Language Acquisition Research and Exploration Lab
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About
Our laboratory investigates mechanisms underlying normal and disordered speech perception and production in first- and second-language learners. Specifically, we focus on language acquisition in typically developing children and children with communication disorders (e.g. deaf and hard-of-hearing children). Our long-term research goal is to understand how characteristics of a child's linguistic environment such as child-directed speech in mothers, fathers and siblings as well as the properties of caregiver-child interaction affect the development of child language skills. Recently, we extended this line of research to include the effect of remote communication (e.g., telepractice) on characteristics of pediatric patient-clinical provider vocal interaction. We also collaborate with Louisville Automation and Robotics Research Institute (LARRI) to examine linguistic interaction between children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and engineered, autonomous, facially-expressive, human-like robots.
Key Research Areas
- The acoustics of speech production and perception in first- and second-language learners
- The linguistic environment in families with typically developing children and children with communication disorders
- Listening and vocal effort during remote communication
- The use of behavioral and physiological measures in speech production and perception
Recent Publications
- Kondaurova, M.V., Smith, A., Mishra, R., Zheng, Q., Kondaurova, I., Francis, A.L., Smith, A., Salee, E. (2024). Empatica E4 assessment of child physiological measures of listening effort during remote and in-person communication. American Journal of Audiology, 1-10.
- Kondaurova, M.V., VanDam, M., Qi Zheng, Welikson, B. (2023). Fathers’ unmodulated prosody in child-directed speech. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 154 (6), 3556–3567.
- Pennington, R., Welch, K., Kondaurova, M., Kuravackel, G, Zheng, Q., & Shah, A. (2023). The effects of a social robot prompter on the vocal interactions of peers with autism spectrum disorder. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 58(4), 480-492.
- Kondaurova, M.V., ZhengQ., DonaldsonC.W., Smith, A.F. (2023). Effect of telepractice on pediatraic cochlear implant users and provider vowel space: A preliminary report. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 153 (1) 467-479.
- Kondaurova,, M.V., ZhengQ., DonaldsonC.W., Betts, A., Smith, A.F. (2023). The effect of telepractice on vocal turn-taking between a provider, children with cochlear implants and caregivers: A preliminary report. Cochlear Implants International, 1-12.
Team
Faculty
Dr. Maria Kondaurova
maria.kondaurova@louisville.edu
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Graduate Students
- Bianca Welikson, Dept. of Psychological and Brain Sciences
- Loui Chang, Dept. of Psychological and Brain Sciences
- Natalie Spiva, Dept. of Psychological and Brain Sciences, natalie.spiva@louisville.edu
UG Students
- Isabella Hausladen,
- Chinarah Winston,
- Ryder Robinson,
- Maen Aljijakl,