Research

The long-term goal of our research is to improve the quality of life of monolingual and bilingual people with aphasia. 

Select a title specified below to learn more about our current projects.

Bilingual persons with aphasia have a unique language deficit characterized by deficits in lexical access (i.e., aphasia) and language control (i.e., the ability to speak in one language without interruption from the other language). If bilingual persons with aphasia cannot name an object, is that due to deficits in lexical access, language control or a combination of the two? Currently this distinction is unknown and presents a challenge to intervention. In order to develop evidence-based treatment methods for this population, the relationship between aphasia and language control must be identified. This project explores the relationship between language control and lexical access in Spanish-English bilingual adults with aphasia.

We are currently recruiting Spanish-English adults with aphasia. Individuals can be balanced or unbalanced bilinguals with any type of aphasia. If interested in learning more, please contact Dr. Teresa Gray at graymatterlaboratory@gmail.com.

This project aims to develop an interactive website that offers speech language pathologists freely accessible tools to administer evidence-based naming therapy (i.e., semantic feature analysis). The outcome of this project will offer therapy materials in over 23 languages, provide scored protocols of client performance, as well as compile downloadable and printable forms for offline use of treatment materials. Our collaborators include Penn State and Boston University.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of training abstract word retrieval in monolingual and bilingual individuals with aphasia. Previous work has found that training abstract words results in improvement to abstract words and concrete words in monolingual patients with aphasia. Outcomes regarding bilingual populations are unclear. The goal of this project is to help to guide clinical decisions for monolingual and bilingual persons with aphasia.

We are currently recruiting monolingual English and bilingual (any language combination) adults with aphasia.  Individuals can be balanced or unbalanced bilinguals with any type of aphasia.  If interested in learning more, please contact Dr. Teresa Gray at graymatterlaboratory@gmail.com.  Collaborator: Penn State

The purpose of this project is to examine how Spanish-English bilingual adults with aphasia switch between languages.  Typically, codeswitching studies include healthy participants (e.g., Branzi, Calabria, Boscarino, Costa, 2016; Calabria, Branzi, Marne, Hernandez, Costa, 2013; Prior & Gollan, 2011). Results show that switch trials evoke longer response times compared to non-switch trials and based on language experience, switching costs and mixing costs may also be affected.

In this study, bilingual adults with aphasia are asked to identify associations for within language word-pairs.  Based on previous work in the lab, we expect bilingual adults with aphasia to be slower on switch vs. non-switch trials; however, outcomes regarding switching and mixing costs are unclear.