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Related Faculty by Areas
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Werker, Janet
Email:
Core Area(s): Developmental, Cognitive Science
Research Interests
My research focuses on understanding the roots of language acquisition, by studying speech perception in infancy, the mechanisms by which native speech sound categories are acquired, and how speech perception supports early word learning. In my lab we study infants from hours after birth up to toddler hood using behavioral, electrophysiological (ERP), and non-invasive optical neural imaging using near-infrared-spectroscopy (NIRS). We study infants growing up in different language environments, infants growing up bilingual, and infants with, or at risk for, developmental disabilities. Adult studies focus on speech perception and lexical processing of both spoken language and visual speech, and involve behavioral and neuroimaging studies. More recently we have also begun exploring epigenetic processes that underly developmental change.
Courses Taught
PSYC 302 Infancy, PSYC 585 Special topics in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
Course Websites:
Homepage:
http://infantstudies.psych.ubc.ca/people
/vitae?phpMyAdmin=45c4a98611dt24052354
Lab Website: http://infantstudies.psych.ubc.ca/
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UBC Department of Psychology
2136 West Mall
Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4
Phone: (604) 822-6741
Fax: (604) 822-6923
Email Webpage |
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Representative Publications
Werker, J.F., & Byers-Heinlein, K. (2008). The youngest bilinguals: First steps in perception and comprehension of language. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 12(4), 144-151.
Dietrch, C., Swingley, D., & Werker, J.F. (2007). Native language governs interpretation of salient speech sound differences at 18 months. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S., 104(41), 16027 – 16031.
Fennell, C.T., Byers-Heinlein, K., & Werker, J.F. (2007). Using speech sounds to guide word learning: The case of bilingual infants. Child Development, 78 (5), 1510 – 1525.
Vouloumanos, A. & Werker, J.F. (2007) Listening to language at birth: Evidence for a bias for speech in neonates. Developmental Science, 10(2), 159-164.
Weikum, W. Vouloumanos, A., Navarro, J., Soto-Faraco, S., Sebastian-Galles, N., & Werker, J.F. (2007). Visual language discrimination in infancy. Science, 316, 1159.
Werker, J.F. & Yeung, H. H. (2005). Infant speech perception bootstraps word learning. Trends in Cognitive Science. 9(11), 519-527.
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