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Psycholinguistics and Cognition Research Group

Personnel

Team Leader
  • Dr Greg Yelland
Postgraduate Students
  • Catherine Reid
  • Claire Byrne
  • Jake Anderson
  • Kasia Kiernikowski
  • Kathryn Bruce
  • Leannda Firman
  • Samantha Speirs
  • Tim Friedman
Fourth Year Students
  • Carlie Park
  • Joanne Smith
  • Kevin Abery
  • Victoria Ashton

Research Activities

The group's research interests are focussed on two domains of cognitive function. The first examines the nature of the mental processes that support our use of language, particularly written language. This has three streams of investigation: (a) the development of language skills, in particular reading, (b) skilled language use, and (c) disorders of language use such as developmental dyslexia, specific language impairment and the language deficits associated with autism and Asperger's disorder. The other area of research focus is computer-based detection, assessment and monitoring of cognition decline in a range of populations including high functioning adults, adults with dementia, males with HIV-1, aging drivers, children with developmental disorders, patients undergoing cardiac surgery and sleep deprived and intoxicated young adults

Current Projects
  • Evaluation of the Subtle Cognitive Impairment Test (SCIT) - a computer-based test of cognitive
  • Cognitive impairment following cardiac surgery
  • Effects of alcoholic intoxication on cognitive function
  • The effects of cognitive decline on driving performance in the elderly
  • Cognitive impairments in Parkinson's disease
  • Individual differences in the lexical processing of written words amongst skilled and developing readers
  • Language processing in Autism and Asperger's Disorder
  • Individual differences in the causes of dyslexia
  • Processes underlying unexpected spelling disorders
  • The processing of mathematical equations

Laboratory Facilities
The Psycholinguistics and Cognition Laboratory is located in rooms 419, 420 and 427 on the 4th Floor of Building 17 on the Clayton Campus. The lab has individual testing booths each with computing facilities able to present to precisely controlled stimuli, such as spoken and written language, static images and video, from which accuracy and response latency (to millisecond accuracy) of various response tasks can be collected. Portable versions of these facilities are also available for off-site research in schools, hospitals, etc.



Collaborations

  • Assoc Professor Stephen Robinson (Team Leader, Astrocytes & Brain Dysfunction research group, and Director of Research, School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Monash University)
  • Prof. Julian Smith (Head of Department of Surgery, Monash University and Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery Unit, Monash Medical Centre) and Mr Aubrey Almeida (Senior Lecturer, Department of Surgery, Monash University and Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Monash Medical Centre & Epworth Hospital)
  • Prof. Bruce Tonge (Director, Centre for Developmental Psychiatry & Psychology, Monash Medical Centre and School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Monash University)and Dr Nicole Rinehart (Centre for Developmental Psychiatry & Psychology, Monash Medical Centre and School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Monash University)
  • Dr Judith Charlton and Dr Jenny Oxley (Monash University Accident Research Centre)
  • Assoc.Prof. Kim Marriot (School of Computer Science & Systems Engineering, Monash University)
  • Dr Russell Conduit (School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Monash University)
  • Dr Dianne Sheppard (Experimental Neuropsychology Research Unit, School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Monash University)
  • Dr Shantha Rajaratum (Chronobiology and Sleep Research Group, School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Monash University)