Ken Pugh
Encyclopedia
Ken Pugh is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Yale School of Medicine
. He is also the President, Director of Research, and a Senior Scientist at Haskins Laboratories
in New Haven, Connecticut
, and the Director of the Yale Reading Center http://www.yalereadingcenter.com/. He is a cognitive neuroscientist and experimental psychologist
who is best known for his work on the neural, behavioral and cognitive underpinnings of reading
and other cognitive
activities.
, Summa Cum Laude, from the New York Institute of Technology
in 1982. He received his M.A. in 1987 and his Ph.D. in 1990, both in Experimental Psychology
from The Ohio State University.
and psycholinguistics
. He was among the first scientists to use functional magnetic resonance imaging
(fMRI) to reveal brain activity associated with reading and reading disabilities. His current research employs combined behavioral and neurobiological measures and genetic information in the study of typical and atypical reading and language development, with a particular focus on learning
and plasticity
in disabled readers, including those with dyslexia
. Pugh is a member of the National Academies / National Research Council
Committee on Learning Sciences: Foundations and Applications to Adolescent and Adult Literacy http://www8.nationalacademies.org/cp/projectview.aspx?key=49054http://www.haskins.yale.edu/newsrelease/HNR_PughNAS01.html.
His most recent book, which he edited with Peggy McCardle of the National Institutes of Health
, How Children Learn to Read: Current Issues and New Directions in the Integration of Cognition, Neurobiology and Genetics of Reading and Dyslexia Research and Practicehttp://www.amazon.com/How-Children-Learn-Read-Extraordinary/dp/1848728433/, provides a survey of contemporary research and thinking in these areas.
Pugh and several of his colleagues at Haskins Laboratories
are featured in Dislecksia The Moviehttp://www.capturedtimeproductions.com/films/dislecksia.html which is presently in post-production.
Yale School of Medicine
The Yale School of Medicine at Yale University is a private medical school located in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. It was founded in 1810 as The Medical Institution of Yale College, and formally opened its doors in 1813....
. He is also the President, Director of Research, and a Senior Scientist at Haskins Laboratories
Haskins Laboratories
Haskins Laboratories is an independent, international, multidisciplinary community of researchers conducting basic research on spoken and written language. Founded in 1935 and located in New Haven, Connecticut since 1970, Haskins Laboratories is a private, non-profit research institute with a...
in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, and the Director of the Yale Reading Center http://www.yalereadingcenter.com/. He is a cognitive neuroscientist and experimental psychologist
Experimental psychology
Experimental psychology is a methodological approach, rather than a subject, and encompasses varied fields within psychology. Experimental psychologists have traditionally conducted research, published articles, and taught classes on neuroscience, developmental psychology, sensation, perception,...
who is best known for his work on the neural, behavioral and cognitive underpinnings of reading
Reading (process)
Reading is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols for the intention of constructing or deriving meaning . It is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas...
and other cognitive
Cognition
In science, cognition refers to mental processes. These processes include attention, remembering, producing and understanding language, solving problems, and making decisions. Cognition is studied in various disciplines such as psychology, philosophy, linguistics, and computer science...
activities.
Education
Pugh received his B.S. in psychologyPsychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, Summa Cum Laude, from the New York Institute of Technology
New York Institute of Technology
New York Institute of Technology is a private, non-sectarian, co-educational research university in New York City. NYIT has five schools and two colleges, all with a strong emphasis on technology and applied scientific research...
in 1982. He received his M.A. in 1987 and his Ph.D. in 1990, both in Experimental Psychology
Experimental psychology
Experimental psychology is a methodological approach, rather than a subject, and encompasses varied fields within psychology. Experimental psychologists have traditionally conducted research, published articles, and taught classes on neuroscience, developmental psychology, sensation, perception,...
from The Ohio State University.
