M2
Projet description:
At 6 months of age, infants prefer speech over non-speech sounds (e.g., Vouloumanos & Werker, 2004) and recognize that speech can communicate information without accessing its lexical content (Vouloumanos, Martin & Onishi, 2014). It has been argued that attentional biases for speech together with an abstract understanding of its communicative function predict language development (Vouloumanos & Curtin, 2014; Salinas-Marchant & MacLeod, 2021). An open question is whether these early biases are specific to speech or whether it extends to other communicative signals? In a recent study, work from our lab (Gupta et al., submitted) show that 18-month-old preferentially attend to novel gestures than motor actions, much like the preference for speech over non-speech, suggesting that infants are tuned to detect communicative signals at large. But do they understand the value of communication in these signals or is it simply due to a low level attentional biases that make these signals special?
Research environment:
This project is part of the ERC ThoughtOrigins led by the PI. The candidate will join a dynamic team of PhDs and post-docs all involved in projects aiming at uncovering the format and structure of thought in the absence of language. The broader environment of the lab, the CRPN (https://crpn.univ-amu.fr/fr), will provide multiple connections with researchers working in developmental and comparative cognitive science (and beyond). The babylab is located within the lab (https://labodesminots.univ-amu.fr/babylab/) but there is a possibility of staying in Paris and collaborating with a Paris-based baby lab for this project.
Expected profile:
Eligible applicants are currently enrolled in a master’s degree or equivalent in a relevant field such as cognitive science, psychology, etc. Their academic results are excellent. They have some experience with programming languages (python, MATLAB, R). The candidate should be fluent in French to communicate with participating families. The enrolled PhD student will work under the supervision of Isabelle Dautriche and Shreejata Gupta (seniro post-doc). They will be involved in all aspects of the project: experimental design, stimuli creation, scripting, data collection, data analysis, data presentation and writing.
How to Apply:
Send a CV to Isabelle Dautriche (isabelle.dautriche@cnrs.fr) with a mail outlining your motivation.