Group Leader
Speech Communication Research
We study the neural basis of speech perception using PET and fMRI (picture attached). I use novel forms of speech such as noise vocoded speech to help control for aspects of the speech signal. I also use transformations that remove the intelligibility from speech without alerting the acoustic structure. The transformations are carried out with Praat and Matlab.
Group Members
Post-doctoral Research Fellows
Sophie Meekings
sophie.meekings.11@ucl.ac.uk
Typical speakers are astonishingly good at adapting their voices in response to subtle changes in the acoustic environment. I am interested in this ability and the neural systems underlying it. I am also interested in the often surprising effects that different acoustic environments have on people with dysfluency (stuttering). I am currently investigating the neural basis of energetic and informational masking effects on speech production in typical speakers, with plans to extend this investigation to the population of people who stutter
PhD Students
Ryan J Oakeson
ryan.oakeson.18@ucl.ac.uk
I am a part of the UCL-NIMH doctoral program where I am studying the neural mechanisms underlying listening effort in neurotypical and neurodivergent populations, namely autism spectrum disorder. Listening effort is experienced during speech-in-noise, commonly known as the cocktail party effect. I aim to use MEG in combination with pupillometry to measure neural and physiological responses to speech masked by various noises while exploring various cognitive functions as well as personality traits that may play a role in our effortful listening experiences.
Laura Connolly
Laura.connolly.20@ucl.ac.uk
My research is concerning real and fake non-linguistic vocalisations, for example laughter and crying. We’re examining how different factors change how one perceives these vocalisations. At the moment we are specifically looking at how age impacts one’s ability to discern real from fake vocalisations, but other factors will be examined as we move forwards.
Ilana Harris
ilana.harris.22@ucl.ac.uk
I’m interested in how studying experiences of auditory aesthetic phenomena such as music and ASMR can be used to develop our understanding of cortical auditory processing. This includes investigation of auditory and somatosensory cortical activity for spatial processing of ASMR stimuli, and study of neural selectivity for song in the auditory cortex. Previous research includes multisensory perception and music cognition, where I studied auditorily elicited peri-personal space in the lab of Felix Blankenburg and perspective taking during collaborative playlist-making under the supervision of Ian Cross.
MSc/MRes Students
Emma Soopramanien
emma.soopramanien.22@ucl.ac.uk
I am exploring the naturalistic laughter of babies aged seven to eight months old. Currently, we are analysing data collected by Addison Billing to determine the relationships between factors implicated in social bonding (such as eye contact) and laughter. We aim to explore the social and emotional contexts that elicit laughter in infants, providing insights into human communication, social bonding, and infant social development.
Affiliate Lab Members
Cesar Lima
c.lima@ucl.ac.uk
I am interested in how we communicate and perceive emotions via nonverbal cues, such as speech prosody, facial expressions, and nonverbal vocalizations (e.g., laughter, crying). I am also interested in how we process other kinds of emotional information, such as music. Current research topics include: (a) individual differences in emotion perception due to ageing, musical expertise, neurological conditions, or personality; (b) links between music and vocal emotions; (c) automatic and controlled mechanisms in emotion processing; and (d) perception of emotional authenticity in vocalizations. In my studies, I combine methods and techniques from experimental and cognitive psychology, acoustics, neuropsychology and, more recently, structural and functional MRI.
Visit our lab website here: http://speechcommunicationlab.weebly.com