BA(Hons)
PhD

Psycholinguistics Laboratory

CSCD1030 (Clinical Linguistics), CSCD1031 (Clinical Phonetics and Articulation), CSCD1032 (Human Communication), CSCD3036 (Language Impairments in Children 3)

Research Interests

Currently employing developmental, neuroscientific, cross-linguistic and computational modelling techniques to investigate of the use of probabilistic phonological and orthographic cues to (1) lexical stress and (2) grammatical category during language processing.
I am also examining the neural basis of auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia, the development of laterality of auditory processing in children and the psycholinguistics of lying.
I am collaborating on a project examining prosody in children with autism and other cross-disciplinary projects include investigations of self-esteem and the brain and new methods of crisis management training using interactive computer games.

OZReader reviewer for grants submitted to the Australian Research Council
Language and Cognitive Processes
The Mental Lexicon
Advances in Speech-Language Pathology
Asia-Pacific Journal of Speech Language and Hearing
Neuropsychologia
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
ACQuiring Knowledge in Speech Language and Hearing (ACQ)
Cerebral Cortex
Laterality
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology

Co-hosted, with Dr Jon Brock, the Communication and Autism Workshop in Sydney, 24-25th August, 2009 held at the Justice and Police Museum, Sydney. Around 50 attendees. Two invited international keynotes including Prof Pat Howlin (Institute of Psychiatry, London) and Prof Morton Ann Gernsbacher (Madison-Wisconsin, US). Three invited keynotes from Australia including Professor Lesley Stirling (University of Melbourne), Dr Andrew Whitehouse (WA) and Dr Jacqui Roberts (University of Sydney and University of Canberra). Professor Stewart Einfeld of the Brain Mind Research Institute opened the meeting.

Organised the HCSNet Workshop on the Cognitive Science of Text held at Fairmont Resort, Leura on December 13/14, 2007. Invited speakers included three international researchers (Prof Holcomb - USA, Dr Peter Garrard - UK and Dr Nada Seva - UK) and three researchers from Australia (Prof Sally Andrews, Prof Brian Byrne and Dr Kristen Pammer). The Pro Vice Chancellor of Research at Charles Sturt University, Professor Paul Burnett, opened the workshop. Proceedings of the workshop (full peer-reviewed papers) will be published in special editions of two journals (Journal of Neurolinguistics; Reading and Writing).

• Effects of lexical stress during the processing of disyllabic nouns and verbs of English. Presented at the Hammersmith Hospital, London, 2003
• The role of neuroimaging within cognitive psychology. Presented at the Department of Psychology, University College London, 2004
• Probabilistic cues in language processing. Presented at Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA, 2005
• Hidden cues to grammatical category, lexical stress and meaning in the phonology and orthography of English words, Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University, Australia, 2005
• Hemispheric Processing of lexical stress. Presented at Department of Psychology, UNE, Armidale, Australia, 2007
• Implicit cues to grammatical category in the orthography of English, Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey, 2007
• Publication metrics. Presented at the Research Development Symposium, Charles Sturt University, Australia, July, 2007
• The Dichotic Listening Paradigm: From Lexical Stress to Self-Esteem. To be presented at Department of Psychology, University of Tasmania, May 9th, 2008
• "Um, like, I can tell you're lying": Linguistic Markers of Truth vs. Deception in Speech. University of Lancaster, UK, July, 2008
• Auditory discrimination and reading ability in children with Autism. Presented at FHS/BMRI Autism Research Seminar with Pat Howlin, University of Sydney, 9th Sept 2008

Disability and Community Research Group
Communication and Inclusion Team