FacilitiesThe Movement Science laboratories were recently upgraded to cutting edge technology for the study of movement with support from a National Science Foundation Major Instrumentation Grant.
The Motor Learning and Control Lab has a state-of-the-art kinematics (VICON) lab for biomechanical description of human movement. The system is interfaced with two force plates to study center of mass changes associated with gait and other voluntary movements. To study hand motor control, we have Nano and Mini ATI force/torque sensors for measurement of multi-digit fingertip force control, a CyberGlove for monitoring finger motion, a 3-D electromagnetic position-angle sensing system, analog-to-digital data acquisition systems (National Instruments, SC/ZOOM); three 3D motion registration systems (Optotrak), an eyetracker to study hand-eye coordination, and setups for recording surface electromyographic signals and electroencephalographic signals, and a variety of other instruments.
The Appled Exercise Physiology Lab is fully equipped to study non-invasive physiological processes. Equipment includes metabolic measurement systems for functional capacity (VO2max) and metabolic testing BMR and REE), electrocardiograph machines (ECG) and ECG (oscilloscopes) for the recording of electrocardiogramst, beat-to-beat blood pressure monitors (Finapres and Tonometer) for the recording of beat-to-beat blood pressures, a Doppler Milar probe for contour analysis used on any artery (carotid, radial and femoral) as a noninvasive marker of arteriolar compliance, nitric oxide (NO) analyzers used for the noninvasive determination of nitric oxide in expired gases or body fluids, an echotracker and Tektronix oscilloscope for the noninvasive determination of vascular lumen size changes. These systems are used in conjunction with a computerized Grass polygraph (multichannel) recorder. Other equipment include a beat-to-beat portable (24 hour) blood pressure monitor (Portapres) for ambulatory recordings, a water-seal spirometer and handheld spirometers for the determination of pulmonary function tests, handheld body impedance analysis (BIA) devices for the measurement of body composition and 5 sets of skinfold calipers, blood pressure cuffs and stethoscopes, cycle ergometers, and a data acquisition analysis system (National Instruments).
At the Neurocognition of Language Lab, we conduct experiments examining the neural underpinnings of aspects of language and cognitive processing, in both normal and damaged adult brains, utilizing combinations of behavioral and electrophysiological techniques.
Research in the Speech Production and Perception Laboratory examines speech performance in individuals with and without communication disorders, with special emphasis on bilingual populations. Under the direction of Erika S. Levy, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and trilingual speech-language pathologist, this lab is affiliated with the Speech & Language Pathology program in Teachers College's Department of Biobehavioral Sciences.
A goal of our research is to better understand patterns of speech production and perception by second-language learners. We aim to recreate natural speech patterns as much as possible within the laboratory setting in order to learn about real-world speech production and perception and their disorders. A theme of this research has been the investigation of utterances in continuous speech, in which neighboring vowels and consonants affect each other's pronunciation, as opposed to isolated speech utterances. Our work informs educational and therapeutic approaches to speech and language learning and disorders in multilingual populations.
Of particular interest are the ramifications of the shortage of bilingual speech-language pathologists in the United States, including the frequent mismatch between the clients’ and clinicians’ language backgrounds. Examples of the questions we ask are how children with communication disorders perceive accented “clear speech,” an intelligibility-enhancing style of speech, and how clinicians (e.g., native speakers of English) evaluate speech sound disorders in a second language (e.g., Spanish). A goal of this research is to determine where difficulties lie when such a mismatch occurs in order to help pave the way for improvement in the accuracy of speech-language pathology service provision in a second language.
Please contact the if there is information missing from this list.
Dr. Karen Froud presented about "Schizophrenia as a disorder of thought, or language? Evidence from brain and behavioral investigations" at the Talks on Linguistics In honor of Neil Smith's retirement conference. It was hosted by the Department of Phonetics and Linguistics of the University College London. You can also view the conference program for more info about all presentations.
Blazing a (Speech) "Path" in Cambodia
TC Faculty members envision jump-starting a field in post-Khmer Cambodia
The Department of Biobehavioral Sciences played a major role in a new study that examined the effects of aerobic exercise on persons infected with HIV.