Cognition & Perception
My research deals with the role of linguistic factors in reading, memory, and problem solving. There is a strong focus on the time course of perceiving and encoding syntactic and semantic information and on how those time patterns are influenced by the cognitive demands of the performance task. Our recent research has concerned the differences between children and adults and between bilinguals and monolinguals. New projects concern interactions between semantic comprehension and mathematical analyses when processing mathematical word problems. We are concerned with the ways in which cognitive strategies develop and are modified and with the role of individual differences in those strategies. In particular, we are comparing "average" readers with people who have been classified as dyslexic and/or dyscalculic. We are also taking a case-study approach with selected individuals who have diagnosed brain damage in areas associated with linguistic functions. Experiments are conducted using computer driven displays of visual information, and theoretical hypotheses are tested in the form of mathematical and computer models. Understanding these types of cognitive processes is important for understanding the ways in which they break down in people with neurological disorders.
PhD, University of Pennsylvania,
- Cognitive Science Society, 1991-present
- Who's Who in Women in Science
Jia, G. & Aaronson, D. (2003, In Press). A longitudinal study of Chinese children and adolescents learning English in the US. Applied Psycholinguistics, 24(1), 52 pg. ms.
Jia, G., Aaronson, D. & Wu, Y. (2002, In Press).
Long-term language attainment of bilingual immigrants: Predictive variables and
language group differences. Applied Psycholinguistics, 23(4), 47
Jia, G. & Aaronson, D. (2002). Immigrants learning English in the US: What contributes to their long-term attainment of the new language? In Y. Shirai, H. Kobayashi, S. Miyata, K. Nakamura, T. Ogura & H. Sirai (Eds). Studies in Language Science, Vol. 2, Tokyo: Kurosio Publishers, 243-260
Jia, G. & Aaronson, D. (1999). Age differences in second language aquisition: The dominant switch and maintenence hyphothesis. In A. Greenhill, H. Littlefield & C. Tano (Eds.) Proceedings of the 23rd Boston University Conference on Language Development. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press, 301-312.
Aaronson, D. & Colet, E. (1997). Reading paradigms: From lab to cyberspace. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments & Computers, 29(2), 250-255.
Aaronson, D. & Aaronson, M. (1997). Detecting developmental delay with CARS: A Head-Start Application. National Head Start Research Quarterly, 1 (1), 67-75.
Colet, E., and Aaronson, D. (1995). Visualization of multivariate data: Human-factors considerations. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, and Computers 27, 257-263.
Aaronson, D. (1994). Computer use in cognitive psychology. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, and Computers 26, 81-93.
Palij, M., and Aaronson, D. (1992). The role of language backgound in cognitive processing. In Cognitive Processing in Bilinguals, ed. Harris, R. J. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Aaronson, M., and Aaronson, D. (1991). Children at Risk Screener. Monterey, CA: CTB Macmillan/McGraw-Hill.
Homel, P., Palij, M., and Aaronson, D. (1987). Childhood Bilingualism: Aspects of Linguistic, Cognitive and Social Development. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Aaronson, D. and Ferres, S. (1986). Reading Strategies for Children and Adults: A Quantitative Model. Psychological Review, 93(1), 89-112.
Doris R. Aaronson