Semester Topic: Second Language Speech Processing—A guide to conducting experimental research
Based on a recent textbook with the same title, this course is a hands-on roadmap for conducting rigorous experimental research on second language speech processing, bilingual phonological processing, and spoken word recognition.
The course will review various published articles (models), define key theoretical concepts and research themes, and offer a detailed step-by-step guide to designing empirical processing research in the areas of phonetic and phonological knowledge. Along with the textbook, the course covers the following: setting up an efficient workflow to enhance reproducibility of findings; determining a methodology; selecting experimental controls and designing stimuli; collecting data using an array of methodological tools; addressing common challenges; preparing and analyzing data; preregistering the study; and sharing data transparently in accordance with Open Science practices. The course covers both lab-based and online research, and it introduces students to various basic tools: Praat (digital signal processing), Audacity (audio recordings), Gorilla and PsychoPy (experiment administration and design, lab-based and online), Excel (data management), and Jamovi (data analysis and statistics).
This course should be relevant for students interested in phonetics, laboratory phonology, second language pronunciation, and second language acquisition.