The perception/production link in child language. Children with hearing loss experience continuing language difficulties, with major knock-on effects on educational and social outcomes. This project aims to uncover the connected perception and production processes that underpin these language challenges for children with hearing loss, focussing on a speech patterns also found in younger normal-hearing toddlers, and using innovative technologies that can generalize to the clinical practice. The p ....The perception/production link in child language. Children with hearing loss experience continuing language difficulties, with major knock-on effects on educational and social outcomes. This project aims to uncover the connected perception and production processes that underpin these language challenges for children with hearing loss, focussing on a speech patterns also found in younger normal-hearing toddlers, and using innovative technologies that can generalize to the clinical practice. The project outcomes will significantly advance theories of child language development, and promise to inform more accurate and better-targeted intervention for children with hearing loss, providing social benefit by improving their listening and speaking skills.Read moreRead less
Does word similarity across languages help or hinder bilingual speakers? This project aims to understand in more detail how bilinguals can accurately speak in both their languages. Speaking is a complex skill, particularly if you have two languages to choose from, which will be true for over half of Australia’s population by 2025. This project aims to investigate the factors that influence speech production in both monolinguals and bilinguals including those with language impairment, and develop ....Does word similarity across languages help or hinder bilingual speakers? This project aims to understand in more detail how bilinguals can accurately speak in both their languages. Speaking is a complex skill, particularly if you have two languages to choose from, which will be true for over half of Australia’s population by 2025. This project aims to investigate the factors that influence speech production in both monolinguals and bilinguals including those with language impairment, and develop a better bilingual theory. The benefit of this new theory will be to provide a clear basis for diagnosis and treatment for children in bilingual households who have problems learning to speak, and for bilingual people with language problems after a stroke or dementia.Read moreRead less
Developmental trajectory of tongue control for speech with real-time MRI. This project aims to evaluate the developmental trajectory of tongue control during speech, relating dynamic 3D vocal tract modelling to the acoustic signal. By optimising real-time MRI technology to capture and model articulatory movements, the project expects to accelerate understanding of how tongue control for speech is developed, mastered, and perturbed by factors such as rapid growth and foreign accent. Expected outc ....Developmental trajectory of tongue control for speech with real-time MRI. This project aims to evaluate the developmental trajectory of tongue control during speech, relating dynamic 3D vocal tract modelling to the acoustic signal. By optimising real-time MRI technology to capture and model articulatory movements, the project expects to accelerate understanding of how tongue control for speech is developed, mastered, and perturbed by factors such as rapid growth and foreign accent. Expected outcome is a new understanding of how different speakers' vocal tracts change and how speech is reshaped, informed by real physiological data. Significant benefits will be realised through refined methods and theory development for diverse fields e.g. linguistics, speech science, and automatic speech recognition/synthesis. Read moreRead less
Concepts and control in speech production. While humans produce speech fluently in the course of everyday conversation, comparatively little is understood about the underlying mental processes and brain mechanisms. The overall aim of this project is to investigate how the human brain conceives and controls speech output by using state-of-the-art neuroimaging and brain stimulation techniques. The research aims to contribute novel insights into a key human ability with particular relevance for spe ....Concepts and control in speech production. While humans produce speech fluently in the course of everyday conversation, comparatively little is understood about the underlying mental processes and brain mechanisms. The overall aim of this project is to investigate how the human brain conceives and controls speech output by using state-of-the-art neuroimaging and brain stimulation techniques. The research aims to contribute novel insights into a key human ability with particular relevance for speech disorders such as aphasia, while the methods developed for brain stimulation during imaging of speech production aim to expand Australia's capability and technical innovation in the cognitive neuroscience of language.Read moreRead less
A computational and experimental investigation into the organisation of letters in reading. In alphabetical languages, people need to learn to organise individual letters into groups so that they can read efficiently. This project will develop a model of this process, which will allow great insight into this key aspect of reading in terms of what the most efficient way of doing this is and what may go wrong and cause reading problems.
