PhD in Linguistics - Psychology of Language in Ann Arbor United States | University of Michigan Ann Arbor

Studies in this field concentrate on two main categories: understanding sentences and how language develops and is processed throughout life. The comprehension research (Jon Brennan, Julie Boland, Richard Lewis) mainly examines syntactic parsing and how it interacts with vocabulary and meaning-related processes. These mental operations are explored through various experimental methods (such as eye-tracking, reaction time studies, EEG, MEG, and fMRI) and computer simulations. Investigations into language psychology across different life stages explore how children and adults learn first and additional languages and become bilingual (Sam Epstein, Carmel O'Shannessy, Acrisio Pires), along with how language connects with social and cognitive changes during aging (Deborah Keller-Cohen). Collaborating faculty from other departments with similar research focuses include Nick Ellis, Susan Gelman, Ioulia Kovelman, Frederick Morrison, Thad Polk, and Twila Tardif (all from Psychology), plus Diane Larsen-Freeman (from the English Language Institute and School of Education).