Independent Research Project
In Fall 2012, I decided to complete an independent research project, in order to gain more research experience. I collaborated with Dr. Barker and a graduate student on a study examining talker-specific speech perception in toddlers. There have been quite a few studies conducted that examine speech perception in infants and adults, but few studies examine toddlers' abilities. We hoped that this study would help to "fill the gap" of the talker-specific speech perception processes that may be occurring between infancy and adulthood.
To prepare for the study, I wrote a literature review entitled, "Literature Review of the Effects of Multiple Talker Information on Speech Perception Across the Lifespan." I wrote the review using current research in the field dealing with talker-specific speech perception, specifically in multiple talker environments. The review demonstrated the substantial gap in the amount of talker-specific speech perception studies conducted with toddlers, thus making our study even more valuable.
Also in preparation of the study, I helped Dr. Barker collect and edit stimuli in Adobe Audition and design the experiment using E-Prime software. I am continuing to work with my colleagues on this study, and we plan to start collecting data soon. |