Current Studies

Mechanisms of Speech Perception in Healthy Younger Adults

Through studying healthy adults ages 18-45, we are able to investigate typically developed mechanisms of speech perception. We hope to use these findings as a baseline for understanding speech perception of populations across the lifespan.

Mechanisms of Speech Perception in Healthy Older Adults

Through studying healthy adults ages 45-80, we are able to investigate typically developed mechanisms of speech perception. We hope to use these findings as a baseline for understanding speech perception of populations across the lifespan and directly compare to findings in other populations, such as people with Parkinson’s Disease.

Mechanisms of Speech Perception in People with Parkinson’s Disease

Through studying adults ages 45-80 with Parkinson’s Disease, we are able to investigate whether mechanisms of speech perception rely on neural systems hindered by Parkinson’s Disease. We hope to use these findings as a baseline for understanding speech perception of people with Parkinson’s Disease and how it compares to a control population.

Speech Perception in Adults with Cochlear Implants

Through studying adults ages 18 and older with Cochlear Implants, we are able to investigate whether mechanisms of speech perception differ in listeners with cochlear implants from age-matched controls. We hope to use findings to understand speech processing with cochlear implants and to determine what cues may be more prominent in this population.

Phonetic Plasticity in Community Contexts

In partnering with local museums and other community locations, we are bringing our research to you! Through studying children and adults (ages 7 and up), we are able to investigate how mechanisms of speech plasticity might change over the lifespan, in a much more diverse population. We hope to use findings to understand the lifespan course of phonetic plasticity as well as what strategies may be used within each population.