CSD Research Labs
Child Language Lab
Dr. Judith Goodman’s child language lab focuses on how children acquire and use linguistic knowledge from the very first stages of language learning.
Her current projects are concerned with the cognitive mechanisms that underlie vocabulary and grammar acquisition, the role of parental input in vocabulary acquisition, the relationship between learning in different language domains, and the development of conversation.
The lab is equipped with a testing room including a wall-mounted video camera for recording experimental sessions, two video viewing/transcription stations, and computers with software for language and statistical analysis, database management, and report writing.
Infant Language and Cognitive Research Lab
Dr. Fagan's research investigates early speech, language, and cognitive development. Projects currently underway in the Infant Language and Cognitive Research Lab include studies of infant vocalization and language emergence; language and cognitive development in deaf and hard of hearing infants; attention and exploration in infants with cochlear implants; and caregiver-infant interactions.
Laryngeal Physiology Lab
Dr. Nandhu Radhakrishnan’s laryngeal physiology lab focuses on the interpretation of the dynamics of human voice production.
Acoustic, aerodynamic, and kinematic vocal aspects in normal, pathological, and performance-related voice measures are recorded and analyzed using state-of-the-art equipment. The lab is also used to train students in both clinical and research aspects of speech science. The equipment also can be used to provide visual feedback for both vocal performers and patients with voice disorders to achieve their target voice. Future research projects will focus on designing vocal exercises for healthy voice production.
Language and Fluency Lab
Dr. Stacy Wagovich’s language and fluency lab focuses on language and fluency examination, transcription, coding, and analysis. Currently underway are:
- An NIH/NIDCD-funded study examining partial word knowledge growth in school-age children with language and reading difficulties, and
- A UMC Research Council-funded study focusing on the relationship between conversational language and fluency in young children who stutter.
The lab includes a testing area for school-age children and adults, digital video and audio recorders, two video viewing/transcription stations, desktop and laptop computers equipped with software for language coding and analysis, and a range of formal measures of language and fluency.
Language and Memory Lab
Dr. Linda Day's language and memory lab is home to projects involving investigations of the interaction of memory and language across the lifespan and in aphasia. A large state-wide epidemiological project investigating the effects of birthweight on the development of speech, language, and hearing is based here, as well.
This lab has computing, digitizing, and transcription equipment.
Neurophysiology Lab
Several mouse strains have been established as genetic models for human neurological diseases that are known to cause swallowing impairment (dysphagia). Examples include amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (i.e., Lou Gehrig's disease), Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Niemann-Pick disease, muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, ataxia, Angelman syndrome, Down syndrome, and Fragile-X syndrome. Common symptoms of dysphagia in humans with these neurological diseases include malnutrition, dehydration, and respiratory complications, all of which may result in a poor quality of life and contribute to death. The focus of Dr. Lever’s research is to investigate each of these mouse models of neurological disease to determine whether they develop characteristics of human dysphagia and are suitable for translational dysphagia research. This research is currently funded by the NIH/NIDCD. The ultimate goal is to identify novel and effective treatments to improve the swallowing function (and consequently the life-span and quality of life) of individuals with various neurological diseases.
Dr. Lever’s lab, which is located in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment for conducting electrophysiology experiments, genotyping, behavioral phenotyping, general histology, immunohistochemistry, and microscopy.
Students (undergraduate or graduate) with a fascination for neuroscience are encouraged to contact Dr. Lever to discuss current and prospective research opportunities in her lab.