Katharine Graf Estes

Katharine Graf Estes is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Davis, and a faculty member in the Center for Mind and Brain. Her research focuses on mechanisms of early learning in infants, particularly how they detect statistical regularities to acquire language. She explores phonological patterns, word segmentation, and bilingualism, emphasizing the role of auditory and visual statistical learning in foundational cognitive development.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Psychology, University of Wisconsin
• B.A. in Psychology, Indiana University

Research Interests:
Dr. Estes investigates how infants leverage statistical learning to process language sounds, integrate cross-linguistic information, and navigate contextual variations in caregiver interactions. Her work emphasizes bilingualism, caregiver influence, and the neural underpinnings of early language acquisition. Recent studies explore the impact of bilingual environments on word segmentation and the role of sleep in consolidating linguistic knowledge.

Awards & Recognition:

• 2021 College of Letters & Science Award for Distinguished Teaching
• 2015 Social Sciences Dean’s Innovation Award
• 2013 Young Alumni Award, Indiana University

Lab & Collaborations:
As director of the Language Learning Lab, she leads interdisciplinary studies on infant-parent interactions, statistical learning mechanisms, and bilingual language development. The lab recruits monolingual, bilingual, and multilingual families to examine how environmental factors shape early cognitive and linguistic trajectories.