If you would like to participate in our research, please fill out our Recruitment Screener. If you are eligible to participate in one of our current studies, we will contact you with our scheduling availability.
Most studies are conducted at the Waisman Center, which is on the west end of UW-Madison’s campus. Free parking is available to research participants, and the Waisman Center is conveniently located on several bus routes. If you have any questions, please contact us by email at speechmotor@waisman.wisc.edu or by phone at 608-262-5776.
We are currently recruiting participants for the following studies:
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Speech in Native English Speakers
The purpose of this study is to investigate how the brain uses sound information to control speech production.
Who: Adults with no speech, language, or hearing problems, and whose native language is American English
What: Completing simple speaking and listening tasks on a computer while we record your voice
Where: Waisman Center, 1500 Highland Ave., Madison, WI 53705
Time commitment: One or two visits lasting 1-2 hours per visit
Payment: $15/hour
To sign up or contact us, see the top of this web page.
Speech and Hearing for Spanish Speakers
We are studying how learning Spanish first and English later affects English vowel sounds.
Who: Adults who learned Spanish as a native language, and did not learn English as a native language. Eligible participants also must be proficient in English and have never had speech, language, or hearing problems.
What: Simple speaking and listening tasks on a computer. We will record your voice as well.
Where: Waisman Center, 1500 Highland Ave., Madison, WI 53705
Time commitment: One visit lasting 2 to 2.5 hours
Payment: $15/hour
To sign up or contact us, see the top of this web page.
Learning Speech Changes Over Time in Native English Speakers
The study is focused on the senses of hearing and touch, and learning over time. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the brain uses different senses to control speech production, and how we make long-term changes to our voice.
Who: Adults with no speech, language, or hearing problems, and whose native language is American English
What:
- Complete simple speaking and listening tasks on a computer while we record your voice. You would bite down on a tongue depressor during part of this task.
- Place your tongue on two plastic probes and judge whether they vibrate at the same time or same intensity
- Feel a grooved plastic probe with your tongue while blindfolded, and say which direction the grooves go
- Listen to tones and decide which one is different
Where: Waisman Center, 1500 Highland Ave., Madison, WI 53705
Time commitment: Two visits per week for four weeks (eight visits total). The first visit lasts about 3 hours. The other visits last about 45 minutes.
Payment: $15/hour, paid after the final visit.
To sign up or contact us, see the top of this web page.
Reaching during Brain Stimulation
This study is focused on how our brain learns body movements. Participants will make reaching movements with their arm movements during brain stimulation.
This study uses Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), which is a safe and non-invasive form of brain stimulation. When using TMS, the experimenter puts a figure eight-shaped wand in a specific spot near the surface of your head and makes an electric pulse go through the wand. This pulse creates a magnetic field for a moment, which in turn causes neurons in your brain to fire. TMS is “non-invasive,” meaning that you are not connected to any machine or device, and you can move and talk freely. During setup and the experiment tasks, we will ask you to sit still, but you can take breaks. During the TMS stimulation, you will be asked to make reaching movements with your hand while controlling a cursor on a screen. Although TMS is safe for most people, we will ask you certain questions before beginning the study to make sure you can safely participate.
Who: Right-handed adults aged 18-70
What: Easy reaching motions with your right arm while undergoing transcranial magnetic stimulation. (see above)
Where: Waisman Center, 1500 Highland Ave., Madison, WI 53705
Time commitment: One visit lasting 2 hours
Payment: $30/hour
To sign up or contact us, see the top of this web page.