معرفی
Melanie Soderstrom is a Professor and Associate Head in the Department of Psychology at the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Arts, where she joined in 2008 and served as Associate Head (Graduate) from 2014-2023. She currently chairs the Senate Committee on Appeals and leads the Baby Language Lab, with her research focusing on infant language development through experimental and naturalistic methodologies.
Her academic background includes:
- PhD in Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University (2002)
- MA in Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University (2000)
- BSc in Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1998)
Dr. Soderstrom's research program investigates how infants' language experiences shape development, emphasizing:
- Speech perception mechanisms in early language acquisition
- Naturalistic recording of everyday language environments
- Cross-cultural variations in infant-directed speech
- Methodological innovations through open science initiatives
Her recent publications (2020-2025) demonstrate leadership in large-scale collaborative research, particularly through ManyBabies projects and the SSHRC-funded CONNECT Partnership, addressing critical questions about infant-directed speech preferences, cross-linguistic language input, and research reproducibility across global contexts.
She actively mentors students across degree levels, with recent advisees including Megan Gornik (matched to Clinical Health Psychology Residency), Sarah Montazeri (presenting at IASCL 2024 and ICIS 2024), and Rebeca Urizar (accepted into Developmental Psychology Masters program). Her lab has secured significant funding including SSHRC Partnership Grants and PURE Summer Research Awards.
The Baby Language Lab, established in 2008, conducts both laboratory-based perceptual studies (measuring infant responses to audio-visual stimuli) and naturalistic observations (home language recordings), with current projects examining maternal mental health impacts on speech patterns, infant-directed speech in Iranian families, and caregiver behaviors influencing infant novelty-seeking.
