Anne Fernald
Encyclopedia
Anne Fernald is an American psychologist, the Josephine Knotts Knowles Professor in Human Biology at Stanford University
, and has been described as "the leading researcher in infant-directed speech".
Fernald specializes in children's language development
, investigating the development of speed and efficiency in children's early comprehension in relation to their emerging lexical and grammatical competence. Recently, she has also begun to study language development in bilingual Spanish-English speaking children and children who are learning Spanish in addition to English.
Her research has shown that infants prefer baby talk
to adult speech and that it plays an important role in their language development, and that baby talk has universal features that span multiple cultures and languages. She has also studied the effects of television
on infants, showing that young TV viewers echo the emotional responses of the actors they see.
Fernald received a Ph.D.
in psychology from the University of Oregon
in 1982, where she studied under the mentorship of Patricia K. Kuhl
. As well as her position as a psychology professor, Fernald has taken an administrative role at Stanford as Vice Provost for Faculty Development. Her husband, Russell Fernald, is a professor of biology at Stanford, the Benjamin Scott Crocker Professor in Human Biology.
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, and has been described as "the leading researcher in infant-directed speech".
Fernald specializes in children's language development
Language development
Language development is a process starting early in human life, when a person begins to acquire language by learning it as it is spoken and by mimicry. Children's language development moves from simple to complex. Infants start without language. Yet by four months of age, babies can read lips and...
, investigating the development of speed and efficiency in children's early comprehension in relation to their emerging lexical and grammatical competence. Recently, she has also begun to study language development in bilingual Spanish-English speaking children and children who are learning Spanish in addition to English.
Her research has shown that infants prefer baby talk
Baby talk
Baby talk, also referred to as caretaker speech, infant-directed speech or child-directed speech and informally as "motherese", "parentese", "mommy talk", or "daddy talk" is a nonstandard form of speech used by adults in talking to toddlers and infants.It is usually delivered with a "cooing"...
to adult speech and that it plays an important role in their language development, and that baby talk has universal features that span multiple cultures and languages. She has also studied the effects of television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
on infants, showing that young TV viewers echo the emotional responses of the actors they see.
Fernald received a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in psychology from the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
in 1982, where she studied under the mentorship of Patricia K. Kuhl
Patricia K. Kuhl
Patricia K. Kuhl is a Professor of Speech and Hearing Sciences and co-director of the Institute for Brain and Learning Sciences at the University of Washington. She specializes in language acquisition and the neural bases of language, and she has also conducted research on language development in...
. As well as her position as a psychology professor, Fernald has taken an administrative role at Stanford as Vice Provost for Faculty Development. Her husband, Russell Fernald, is a professor of biology at Stanford, the Benjamin Scott Crocker Professor in Human Biology.