About Us
Welcome to the Vanderbilt Music Cognition Lab! The lab is focused on the relationship between music, language, and social development. We facilitate the exchange of ideas between graduate students, undergraduate students, and faculty members in the areas of neuroscience, psychology, education, audiology, speech-language pathology, medicine, music, and engineering. Our lab employs a variety of behavioral and physiological methods in our research, including electroencephalography, eye-tracking, speech analysis, neuroimaging, genetics, behavioral coding, and various standardized and experimental assessment measures.
Lab Leadership: The Music Cognition Lab is Co-Directed by Dr. Reyna Gordon and Dr. Miriam Lense.
Dr. Reyna Gordon, PhD leads our Rhythm, Language & Genetics Group, an interdisciplinary team focused on exploring the role of rhythm in language development and disorders from behavioral, cognitive, neural, and genetic perspectives. Our research examines the relationship between rhythm and grammar skills in typical development and developmental language disorder, the neural mechanisms underlying rhythm and grammar skills, the genetics of language disorders, and how musical training can improve language skills.
Miriam Lense, PhD leads our Music, Social Engagement, & Development Group. Their research is focused on the development of rhythmic entrainment and the relationships between music and social communication and engagement in individuals with and without developmental disorders. Research themes include the role of rhythm in social communication and engagement, modulation of emotion and social connection via musical experiences, parent-child musical interaction experiences, and atypical sensory processing and musical engagement in individuals with developmental disorders, particularly Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Williams syndrome.
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