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Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology, Dec. 2008, Department of Psychology, Penn State University
M.S. in Cognitive Psychology, Dec. 2005, Department of Psychology, Penn State University
What do the Arab Spring, the recent Ebola outbreak in western Africa, and the political conflict in the Ukraine have in common? They all demand foreign language expertise of the international community to support multilateral diplomatic, military, or medical solutions. My use-inspired research on bilingualism and second language acquisition combines basic and applied research methods to address questions relevant to these and other broader societal issues, while also informing fundamental theories of cognition.
More specifically, I examine the role of various cognitive mechanisms (e.g., working memory, inhibitory control) in supporting multilingual processing. My colleagues and I have identified predictors of second language acquisition, and I am interested in both formal formal (e.g., classroom) and informal learning contexts (e.g., immersion learning, technology-mediated self-study). In recent CASL projects, my teams and I have optimized language training by leveraging the learner’s cognitive abilities, aptitude, and prior language experience.
Bob Slevc (PSYC)