Have you ever felt uncomfortable hearing President Obama referred to as “articulate”? This is an example of racially coded language- which can be subtle. This project investigates how racialized adjectives affect language processing speed. We will administer a survey in which we ask subjects to list adjectives that they find offensive. Following the survey, we will conduct two rating studies. The first study will ask participants to rate on a Likert scale how offensive they believe an adjective to be, and the second rating study will ask participants to rate adjectives based on how related to race/ethnicity they interpret the adjectives to be. We will use the responses that receive ratings in the middle of the scale to examine how covert linguistic microaggressions affect processing speed in a self-paced reading study- in which participants read sentences word-by-word. The reading study is designed to compare sentences with and without racialized adjectives and where the referent does or does not match the intended covert microaggression (e.g., articulate Barack Obama vs articulate Bill Clinton). We predict that sentences containing a match between the intended referent and the racialized adjective will be processed faster because there is a match of stereotyped expectations that leads to semantic agreement. This work will allow us to identify the effects of racialized language on real-time language processing.

Hypnosis is used in the medical field as an alternative treatment option to alleviate symptoms and conditions that may affect the patient’s quality of life. Extensive research has found that patients’ ability to be hypnotized is different in every individual and knowing patients’ hypnotizability levels aid in improving treatment plans. The Elkins Hypnotizability Scale (EHS) is a standardized scale that measures individual differences in hypnotizability; however, despite its role in clinical care, there is a lack of hypnotizability scales available to patients that identify as Spanish-only speakers. This suggests disproportional accessibility to the EHS and a scarcity of efficient, personalized hypnotherapy to a more diverse population. This study observed the feasibility of a Spanish translation of the EHS in Spanish-speaking communities. The EHS’ Spanish version will be administered to approximately 10 participants. Their hypnotizability levels will be measured, and post-assessment questionnaires will be used to evaluate the scale’s level of pleasantness and comprehension level. Other factors that may affect the feasibility of a Spanish EHS translation, such as possible cultural biases and recruitment outcomes, are also analyzed in the study. The results of this study should be similar to those found with the English EHS; however, this study will identify possible confounding variables such as cultural and linguistic differences. By translating the EHS in Spanish and conducting this feasibility study, this study aims to open the door to future research in hypnosis with more diverse samples that can accurately represent a more globalized population.

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the leading inherited cause of intellectual disability. Male children with FXS often present with co-occurring autism spectrum disorder, language delays, and behavioral challenges. Participants in the current study are male children with FXS (ages 3-7 years) and their fathers and biological mothers. We were interested in investigating relationships between parental responsivity and child language during parent-child play interactions (PCI), as well as potential differences in these relationships based on parent sex. Parental responsivity refers to parental behaviors that follow the child’s focus of attention and encourage communication. Evidence shows that greater parental responsivity supports more optimal language development in both typical children and those with language delays. Preliminary data show that mothers used an average of 82 responsive behaviors (SD = 38) during mother-child interactions, whereas fathers used an average of 77 responsive behaviors (SD = 33) during father-child interactions. The children produced an average of 110 utterances (SD = 64) during the mother-child interactions and an average of 133 utterances (SD = 67) during father-child interactions. However, further investigation is needed to determine which specific parental behaviors have the largest influence on child language and whether there are differences in these relationships based on parent sex. In future analyses, we will explore parent sex-related differences in relation to other parent and child variables, including parental warmth and criticism. Investigating these relationships will lead to interventions aimed at improving parental emotions and behavior and child language.