Investigation of the component distributions of pause duration in spontaneous speech: Constraints for models of language production. We have discovered that the distribution of pause durations in spontaneous speech of individual speakers can be decomposed into at least two log-normal distributions. Our project will investigate this finding and provide a foundation for new research relevant to language production models. This will be achieved by determining the semantic, lexical, psycholinguistic ....Investigation of the component distributions of pause duration in spontaneous speech: Constraints for models of language production. We have discovered that the distribution of pause durations in spontaneous speech of individual speakers can be decomposed into at least two log-normal distributions. Our project will investigate this finding and provide a foundation for new research relevant to language production models. This will be achieved by determining the semantic, lexical, psycholinguistic, physiological, and acoustic concomitants of each component distribution and by investigating the impact of selected variables on the shape and location of each. The project has important implications for models of language production and applied problems involving automatic speech recognition, forensic speaker identification, and human communication disorders.Read moreRead less
Using eye movements to study how past experiences shape expectations. We intend to examine how the brain decides where to look next with our eyes, a decision made approximately three times every second. Understanding how the normal brain makes decisions will in turn help us to understand what happens when things go wrong in diseases like dementia and Parkinson's disease, with the hope of better - and earlier - diagnosis, and improved monitoring of treatment. In addition, our research will establ ....Using eye movements to study how past experiences shape expectations. We intend to examine how the brain decides where to look next with our eyes, a decision made approximately three times every second. Understanding how the normal brain makes decisions will in turn help us to understand what happens when things go wrong in diseases like dementia and Parkinson's disease, with the hope of better - and earlier - diagnosis, and improved monitoring of treatment. In addition, our research will establish an important research link with The University of Cambridge, and allow Australia to be competitive with laboratories in North America and Europe that are currently studying how the brain makes decisions about where to look.Read moreRead less
A computational and experimental investigation of reading aloud: Dyslexia, disyllables, and beyond. Australia is a world leader in computational cognitive science, particularly with respect to language processing. This project will help maintain and extend this position. Insights from the project will help us understand the processes that underlie both normal reading and reading disorders, particularly in areas that are comparatively neglected yet extremely important, such as how people read wor ....A computational and experimental investigation of reading aloud: Dyslexia, disyllables, and beyond. Australia is a world leader in computational cognitive science, particularly with respect to language processing. This project will help maintain and extend this position. Insights from the project will help us understand the processes that underlie both normal reading and reading disorders, particularly in areas that are comparatively neglected yet extremely important, such as how people read words of more than one syllable. Given that everyone in Australian needs to learn to read and that acquired and developmental disorders of reading are common, providing the theoretical base on which the processes involved in reading can be understood (and hence learnt and remediated most effectively) is of utmost importance.Read moreRead less
Learning to read: Representations and mechanisms underlying orthographic learning. In literate societies, the ability to read is one of the most important skills an individual ever learns. There are now a number of precisely specified computational models of reading that explain detailed aspects of skilled reading behaviour. However, these models do not incorporate changes in reading ability over time - in particular, they do not explain how the ability to read is acquired. This project aims ....Learning to read: Representations and mechanisms underlying orthographic learning. In literate societies, the ability to read is one of the most important skills an individual ever learns. There are now a number of precisely specified computational models of reading that explain detailed aspects of skilled reading behaviour. However, these models do not incorporate changes in reading ability over time - in particular, they do not explain how the ability to read is acquired. This project aims to understand the learning mechanisms that give rise to skilled reading. Developing detailed models of the process of learning to read will greatly facilitate the early identification and treatment of children with reading difficulties.Read moreRead less