About

Carol Miller is a faculty member in the Linguistics Program at Pennsylvania State University. Her research interests include typical and atypical language development, with a focus on children with specific language impairment. She investigates cognitive processes involved in communication disorders, emphasizing processing speed, memory, attention, and perceptual processing in both children and adults with language disorders. Additionally, her work explores the relationships between language and social cognition in young children. She welcomes undergraduate and graduate students to work in her laboratory as volunteers or through independent study, with opportunities often available during the summer. Students may participate in the collection, coding, or analysis of data from current research projects, contributing to advancing understanding in her areas of expertise.

Research topics

• Psychology
• Linguistics
• Developmental psychology
• Cognitive psychology
• Mathematics education

Selected publications

• The Sentence Superiority Effect in Sentence Repetition: The Role of Beta and Delta Neural Oscillations

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  preprintOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Exploring the Effect of Sentence Structure Frequency on the Accuracy of a Screener for Adults at Risk of Developmental Language Disorder

  Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research · 2025-06-09

  articleSenior author

  PURPOSE: Sentence repetition (SR) is a promising task for identifying children at risk for developmental language disorder (DLD) but is unclear how to calibrate the task for adults. In verbal recall, the frequency of language structures affects adults with DLD differently from peers with typical language (TL), particularly near the limits of adults' processing capacity. We hypothesized that repetition accuracy for sentences with less frequent structures, passives, would better distinguish adults at risk for DLD from their peers with TL than sentences with more frequent structures, actives. METHOD: Forty-two adults (18-29 years old), including 17 classified as at risk for DLD, completed an SR task composed of active and passive sentences matched for lexical frequency and sentence plausibility. Sentences varied in length (eight to 16 words) and number of clauses (one to two). Repetition accuracy for matched active and passive sentences was evaluated for classification accuracy to determine whether the areas under the curve (AUCs) differed by structure. RESULTS: Averaging repetition accuracy across all sentence lengths, the AUC for passives did not differ from actives. For sentences with 11 words and two clauses, the AUC for passive structures was significantly higher than for active structures. CONCLUSIONS: Given sentences long enough to challenge the capacity of adults to reconstruct sentences for recall, structural frequency affects those at risk for DLD differently than those with TL. Manipulating the frequency of sentence structures is a promising approach to developing an SR task suited to screening adults. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.29218775.

  PublisherDOI

• Becoming Transdisciplinary: Towards a Grounded Theory of Graduate Student Development

  Innovative Higher Education · 2025-06-26

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract Transdisciplinary research is increasingly important for solving complex societal problems. Institutions aim to train graduate students to engage in transdisciplinary research. However, limited evidence exists regarding the process by which students learn transdisciplinary thinking. This qualitative study explored graduate students’ pathways of growth toward transdisciplinary thinking during one semester. The students were enrolled in a professional development course as part of a training grant. We examined artifacts from the course through multiple rounds of thematic coding. We used a grounded theory approach to gain insights into how graduate students navigate their journey toward transdisciplinary thinking. We propose a model of this journey. It traces students’ trajectories from prior experiences, through reflexive thinking about several crucial skills and dispositions, towards a transdisciplinary “prism” that transforms their thinking. We conclude that becoming a transdisciplinary researcher is not a matter of acquiring competencies, but a life-long process. Fostering this process may require fundamental reimagining of graduate education.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Supporting Speech-Language Pathologists in Schools With Interdisciplinary Team Science: A Viewpoint From the National Artificial Intelligence Institute for Exceptional Education

  Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools · 2025-04-07 · 1 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  PURPOSE: Complex scientific problems, including those facing the discipline of communication sciences and disorders (CSD), require interdisciplinary teams of scientists who bring diverse perspectives, knowledge, and skills. According to a recent survey, team science is not yet widely practiced by CSD researchers. This viewpoint describes a current interdisciplinary team science project that addresses a challenging problem for CSD practitioners: meeting the needs of young children with speech and language disabilities for screening and intervention using artificial intelligence-augmented technologies. METHOD: The article draws from the research literature on the science of team science to describe common challenges faced by interdisciplinary teams and recommended practices to resolve the challenges. Throughout, we provide examples from the National Artificial Intelligence Institute for Exceptional Education to illustrate team science challenges and how they can be addressed. CONCLUSIONS: Readers are encouraged to embrace interdisciplinary teamwork to advance the science of CSD. We recommend seeking out training in team science, advocating for professional development opportunities, and institutional support for team science to maximize its benefits for the field.

  PublisherDOI

• Opportunities and Challenges for AI-Based Support for Speech-Language Pathologists

  2024-06-22 · 33 citations

  articleOpen access

  Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) are professionals who work with children and adults in the prevention, assessment, diagnosis, and intervention for speech, language, and communication difficulties. This research investigates the experiences and perceptions of SLPs regarding the potential for Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to support their work. Through a series of three studies, including an online survey, an Asynchronous Remote Community (ARC), and an observation of online communities, we comprehensively explored the challenges faced by SLPs and identified areas where AI-based technologies can offer support. This paper addresses four key areas: 1) the reported needs, constraints, and challenges faced by SLPs in their work, 2) the current perspectives of SLPs on AI and technology, 3) the adoption of AI-based tools by SLPs since the release of advanced generative AI technologies, and 4) the aspects of SLPs’ work that can be supported by AI-based tools to increase capacity and improve job satisfaction. Findings from this research contribute to a deeper understanding of SLPs’ professional environment and offer insights into the potential benefits and considerations of and design directions for integrating AI into Speech-Language Pathology practice.

