Leher Singh

I am a faculty member in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences at Boston University. My research is in infant speech processing and early word recognition. I am primarily interested in the relationship between speech processing capacities in infancy and later vocabulary acquisition. I also have interests in the role of vocal affect in communication development both in typical populations and those with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Finally, I am currently conducting research on phoneme perception in the birth languages of adopted children.

 

To see my lab site, go to www.bu.edu/babies

 

 
EDUCATION & EMPLOYMENT 


Assistant Professor, Speech, Language & Hearing  Sciences, Boston University                                   
Aug 2002 
Ph.D., Cognitive Science, Brown University (Advisor: Dr. James Morgan)
May 1995 
B.A. Psychology, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn    Mawr, PA

ARTICLES IN REFEREED JOURNALS

Singh, L., Nestor, S.S. & Bortfeld, H. (2008) Overcoming Effects of Variation on Infant Word Recognition: Influences on Word Familiarity. Infancy. 13 (2).

Singh, L. (2008). Influences of High and Low Variability on Infant Word Recognition. Cognition. 106(2):833-70

Singh, L., White, K. & Morgan, J.L. (2008) Effects of Pitch and Amplitude Variation on Infant Word Recognition. Language Learning and Development. 4 (2)

Singh, L., Morgan, J., White, K. (2004). Preference and processing: The role of speech affect in early spoken word recognition. Journal of Memory and Language, Vol. 51(2), 173-189.

Singh, L., Morgan, J. L., & Best, C. (2002). Infants' listening preferences: Baby talk or happy talk? Infancy, 3, 365-394.

PEER-REVIEWED CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

Nadig, A., Ozonoff, S., Singh, L., Young, G. & Rogers, (2007).Do 6-month-olds at Risk for Autism Display an Infant-directed Speech Preference? In Heather Caunt-Nulton, Samantha Kulatilake, and I-hao Woo., Proceedings for the 31st Annual Boston University Conference on Language Development. Somerville, MA; Cascadilla Press.

Singh, L., Nestor, S.S. & Bortfeld, H. (2006) Effects of Word Familiarity on Word Recognition in Infancy. In Proceedings of the 28th annual Boston University Conference on Language Development, Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press.

Nestor, S.S. & Singh, L. (2004) Effects of Phonetic Variation on Early Word Learning. In Alejna Brugos, Linnea Micciulla, and Christine E. Smith, eds., Proceedings of the 28th annual Boston University Conference on Language Development, Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press.

Singh, L. (2004). Integration of content and form in normal and pragmatically impaired populations. In Alejna Brugos, Linnea Micciulla, and Christine E. Smith, eds., Proceedings of the 28th annual Boston University Conference on Language Development, Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press.

Singh, L., Bortfeld, H., & Morgan, J. (2002). Effects of variability on infant word recognition. In A.  Domínguez, and A. Johansen (Eds.), BUCLD 26: Proceedings of the 26th Annual Boston University Conference on Language Development (pp. 608-619). Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Singh, L. & Nestor, S.S. (2007) Infant Word Segmentation Predicts Later Vocabulary.  Presentation at Society for Research in Child Development (Paper Symposium). Boston, MA

Nestor, S.S., Singh, L., Parikh, C., Ganzer, R., & Yull, A. (2007) Effects of Vocal Emotion on Early Memories for Words. Presented at Society for Research in Child Development (Poster). Boston, MA

Singh, L. & Nestor, S.S. (2006) Concurrent and Predictive Validity of Infant Word Segmentation Tasks. Presented at Boston University Conference on Language Development (Paper). Boston, MA

Nadig, A., Ozonoff, S., Singh, L. Young, M., & Rogers, S. (2006). Do 6-month-old infants at risk for autism display an infant-directed speech preference?  Presented at Boston University Conference on Language Development (Paper). Boston, MA.

Singh, L., Nestor, S. & Bortfeld, H. (2005) Lexical and Prelexical Factors in Infant Word Recognition. Presented at Boston University Conference on Language Development (Paper). Boston, MA.

Singh, L. & White, K.S. (2004). Selective influences of nonphonemic variability on early word recognition. Acoustical Society of America (published abstract).

Casile, A. & Singh, L. (2004) Selective effects of allophonic variation in early word learning. Presented at 29th Annual Boston University Conference on Language Development (Paper). Boston, MA.

Singh, L. (2004). Integration of content and form in normal and pragmatically impaired populations. Presented at 29th Annual Boston University Conference on Language Development (Paper). Boston, MA.

Singh, L. (2004). The Relevance of Irrelevance: Evidence from Early Word Learning. Presented atConference on Human Development (Paper), Washington, D.C.

Singh, L. & White (2003). The specificity of early lexical representations: Differential encoding of affect, amplitude, and absolute pitch (Poster). 28th Annual Boston University Conference on Language Development, Boston, MA.

Singh, L. (2003). Effects of Input Variability on Early Word Recognition. Society for Research in Child Development (Poster), Tampa, FL.

Morgan, J.L., Singh, L., Bortfeld, H., Rathbun, K., White, K. & Anderson, J. (2002). Relationships between perceptual dissimilarity and processing time on infant word recognition. International Conference on Infant Studies (Poster), Toronto, Canada.

Singh, L. & Morgan, J.L. (2002). Sources of fragility in early word recognition: Differential effects of affect, amplitude and absolute pitch (Poster). International Conference on Infant Studies, Toronto, Canada.Best, C., Singh, L. et al. (April, 1997). Preferences of 4-6 and 8-10 month olds for Infant Directed Utterances in Two Non-Native Languages. Society for Research in Child Development (Poster). Washington, D.C.

Rescorla, L.A., Mirak, J. & Singh, L. (April, 1997). Vocabulary Acquisition in Late Talkers. Society for Research in Child Development (Poster). Washington, D.C.


Rescorla, L.A., Mirak, J., Book, J. & Singh, L. (1995). Language development and phonological repertoire in late talkers (Poster). Society for Research in Child Development, Indianapolis, IN.

RESEARCH FUNDING

2006                SPRinG grant “Effects of Early Experience on Language Acquisition.” ($22,000)

2005-2007       National Institutes of Health (NICHD)
NIH 1 R03 HD046676-01A1 "Word discovery in infancy” (PI: Leher Singh) ($161,300)

2004-2007       National Institutes of Health (NIDCD)
NIH 1 R03 DC06601-01A1 “Prelexical Predictors of Word Learning” (PI: Leher Singh) ($243,520)

Contact information

Dept. of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences
Boston University, 635 Commonwealth Avenue,

Boston, MA 02215

Tel: (617) 353 7491

Email: leherREMOVETHIS@bu.edu

 

 

 

 A