Research Methods
Depending on the research project, various methods are used to investigate the development of language-related abilities in comparison to adults.
Methods include behavioral, acoustic, and articulatory measurements of spoken language or reading. We also conduct standard assessments of language-related abilities as well as assessments of reading skills.
Recently, we have developed a child-friendly platform to record the activity of the main articulators of speech in young children as well as in adults (SOLLAR, Sonographic and Optical Linguo-Labial Articulatory Recording system). This platform combines simultaneous recording of:
- Acoustic recording of speech
- Ultrasound imaging of the tongue
- Video-shape tracking of the lips and jaw underpinnings
- Eye-tracking of perceptual ability in infants
SOLLAR platform was introduced at Ultrafest VII (Noiray et al., 2015). Following optimisation, a journal manuscript is in preparation.
An article about the methods employed at the lab was also released in Uni press: https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/headlines-and-featured-stories/detail-list/article/2016-09-26-lola-forscht-wie-ultraschall-und-videoanalyse-die-sprachwissenschaft-voranbringen.html
The platform was also presented at Labphon16 in the satellite Ultrasound evidence in phonology: Ultrasound imaging in language acquisition.
