Areas of Specialization
Auditory Perception and Intervention
Auditory perception is the first stage of speech perception and spoken
language understanding. When auditory perception is compromised, the rest
of the communication system suffers from the input of limited or distorted
information. We study the characteristics of auditory perception of speech,
music, and environmental sounds and intervention strategies when auditory
perception is compromised, such as hearing aids, FM systems, cochlear implants,
and visual/manual communication systems.
Participating faculty include Theresa Chisolm, Kelly Crain, Gail
Donaldson, Jean Krause, Jennifer Lister
Bilingualism and Language Variation
In a multicultural and multilingual society, the relationships between
bilingualism and language variation must be actively addressed in
communication sciences and the practice of speech-language pathology.
We draw on theoretical approaches from linguistics including sociolinguistics,
cognitive science, and our knowledge of multiculturalism in communication sciences.
Faculty projects include the development and adaptation of communication assessment
tools for bilingual/bicultural individuals, investigations of how bilingual
persons adapt to the range of environmental and cognitive challenges for speech
and language use that are encountered in daily life, investigations of how
bilingualism should be addressed in educational approaches particularly for
literacy, and studies of the outcomes of language intervention that can most
effectively and efficiently be accomplished among bilingual individuals with
aphasia and related cognitive disorders.
Participating faculty include Ruth Bahr, Kelly Crain, Jacqueline Hinckley,
Nathan Maxfield, Catherine Rogers, Elaine Silliman
Language and Literacy
Literacy skills are the foundation of academic success for
students of all ages. Competency in literacy skills draws on
phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic knowledge.
We examine the linguistic skills that underlie literacy, their
connections to literacy skills, and literacy skills themselves.
Participating faculty include Ruth Bahr, Kelly Crain, Nathan Maxfield, Elaine Silliman
Language Processing and Intervention
Behavior change is a cornerstone of the field of speech-language pathology as
we strive to facilitate communication improvement among our clients. In order
to devise and deliver effective language interventions, we incorporate and
address the neurophysiology of brain plasticity mechanisms, cognitive
underpinnings of individual change in relation to the environment, the mechanisms
of change within the linguistic system, and the psychosocial and affective
dimensions that relate to the potential for language behavior change.
Faculty projects address these issues in motor speech disorders, aphasia,
and dementia, and include investigations of the electrophysiological
correlates of the potential for change and the outcomes of language intervention,
the effects of behavioral and/or pharmacological treatment on language behavior
change, and the relationships between cognitive abilities including affective
dimensions and language improvement.
Participating faculty include Stefan Frisch, Jacqueline Hinckley, Nathan Maxfield, Gail Pashek
Neurophysiology of Hearing, Speech, and Language
Neurophysiological substrates are the soil from which observable
communication behaviors grow. We build on developments in neuroscience
to explore specific neuroscientific aspects of communication. We use
methods that include lesion analysis, electrophysiology, and other
neuroimaging tools to address questions about the neurological nature of
speech, language, and hearing disorders.
Participating faculty include Jacqueline Hinckley, Raymond Hurley, Jennifer Lister, Nathan Maxfield
Speech and Voice Production
The fluent production of speech requires a complex, coordinated interplay of
breath, voice, and oral articulation. We examine the speech and voice production
process, including its acoustic, articulatory, and neurophysiological correlates.
Studies by faculty cover the gamut of these processes, from the articulatory
details of coarticulation between speech sounds to the neurophysiological
correlates of syntactic structure generation, from the breakdown of fluid
phonation in clinical voice populations to the intentional enhancement of
speech cues in clear speech by native and non-native English speakers.
Participating faculty include Ruth Bahr, Stefan Frisch, Nathan Maxfield, Catherine Rogers
Speech Perception
The study of speech perception and spoken word recognition provides
insight into the structure of phonetic/phonological categories and the
mental lexicon. An understanding of these building blocks of spoken
language is crucial to a comprehensive theory of human communication.
Such a theory informs both our general understanding of human
cognition and our specific understanding of communication disorders
involving processes of speech, language, or hearing.
Participating faculty include Gail Donaldson, Stefan Frisch, Catherine Rogers