Our research focuses on the dynamics of cognitive processing using computational and experimental approaches. We are currently focusing on the time-course of single-word utterances in speech production and reading aloud tasks. The specific theoretical issues that we are examining include the minimal processing unit (segment as opposed to the syllable or word), cascaded as opposed to discrete processing, and parallel as opposed to serial encoding. In addition to the traditional response latency measure based on acoustic onset, we measure the durations of the initial segment, the initial syllable, and the entire utterance. We have also introduced a measure based on articulatory onset indexed by the movement of the lips and jaw.
