Kara Morgan Morgan-Short

Email Address: karams@uic.edu
College: Liberal Arts and Sciences Department: Hispanic and Italian Studies
Secondary Department: Psychology
Title: Cognition of Second Language Acquisition
Office: UH 1704 Phone: 312-996-2278
Webpage: http://www.uic.edu/depts/ling/COGSLA%20Lab/cogsla_home.html
Participating in the Chancellor’s Undergraduate Research Awards program: Yes

Research Interest:
The primary aim of Dr. Morgan-Short's research is to elucidate the neurocognitive processes underlying late-learned second language acquisition and use. Informed by the fields of linguistics, cognitive psychology and neuroscience, the research conducted in the Cognition of Second Language Acquisition lab explores the effects of explicit (classroom-like provision of rules) and implicit (immersion-like provision of meaningful examples) training conditions on adult second language acquisition and processing. In addition, the research considers whether the effects of explicit and implicit training are moderated by the linguistic form being acquired (e.g., vocabulary, aspects of grammar), by learners� level of proficiency (e.g., low, intermediate, high), or by learners� individual cognitive abilities (e.g., working memory). We use both behavioral (e.g., accuracy on spoken language tasks), electrophysiological (event-related potentials, ERPs) and brain imaging (functional magnetic resonance imaging, fMRI) data to provide evidence regarding how these factors may interact and lead to different patterns in second language comprehension and production.

Minimum time commitment in hours per week: 9 hours

Qualifications of a Student:
Minimum GPA: 3.0

Preferred GPA: >3.5

Preferred majors: Spanish, Psychology or Neuroscience

Preferred year in college: Sophomore or Junior

Brief Summary of what is expected from the student:
Students are expected to have a strong interest in language acquisition. Students are also expected to be extremely reliable.

Students will have the opportunity to be involved in all aspects of research. Initially, students will be responsible for tasks such as scheduling and screening potential participants and data entry and processing. Once the student gains some experience, they will be trained to run participants and will be involved in some data analysis.

NOTE: This researcher is currently not accepting applications for the Undergraduate Research Experience program.

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