How the brain produces speech: Neuronal oscillations to neuromodulation. Speech is crucial for facilitating human communication through language, yet there is a lack of clarity about where, when and what type of activity occurs in the brain during key stages of production. This project will use intracranial recordings to characterise neuronal oscillations in combination with direct electrical stimulation, functional neuroimaging and non-invasive brain stimulation to establish critical areas and ....How the brain produces speech: Neuronal oscillations to neuromodulation. Speech is crucial for facilitating human communication through language, yet there is a lack of clarity about where, when and what type of activity occurs in the brain during key stages of production. This project will use intracranial recordings to characterise neuronal oscillations in combination with direct electrical stimulation, functional neuroimaging and non-invasive brain stimulation to establish critical areas and their timecourses with millisecond resolution. The outcome will be a better theoretical account of the brain mechanisms involved in spoken production. The benefit of this new theoretical account will be a better basis for prevention of post-surgical language impairment and neuromodulatory treatments after brain injury.Read moreRead less
A more sound approach to the neurobiology of language. How does the brain attain spoken language? Current neurobiological models assume either implicitly or explicitly that there is no relationship between a word's sound and its meaning. Yet considerable evidence shows this strong assumption about the arbitrariness of language is invalid. This project will use a combination of behavioural, neuroimaging and computational studies to characterise how the brain processes statistical regularities in ....A more sound approach to the neurobiology of language. How does the brain attain spoken language? Current neurobiological models assume either implicitly or explicitly that there is no relationship between a word's sound and its meaning. Yet considerable evidence shows this strong assumption about the arbitrariness of language is invalid. This project will use a combination of behavioural, neuroimaging and computational studies to characterise how the brain processes statistical regularities in sound-to-meaning correspondences as probabilistic cues to attain spoken language. The outcome will be a better neural account of language comprehension and production. The benefit of this new account will be a stronger basis for assessment and treatment of developmental and acquired language impairments.Read moreRead less
The basics of reading: How are letter-strings identified as words? In order for people to read effectively, the mental representation of each letter-string must be found in long-term memory. The aim of this project is to more fully understand the nature of proficient visual word recognition with a particular focus on the way in which the form of the word is mentally stored and retrieved during the act of reading. A range of issues will be examined from letter position coding through to how words ....The basics of reading: How are letter-strings identified as words? In order for people to read effectively, the mental representation of each letter-string must be found in long-term memory. The aim of this project is to more fully understand the nature of proficient visual word recognition with a particular focus on the way in which the form of the word is mentally stored and retrieved during the act of reading. A range of issues will be examined from letter position coding through to how words with a complex internal structure are processed, all framed within a unified model of word recognition. An understanding of the mechanisms underlying proficient adult reading is significant and beneficial in that it is expected to provide a framework for guiding both reading acquisition and reading improvement programs.Read moreRead less
Explaining the native-language listening advantage by charting neural response and perceptual adaptation across languages – but within individuals. Listening to the native language is easier than listening to a second language. This advantage is especially clear in recognising voices and in listening in noise. Identifying talkers was recently shown to involve rapid perceptual adjustment to their speech sounds, and successful listening in noise to involve adjustment of word recognition processes. ....Explaining the native-language listening advantage by charting neural response and perceptual adaptation across languages – but within individuals. Listening to the native language is easier than listening to a second language. This advantage is especially clear in recognising voices and in listening in noise. Identifying talkers was recently shown to involve rapid perceptual adjustment to their speech sounds, and successful listening in noise to involve adjustment of word recognition processes. This project tests the prediction that listeners more efficiently deploy each type of adjustment in the native than in a second language, by comparing native with second language phonetic and lexical processing within individuals. Further, a novel fMRI method in which target brain regions are defined functionally in each subject will identify the neural basis of the native listening advantage.Read moreRead less
When reading takes off: Children's word learning during independent reading. This project aims to address the major unsolved problem of how children build their knowledge about printed words through their reading. This is important since, once children have been taught the basics of reading, the primary means by which they learn new words is through reading experience. The project will use innovative technology to monitor children’s eye movements as they encounter new words during reading, exami ....When reading takes off: Children's word learning during independent reading. This project aims to address the major unsolved problem of how children build their knowledge about printed words through their reading. This is important since, once children have been taught the basics of reading, the primary means by which they learn new words is through reading experience. The project will use innovative technology to monitor children’s eye movements as they encounter new words during reading, examining factors influencing real-time cognitive processing and ongoing learning. Expected outcomes will be new insights into how to optimise children’s word learning when reading, and the refinement of a new computational model. These will inform policy and practice in reading instruction, to the benefit of Australia's children.Read moreRead less