Dr Margriet Groen
Senior LecturerResearch Overview
In my research, I have investigated individual differences in language and literacy development in typically and atypically developing children. The latter includes children with dyslexia, developmental language disorder, hearing impairments or Down syndrome. A central question in my research has been how perception and motor skills contribute to the development of speech sound representations needed to successfully learn to read. Specifically, we investigated the contribution of audiovisual (speech) processing and sensorimotor control to individual differences in speech sound processing and reading. In a second line of research, I contributed to the development of the technique of functional Transcranial Doppler Ultrasonography as a direct measure of lateralisation of cognitive functions. In future work, I am aiming to bring these two research lines together.
PhD Supervision Interests
In my work I have focussed particularly on how children use the sound structure of their mother tongue (either at the phoneme level or in terms of prosody) to process spoken or written language. Projects for PhD supervision should have a connection to that main area of interest. Specifically, a project could focus on the following topics: The role of speech production skills and their interaction with speech perception in the development of speech sound representations (phonology) in young children. Investigating associations with individual differences in early word learning and early literacy skills would be of great interest. How infants or children use prosody to learn new words/syntax and/or to comprehend oral and/or written language. More generally, I'd be happy to (co)-supervise projects on how individual differences in cognition (i.e., attention, memory and learning) contribute to variation in language and literacy development in typically and atypically developing primary school children.