Patricia J. Brooks

Patricia J. Brooks is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the College of Staten Island, City University of New York (CUNY). She serves as Director of the Language Learning Laboratory and is an active member of the Doctoral Faculty at The Graduate Center, CUNY, contributing to PhD programs in Psychology, Educational Psychology, and Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences.

Education:

• PhD, New York University
• MA, New York University
• BA, Johns Hopkins University

Her research focuses on individual differences in language learning across the lifespan, with an emphasis on adult second language acquisition and child language development. She employs experimental methods and computer-based games to study speech perception and production in both typical and atypical development. She also has a strong interest in pedagogy, particularly active learning, mentoring, and the use of technology in education.

Her recent publications span diverse areas including statistical learning in developmental disorders, narrative evaluation in children, phonological processing, and innovative teaching practices such as Wikipedia editing in the classroom. These works reflect a consistent theme of understanding cognitive and social mechanisms in language development and applying that knowledge to educational contexts.

Scientific Service and Leadership:

• Faculty Advisor, Graduate Student Teaching Association, American Psychological Association (Division 2)

She has authored and edited key academic texts such as Language Development (2012), Encyclopedia of Language Development (2014), and Cognitive Development in Digital Contexts (2017). Her work bridges experimental psychology, linguistics, and educational practice.

She is actively involved in research mentorship and graduate training, contributing to the development of future scholars in psychology and education. Her laboratory supports interdisciplinary research on language and cognition, and she collaborates widely across institutions and disciplines.