About the Lab
The Laboratory for the study of Cognition, Action, and Perception of Speech (aka CAPS) is part of the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Florida. We are engaged in multidisciplinary research on the production and perception of speech by humans.
CRACKING THE SPEECH CODE
The Laboratory for the study of Cognition, Action, and Perception of Speech (also known as CAPS), led by Dr. Matthew Masapollo, studies the nature and development of human speech production and perception, and the nature of the signal properties that underlie successful speaker to perceiver communication. Our overarching goal is to build an integrated understanding of the physiology, acoustics, and perception of speech in order to develop theoretical models of speech processing and mechanistically driven rehabilitation protocols for those negatively affected by developmental and acquired disabilities involving speech (e.g., stuttering, apraxia of speech, autism). Our current research areas focus on the learning of speech in infants, normal speech in adults, and the breakdowns of speech in communication disorders. By combining state-of-the-art functional neuroimaging and electromagnetic articulography with behavioral measures, CAPS is helping to elucidate the governing mechanisms involved in speech motor control and perceptual function.
Research areas
Neural Control, Timing and Sequencing of Speech Movements
How do speakers learn to rapidly coordinate and implement multiple serial vocal tract movements (or gestures) corresponding to the consonants and vowels within a planned utterance?
Perception-Action Linkages for Speech
How do self-generated auditory and somatosensory feedback signals associated with speech production influence the concurrent perception of speech?
Universal Biases and Experiential Influences on Phonetic Perception
What perceptual and cognitive processes allow listeners (both adult and infant) to map the input acoustic signal onto categorical phonetic representations? Moreover, what is the nature of the information that those processes operate on, and how are those processes shaped by the complex interplay between biology and experience?
Recent news
Emily Zezas wins Outstanding Scholar Award from…
CAPS undergraduate student Emily Zezas was selected to receive the 2021 PHHP Outstanding Scholar Award from the UF Alumni Association and Honors…
Emily & Cassie to present at Boston Speech…
In June, CAPS undergraduate students Emily Zezas and Cassandra Chappell will present at the Boston Speech Motor Control Symposium, organized by the…
CAPS at ISSP
Dr. Masapollo and his colleagues will be presenting three posters at the 12th International Seminar on Speech Production. Frankford, S., Cai…