About MeOur mental lexicon is characterized by a complex network of relationships between words. I am fascinated by how individuals learn, organize and retrieve information from this system.
My work has two major foci: 1. How different types of semantic relationships and associations in memory affect word retrieval. 2. How language and cognition are affected by aging, both healthy and pathological. I use an interdisciplinary framework drawn from psycholinguistics and cognitive psychology to examine how aging alters language processing and production. Language and cognition are deeply intertwined, and as aging affects cognition, it is important to understand the consequences of cognitive aging on communication. I use a combination of behavioral and neurophysiological measures (EEG) to explore these phenomena. My works aim to define the types of linguistic relationships that generate interference with the goal being to leverage this knowledge in aphasia treatment and in detecting signs of pathological aging (e.g., mild cognitive impairment). I have also done considerable work in the field of bilingualism to examine how bilingualism, and a continuum of bilingual experiences, shape language processing and representation. I received my B.A. in Linguistics and B.S. in Communication Sciences & Disorders from the University of Texas at Austin. |