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Stress and language study

Children learn language by listening, reading, and talking with other people. This learning happens as the brain figures out patterns in language. Children who are good at learning patterns in language have good vocabulary, sentence building, and story-telling skills. However, other things in a child's life affect their language learning, too. For example, when children experience chronic stress, they may not learn as well. 

 

We are studying how stress and pattern learning affect a child's language skills. This information is important because many children experience stress. The results of this study may help parents and teachers know how to best help children learn language. 

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This work is a collaboration with Dr. Sara Steele, Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and Dr Josh Arthur, Department of Pediatric Medicine.

How does hair treatment impact hair cortisol concentration?

The goal of this work is to understand the impact of hair treatment on hair cortisol concentration. Hair coloring and straightening are common in the African-American community. Hair cortisol research can provide a unique measure of stress. The impact of these hair treatments on cortisol concentration is unknown. 

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This work is led by current graduate student, Carrie Burnett.

What influence does life stress have on decision making and addiction?

What is the influence of life stress on decision making? And how does this affect addictive behavior? This project examines these issues in emerging adults (aged 18-25) using measures of hair cortisol, self-reports of stress, and measures of risky decision making. 

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This work is led by lab alumnus, Dr. Ashley Doonan.

RESEARCH PROJECTS

See below for a list of ongoing research projects in the lab.

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