580 California St., Suite 400
San Francisco, CA, 94104
Key research themes
1. How can perceptual training and acoustic cues improve the identification and production of word-initial voiceless stops in non-native speakers?
This area explores the effectiveness of perceptual training interventions in helping second-language learners acquire and accurately produce voiceless stop consonants, focusing on acoustic correlates like Voice Onset Time (VOT) and additional cues beyond VOT. It matters because voiceless stop acquisition challenges learners due to cross-linguistic differences in phonetic realization, and improving perception and production can enhance L2 intelligibility and pedagogy.
Key finding: The study demonstrates that auditory perceptual training, when combined with explicit instruction about the target voiceless stops, significantly improves Argentinean learners' identification of English word-initial voiceless... Read more
2. What are the current clinical approaches and outcome measurement challenges in the management of unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP)?
Research in this theme addresses the diverse etiologies of UVFP, clinical treatment options including surgical and voice therapy interventions, and critically evaluates the diverse and inconsistent use of voice outcome measures. This area is crucial as UVFP leads to significant dysphonia affecting quality of life, yet clinical heterogeneity and measurement inconsistencies hamper treatment efficacy assessment and inter-study comparisons.
Key finding: This systematic review reveals the lack of methodological rigor and standardized protocols in speech-language pathology treatments for UVFP, highlighting inconsistent interventions, assessment batteries, and treatment... Read more
Key finding: The review identifies considerable variability and disparity in the selection, rationale, validity, reliability, and responsiveness of voice outcome measures used post-UVFP treatment. It underscores the need for... Read more
Key finding: This review highlights the lack of consensus in rationale and selection of voice treatments—surgical and behavioral—for UVFP, emphasizing gaps in diagnostic clarity and prognosis-based treatment planning. It stresses the... Read more
Key finding: Using quantitative laryngeal electromyography (LEMG), this study differentiates idiopathic UVFP from iatrogenic cases by analyzing extent and severity of nerve injuries in vocal fold muscles, revealing clinical and... Read more
Key finding: This retrospective analysis of Taiwanese patients identifies iatrogenic causes—especially thyroidectomy—as the most frequent etiology of UVFP, with left-sided paralysis predominating. Etiologic patterns vary by age, with... Read more
3. How is silence experienced and conceptualized in cognitive and psychological frameworks, and what implications does this have for speech and auditory phenomena?
This research theme examines silence from phenomenological, psychological, and auditory perspectives, investigating its experiential qualities, cognitive interpretations, and communicative roles. This is significant as silence, although an absence of sound, conveys affective, cognitive, and social meaning, influencing speech processing, clinical assessments, and theoretical accounts of auditory perception.
Key finding: Critically examining philosophical accounts, this paper challenges prevalent negative conceptions of silence as mere absence or 'most negative perception,' arguing for a nuanced phenomenology that recognizes silence’s... Read more
Key finding: This psychological literature review conceptualizes silence as an active communicative ‘entity’ that, despite its emptiness, engenders a range of psychological phenomena including anxiety and social tension, underscoring... Read more