Erika Hoff

Erika Hoff is a Professor of Psychology at Florida Atlantic University within the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. She directs the Language Development Lab, conducting critical research on language acquisition in monolingual and bilingual children through longitudinal studies funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

Her educational background includes a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan (1981). Dr. Hoff's research focuses on identifying human abilities and experiences that shape language development, particularly in Spanish-English bilingual children from immigrant families. She investigates how early language experiences predict oral language and literacy outcomes through a major longitudinal study tracking children from age 2.5 to 10 years.

Recent publications (2022-2025) reveal consistent emphasis on bilingual development, vocabulary acquisition, and reading comprehension. Her work demonstrates how maternal language proficiency, home language exposure, and socioeconomic factors interact with child characteristics like disruptiveness to influence language growth. She has notably contributed to resolving the "30-million-word gap" controversy and its educational implications.

Dr. Hoff secures significant external funding including NICHD grants for longitudinal research. While specific advisees aren't listed, her lab environment indicates active mentorship of graduate researchers examining language development mechanisms.

The Language Development Lab at FAU serves as a research hub for multiple projects analyzing child-directed speech, narrative skills, and literacy environments. Current work examines code-switching patterns, heritage language maintenance, and socioeconomic impacts on language trajectories in diverse populations.