  PublisherDOI

• Clinical Bilingual Evaluations: Exploring Ways to Overcome Barriers in the Direct Assessment of Both Languages When There Is a Suspicion of Language Disorder

  Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups · 2023-04-11 · 2 citations

  articleSenior author

  Purpose: Speech-language pathologists report barriers to conducting culturally appropriate bilingual language evaluations when there is a suspicion of language disorder. One barrier is that there may not be personnel available to directly assess language development in a language other than English. The purpose of this clinical focus article is to demonstrate the potential for speech-language pathologists to incorporate direct assessment data from a language they cannot speak fluently when there are barriers to a comprehensive bilingual evaluation. First, we review the clinical markers of bilingual language disorders. Second, we review the evidence from audiology that uses closed-set tasks to assess speech recognition in languages the clinician cannot speak fluently. Last, we explore potential methods for applying such practices in clinical language evaluations when there is a suspicion of language disorder. Conclusions: Closed-set tasks, such as receptive language tests, could be a promising way for speech-language pathologists to incorporate direct assessment data from a language they cannot fluently speak into bilingual language evaluations. Other structured tasks, such as sentence repetition tasks, may not yield valid language data without the clinician having adequate competency in the test language. This clinical focus article emphasizes the great need to diversify the profession of speech-language pathology to promote equity and access to clinical language evaluations and interventions for culturally and linguistically diverse children.

  PublisherDOI

• Children with Developmental Language Disorder will Benefit from New IDEA Guidance

  2023-10-28

  preprintOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Speech-language pathologists are familiar with eligibility criteria for school-based special education services under IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. In order for children with speech and language disorders to be eligible for services, they need to fit one of the thirteen categories of disabilities. However, these 13 categories do not always align well with current evidence-based diagnoses of neurodiverse conditions. It is because of these challenges that we, as members of the National Artificial Intelligence Institute for Exceptional Education, are particularly grateful to the US Department of Education's Office of Special Education programs for issuing new guidance on the use of DLD to accurately describe the speech and language needs of individual children, no matter what eligibility category they fall into. We are also grateful to members and leaders of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association for their strong advocacy to raise the community's awareness of this new guidance. Therefore, our Institute will be another strong advocate for children with DLD so that they can eventually benefit from our Institute's research. We believe that the recognition of DLD as a disability can greatly help these children and their families.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Reason-Based Recommendations From a Developmental Systems Approach for Students With Needs Across Functional Domains

  Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools · 2023-04-14 · 3 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  PURPOSE: This tutorial aims to introduce school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to developmental systems theory as a framework for considering interactions across functional domains, such as language, vision, and motor, for students with complex needs. METHOD: This tutorial summarizes the current literature on developmental systems theory in its application to working with students who have needs in multiple domains of functioning in addition to communication. A hypothetical case of a student, James, with cerebral palsy, cortical visual impairment, and complex communication needs, is presented to illustrate the primary tenets of the theory. RESULTS: Specific reason-based recommendations are presented that SLPs can put to practice with their own caseload in direct response to the three tenets of developmental systems theory. CONCLUSIONS: A developmental systems approach will be useful in expanding SLP knowledge of where to begin and how to best serve children with language, motor, vision, and other concomitant needs. The tenets, including sampling, context dependency, and interdependency, and the application of developmental systems theory can be instrumental in providing a way forward for SLPs struggling with the assessment and intervention of students with complex needs.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Event related potential exploration of the organizational structure of abstract versus concrete words in neurologically intact younger adults

  Brain and Language · 2022-05-26 · 2 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Event-related potentials reveal that bilinguals are more efficient in resolving conflict than monolinguals

  Neuroreport · 2021-04-29 · 17 citations

  article

  In the current study, we evaluated behavioral and electrophysiological evidence to determine whether bilinguals differ from monolinguals in the efficiency of response inhibition. Bilinguals and matched monolingual controls performed the flanker task while behavioral and electrophysiological measures were collected. Participants were slower and less accurate in responding to incongruent trials, but the magnitude of the behavioral effect of congruence was not modulated by participant group. The electrophysiological data revealed a biphasic N200/P300 signature. Incongruent trials elicited a larger N200 response, followed by a larger P300 response than congruent trials. The mean amplitude of the N200 component, a marker of conflict detection, was not modulated by group, suggesting that monolinguals and bilinguals did not differ on the ability to detect conflict. However, the mean amplitude of the P300 component, an index of response inhibition, was smaller in bilinguals than monolinguals. This indicates that bilinguals may be more efficient in resolving response conflict relative to monolinguals. Even though the two groups do not differ in behavioral task performance, the event-related potential (ERP) data suggest that monolinguals may be working harder to reach similar patterns of performance as bilinguals. The P300 magnitude correlated positively with picture naming latencies and negatively with Operation Span scores, suggesting that the ERP response to nonlinguistic conflict resolution may capture individual differences in language proficiency and cognitive resources.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R03DC007312

  NIH · $195k · 2009

Frequent coauthors

• Laurence B. Leonard

  Purdue University West Lafayette

  33 shared

• Elina Mainela‐Arnold

  University of Turku

  19 shared

• Robert V. Kail

  16 shared

• Peter R. Denner

  Idaho State University

  16 shared

• Martha Deardorff

  Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis

  16 shared

• Gerard H. Poll

  Miami University

  16 shared

• Janet G. van Hell

  16 shared

• J. Bruce Tomblin

  University of Iowa

  12 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Psychology

  University of Pennsylvania

  1994

• MA, Psychology

  University of Pennsylvania

  1990