Let's Talk About It

Let's Talk About it: Understanding the Science Behind Speech and Language.

My name is Julia Guido, and instead of attending classes in the last ten weeks of my high school career, I plan to spend the last trimester of the year participating in BASIS Peoria's Senior project. I've always been fascinated with the brain and the process of research, and this independent project will allow me to explore these areas and conduct experiments outside of a high school setting. I will answer two questions:

What is the relationships between working memory and language acquisition? and What are the genetic causes of language abnormalities?

In order to learn about speech and language from as many angles as possible, I will intern in two labs. Thanks to Dr. Shelley Gray and Dr. Beate Peter for allowing me to work in their respective laboratories, the Child Language and Literacy Laboratory (CHILLL), and the Speech/Language Genetics Lab (SLG). These labs will give me experience in administering scientific tests and analyzing speech from a genetic perspective. In addition, thank to my advisor at BASIS, Mrs. Hagerman, and my college counselor Mrs. Estes.

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In the CHILLL lab, I will work with other students administering computerized tests to sixth graders meant to assess their working memory. We will analyze the development of language in 12 year olds via the results of these tests.

In the SLG lab, I will analyze genetic markers of language abnormalities, adding a more biological component to my project.

The goal of my project is to understand how working memory relates to language acquisition, and its implications are broad. With this research, schools will be able to tailor their programs more accurately to the minds of children, teachers will be able to create projects that capitalize on the abilities of the students, and even standardized tests will be able to reform around the abilities of the brain.

For the next ten weeks, I will share my learning and experience through this blog, starting now.