Using language is a fundamental part of daily life, and one of the most common ways we use language is through conversation. When we talk, we bring our own background knowledge and viewpoints, and we share our thoughts, beliefs, and culture with others.
Social communication plays a crucial role in providing support throughout our lives. Our research explores social communication by combining insights from different fields, such as psychology and linguistics. We aim to understand the brain and cognitive processes that help us communicate effectively at all stages of life.
In our lab, we have created experiments to study conversations and language use. We use various tools, like conversation analysis, tracking eye movements, and measuring brain activity (e.g., ERPs), to examine how conversations work among groups of 2 to 7 people. We study different groups, including adults with and without neurological conditions.
Our research can help us learn more about how social communication works and find ways to improve communication skills for people with language disorders. Our work is currently funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
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