loss,
particularly infants with cochlear implants. For normal-hearing children, the quantity and quality of maternal speech input
has been shown to play a role in language development. However, many questions remain about the nature of the speech input received
at home by both normal-hearing children and those with hearing loss. This project investigates the acoustic, phonetic, and prosodic
characteristics of maternal speech input, both in the lab and at home, relating these characteristics of infant directed to speech to
the development of linguistic competency by children with hearing disabilities requiring the use of a cochlear implant. We are actively
recruiting students to help analyze data for this project.
Making words disappear or appear: A neurocognitive and behavioral investigation of effects of speech rate on spoken word perception.
Funding source: National Science Foundation
PI: Laura Dilley, Ph.D.
Understanding how humans comprehend speech is a challenging problem, in part because of the many-to-many
mapping between the acoustical properties of the speech signal (i.e., frequency, timing, and amplitude) and the words perceived by
the listener. The focus of this research is on the role of prosody, or the properties of speech associated with voice pitch, loudness,
and speech rate, to understanding spoken words. Until recently, prosodic aspects of the speech signal have been assumed to play a minor
role in spoken word recognition and its component processes of word segmentation and lexical access. However, recent results from our lab
and others' suggest that speech prosody can have very significant effects on how words are understood in the context of an utterance.
This project investigates the nature of the prosodic characteristics that influence word recognition, the statistical regularities of
prosodic characteristics available to listeners, and the neuro-cognitive perceptual mechanisms underlying the integration of the different
types of information available in the speech signal.
The MSU Developmental Stuttering Project
Funding source: National Institutes of Health – National Institutes on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
PI: Soo-Eun Chang, Ph. D.
Understanding the neural basis of stuttering presents an opportunity to understand the basic mechanisms
of human speech perception and production systems as well as the interactions between them. Our lab has an ongoing collaboration
with the Speech Neurophysiology Lab, investigating rhythm perception in children who
stutter, and the relationship between rhythm perception in adults who stutter and neural activation.
Perception of non-standard speech patterns and the relationship to
listener bias
Funding source: National Institutes of Health – National Institutes on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
PI: Laura Dilley, Ph. D.
Many individuals speak with non-standard speech patterns, e.g., a normal, but non-standard, dialect.
Few researchers have investigated the acoustic-phonetic properties of socially-defined (rather than regionally-defined) accents
and dialects. This project investigates acoustic-phonetic cues that support listener identification of African American English
dialect. We aim to use these acoustic cues to better understand how the perception of accented speech may result in perceptual
adjustments affecting later speech perception. We hope to further identify neuro-cognitive mechanisms that underlie such perceptual
learning, bridging the gap between social psychology and speech perception.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities
PI: Laura Dilley, Ph. D.
Research conducted by undergraduates is a key part of the lab culture. Opportunities
for leadership roles in the projects listed above are available after gaining lab experience. Resources to fund
undergraduate research are also available through MSU through many sources.If you are qualified and motivated to apply for any
of these please get in touch through the "Join Lab" link and explore the opportunities we have posted
in our "Funding Opportunities" tab.
Infant directed speech and language development in infants with hearing loss
Funding source: National Institutes of Health – National Institutes on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
PI: Derek Houston, Ph.D. & Laura Dilley, Ph.D.
Very little is known about the linguistic development of language in infants with hearing loss, particularly infants with cochlear implants. For normal-hearing children, the quantity and quality of maternal speech input has been shown to play a role in language development. However, many questions remain about the nature of the speech input received at home by both normal-hearing children and those with hearing loss. This project investigates the acoustic, phonetic, and prosodic characteristics of maternal speech input, both in the lab and at home, relating these characteristics of infant directed to speech to the development of linguistic competency by children with hearing disabilities requiring the use of a cochlear implant. We are actively recruiting students to help analyze data for this project.
Making words disappear or appear: A neurocognitive and behavioral investigation of effects of speech rate on spoken word perception.
Funding source: National Science Foundation
PI: Laura Dilley, Ph.D.
Understanding how humans comprehend speech is a challenging problem, in part because of the many-to-many mapping between the acoustical properties of the speech signal (i.e., frequency, timing, and amplitude) and the words perceived by the listener. The focus of this research is on the role of prosody, or the properties of speech associated with voice pitch, loudness, and speech rate, to understanding spoken words. Until recently, prosodic aspects of the speech signal have been assumed to play a minor role in spoken word recognition and its component processes of word segmentation and lexical access. However, recent results from our lab and others' suggest that speech prosody can have very significant effects on how words are understood in the context of an utterance. This project investigates the nature of the prosodic characteristics that influence word recognition, the statistical regularities of prosodic characteristics available to listeners, and the neuro-cognitive perceptual mechanisms underlying the integration of the different types of information available in the speech signal.
The MSU Developmental Stuttering Project
Funding source: National Institutes of Health – National Institutes on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
PI: Soo-Eun Chang, Ph. D.
Understanding the neural basis of stuttering presents an opportunity to understand the basic mechanisms of human speech perception and production systems as well as the interactions between them. Our lab has an ongoing collaboration with the Speech Neurophysiology Lab, investigating rhythm perception in children who stutter, and the relationship between rhythm perception in adults who stutter and neural activation.
Perception of non-standard speech patterns and the relationship to
listener bias
Funding source: National Institutes of Health – National Institutes on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
PI: Laura Dilley, Ph. D.
Many individuals speak with non-standard speech patterns, e.g., a normal, but non-standard, dialect. Few researchers have investigated the acoustic-phonetic properties of socially-defined (rather than regionally-defined) accents and dialects. This project investigates acoustic-phonetic cues that support listener identification of African American English dialect. We aim to use these acoustic cues to better understand how the perception of accented speech may result in perceptual adjustments affecting later speech perception. We hope to further identify neuro-cognitive mechanisms that underlie such perceptual learning, bridging the gap between social psychology and speech perception.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities
PI: Laura Dilley, Ph. D.
Research conducted by undergraduates is a key part of the lab culture. Opportunities for leadership roles in the projects listed above are available after gaining lab experience. Resources to fund undergraduate research are also available through MSU through many sources.If you are qualified and motivated to apply for any of these please get in touch through the "Join Lab" link and explore the opportunities we have posted in our "Funding Opportunities" tab.