Studies related to language
Assessment of Language and Literacy
Elborn College, Western University
Young children develop language and literacy skills at different rates. Sometimes concern arises regarding a child's development in one or both of these areas. It is important to have reliable and valid measures of children's language and literacy. These measures help parents and speech-language pathologists know if there is reason to be concerned about a child's development in these areas. In this study, we are gathering data to help us evaluate a measure of language and literacy.
Children 4 to 6 years old
English speaking
Typically developing
Effect of music on listening test anxiety
Western Interdisciplinary Research Building (WIRB)
Many language learners struggle with test anxiety when completing language assessment tasks. One potential approach to cope with anxiety entails listening to relaxing music. The purpose of this study is to investigate the extent to which listening to relaxing music can have a beneficial effect on language learnersˇ test anxiety and performance on an academic English listening test.
Both male and female
Students at Western University
Speak English as a second language
Using Eye Tracking to Study Reading Comprehension
Western Interdisciplinary Research Building (WIRB)
Reading comprehension is a very important skill as people interact with the world. However, readers differ in their ability to monitor their text understanding and then choose reading behaviours to improve their comprehension. We are interested in how readers with a variety of backgrounds process texts for meaning.
Both male and female
10 to 14 years old &
17 to 35 years old
Healthy Volunteers
Western Interdisciplinary Research Building (WIRB)
The aim of this study is to examine how reading behaviour and brain activity is associated in bilingual and monolingual adults. This study will use reading measures and measures of brain activation using an electroencephalogram (EEG) to examine differences in the way bilingual people and monolingual people read. People who are fluent in multiple languages tend to categorize language information differently than those who are fluent in only one language. By measuring brain activity during reading in adults, we can better understand how word information is processed and how it relates to reading skills.
Both male and female
18 years old to 75 years old
Healthy Volunteers
Narrative Abilities and Working Memory
Western Elborn College (EC) or Online
Narrative skills are the ability to tell a story. Narrative skills require complex language skills including being able to tell a story that makes sense (also known as coherence) and is grammatically correct (also known as cohesion). Importantly, for school-aged children, narrative skills are critical for later literacy and school achievement. The purpose of this study is to understand how we could promote narrative skills, for example, using different kinds of questions to draw attention to different aspects of the story.
Both male and female
7 years old & 8 years old
Healthy Volunteers
Auditory ERPs and early language
Elborn College (EC)
Proper auditory input during childhood is crucial to the development of high functioning language skills later in life. We are interested in how our brains response to simple tones is related to language skills in childhood.
Both male and female
12 months old to 62 months old
Healthy Volunteers
Typical and Atypical Development of Compensation to Altered Auditory Feedback
Elborn College (EC)
Early detection of speech, language, and hearing disorders is critical for optimizing outcomes. One great challenge is the early detection of developmental language disorder (DLD). Children with DLD struggle to comprehend what is said to them and express themselves verbally. We are interested in studying how the brains of children process what they hear, comparing typically developing children with children with DLD to improve early identification. This will be compared with typical adult performance.
Both male and female
3 to 13 years old
Healthy Volunteers and Individuals with ASD and/or DLD
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