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UBC Psychology News: Dr. Janet Werker Honoured for Research into Children’s Language Acquisition

Janet Werker is the first UBC professor to win the Gold Medal Award, the highest research honour from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Click here to read the full article on UBC Psychology’s news page.

Dr. Janet Werker Awarded the SSHRC 2015 Gold Medal Impact Award

Janet is the first UBC Professor to receive this award, SSHRC’s highest distinction, given to individuals whose sustained leadership, dedication, and originality of thought have inspired colleagues and students alike.

Scientific American Video: Chew on This! Babies Need Their Tongues to Tell Sounds Apart

In this “60 Second Science” video clip, Scientific American describes recent findings from the Infant Studies Centre showing that babies use their own tongue movements to better perceive differences in speech sounds. Click here to watch the video, which features an interview with Dr. Alison Bruderer, the researcher who conducted the study at our Centre.

The Naked Scientists Podcast: Babies Use Their Tongues to Listen

Babies use their tongues not just to make sounds but also to help them to listen, scientists from UBC’s Infant Studies Centre have shown this week. The discovery is important because it reveals a crucial way in which our speech and language develops. Click here to hear the podcast, which features an interview with the Director of our Centre, Dr. Janet F. Werker.

Scientific American Podcast: Babies Move Tongue to Learn New Tongues

Interview with Dr. Alison Bruderer about her recently published work from our Centre regarding the influence of tongue movement on speech perception. Click here to hear (or read) the full interview.

The Atlantic: Babies Use Their Tongues to Understand Speech

A new study found that when infants can’t move their mouths to mimic sounds, they have a harder time processing them. Click here to read the full article on The Atlantic.

CBC Radio One: Babies Need Free Tongue Movement to Decipher Speech Sounds

Interview with our Centre’s Director, Dr. Janet F. Werker, about her recently published work regarding the influence of tongue movement on speech perception. Click here to hear the full interview.

CBC News: Babies Need a Break from Teething Toys to Better Learn Sounds, Study Finds

New research finds that babies need to be able to move their tongues to better understand speech. Click here to read the full article on CBC News.

Exciting New Research From Our Centre! Babies Need Free Tongue Movement to Decipher Speech Sounds

New research from our Centre has found that inhibiting infants’ tongue movements impedes their ability to distinguish between speech sounds. The study is the first to discover a direct link between infants’ oral-motor movements and auditory speech perception.

Psychology Today Blog: How do Bilingual Infants Separate their Languages?

Dr. François Grosjean interviews our Centre’s Director, Dr. Janet F. Werker, for his Psychology Today blog: “Life as a Bilingual”. Click here to read the full interview.