Scientific Contributions
Ken Pugh's primary contributions have been in the areas of cognitive neuroscienceCognitive neuroscience
Cognitive neuroscience is an academic field concerned with the scientific study of biological substrates underlying cognition, with a specific focus on the neural substrates of mental processes. It addresses the questions of how psychological/cognitive functions are produced by the brain...
and psycholinguistics
Psycholinguistics
Psycholinguistics or psychology of language is the study of the psychological and neurobiological factors that enable humans to acquire, use, comprehend and produce language. Initial forays into psycholinguistics were largely philosophical ventures, due mainly to a lack of cohesive data on how the...
. He was among the first scientists to use functional magnetic resonance imaging
Functional magnetic resonance imaging
Functional magnetic resonance imaging or functional MRI is a type of specialized MRI scan used to measure the hemodynamic response related to neural activity in the brain or spinal cord of humans or other animals. It is one of the most recently developed forms of neuroimaging...
(fMRI) to reveal brain activity associated with reading and reading disabilities. His current research employs combined behavioral and neurobiological measures and genetic information in the study of typical and atypical reading and language development, with a particular focus on learning
Learning
Learning is acquiring new or modifying existing knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, or preferences and may involve synthesizing different types of information. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, animals and some machines. Progress over time tends to follow learning curves.Human learning...
and plasticity
Plasticity
Plasticity may refer to:Science* Plasticity , in physics and engineering, plasticity is the propensity of a material to undergo permanent deformation under load...
in disabled readers, including those with dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
. Pugh is a member of the National Academies / National Research Council
United States National Research Council
The National Research Council of the USA is the working arm of the United States National Academies, carrying out most of the studies done in their names.The National Academies include:* National Academy of Sciences...
Committee on Learning Sciences: Foundations and Applications to Adolescent and Adult Literacy http://www8.nationalacademies.org/cp/projectview.aspx?key=49054http://www.haskins.yale.edu/newsrelease/HNR_PughNAS01.html.
His most recent book, which he edited with Peggy McCardle of the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
, How Children Learn to Read: Current Issues and New Directions in the Integration of Cognition, Neurobiology and Genetics of Reading and Dyslexia Research and Practicehttp://www.amazon.com/How-Children-Learn-Read-Extraordinary/dp/1848728433/, provides a survey of contemporary research and thinking in these areas.
Pugh and several of his colleagues at Haskins Laboratories
Haskins Laboratories
Haskins Laboratories is an independent, international, multidisciplinary community of researchers conducting basic research on spoken and written language. Founded in 1935 and located in New Haven, Connecticut since 1970, Haskins Laboratories is a private, non-profit research institute with a...
are featured in Dislecksia The Moviehttp://www.capturedtimeproductions.com/films/dislecksia.html which is presently in post-production.
Selected publications
- Pugh, K., Rexer, K., Peter, M., & Katz, L. (1994). Neighborhood effects in visual word recognition: Effects of letter delay and nonword context difficulty. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 20, 639-648.
- Shaywitz, B., Shaywitz, S., Pugh, K., Constable, T., Skudlarski, P., Fulbright, R., Bronen, R., Fletcher, J., Shankweiler, D., Katz, L., & Gore, J. (1995). Sex differences in the functional organization of the brain for language. Nature, 373, 607-609.
- Pugh, K., Shaywitz, B., Constable, T., Shaywitz, S., Skudlarski, P., Fulbright, R., Bronen, R., Shankweiler, D., Katz, L., Fletcher, J., & Gore, J. (1996). Cerebral organization of component processes in reading. Brain, ,119, 1221-1238.
- Pugh, K. R., Sandak, R., Frost, S. J., Moore, D., & Mencl, W. E. (2005). Examining reading development and reading disability in English language learners: Potential contributions from functional neuroimaging. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 20 (1), 24-30.
- Pugh, Ken and McCardle, Peggy (eds.). (2009). How Children Learn to Read: Current Issues and New Directions in the Integration of Cognition, Neurobiology and Genetics of Reading and Dyslexia Research and Practice. Psychology Press.