Peabody Master’s Student Job Board

Dr. Duane Watson, Dr. Emily Phillips Galloway and the Communication and Language Lab (CALL) are engaging in a partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) to collect study data investigating the role of language experience and individual differences in the processing and comprehension of difficult sentences in adolescents.

The purpose of the BiLing (Reading Habits) study is to determine to what extent online reading habits and individual differences between bilingual adolescents from a variety of backgrounds influence grammatical processing and comprehension of complex sentences. We measure reading habits by asking participants how many hours a week they spend reading (quantity) and what are their top 5-10 favorite websites. We use the latter information to web scrape and run the website text through NLP tools to determine the characteristics of the text (quality). In addition, we administer a battery of psychometric measures that provide information regarding attention, inhibition, working memory, and phonemic awareness. Finally, participants undergo a self-paced reading task, where they read a series of sentences word by word by hitting the spacebar on a keyboard. We extract information regarding if and when participants slow down in the sentence, assuming slowing down reflects difficulty in grammatical processing. Participants must also respond to a comprehension question after each sentence to check understanding.

We are seeking Research Assistants (RAs) to assist with data collection during the spring. Data collection will require roughly 10‐20 hours of your time weekly. Please note that you must have availability at least 2-3 days a week during regular school hours (8 AM - 3 PM).

*Hours are negotiable and can be discussed in further detail in the interview. However, all RAs should be able to commit to at least 10 hours of work per week.

Additionally, you must have your own transportation as travel to elementary school sites across Nashville will be necessary.

Please attach an up-to-date resume and provide your interest in applying for any of these roles. If you have questions about the position or the application process, please contact us at languagelab@gmail.com or doriana.lacitignola@vanderbilt.edu

Qualifications:

Background in Psychology, Linguistics, Cognitive Science, or a related field Strong interest in language processing research or computational linguistics principles

Effective communication and collaboration skills within a team setting

Requirements:

Commitment to at least 10 hours per week Willingness to actively participate in data collection, analysis, and research meetings

2 semester minimum commitment

Equal Opportunity Employer: The Communication and Language Lab (CaLL) at Vanderbilt University is an equal opportunity employer and encourages candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply. We look forward to meeting you and working together to advance our understanding of language processing in both adults and adolescents