Language processing is a complex cognitive skill that is crucial for psychosocial well-being, as when communication becomes difficult, individuals can withdraw from social situations and become isolated.
My research program is broadly interested in questions about how sensory and cognitive factors interact to influence language processing. This has manifested in my work with two different populations: older adults and cochlear implant users. I use eye-tracking, pupillometry, and other behavioural paradigms to investigate how speech processing changes with aging and hearing loss.
I'm currently a research fellow at the University of Ottawa, investigating the role of context on lexical processing. I'm a PI on the Language Across the Lifespan Project.
One of the main goals of the project is to probe the relationship between cognition, hearing, and psychosocial well-being and investigate if language ability mediates this relationship.
Publications
Colby, S.E. & McMurray, B. (2025, accepted). Engaging effort improves efficiency during spoken word recognition in cochlear implant users. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. [Preprint]
Colby, S.E., Smith, F.X., & McMurray, B. (2024). The role of inhibitory control in spoken word recognition: Evidence from cochlear implant users. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience. 39(8). 1059-1071. [doi] [Preprint]
McMurray, B., Smith, F.X., Huffman, M., Rooff, K., Muegge, J., Jeppsen, C., Kutlu, E., & Colby, S.E. (2024). Underlying dimensions of real-time word recognition in cochlear implant users. Nature Communications. 18(7382). 1-19. [doi] [Preprint]
Colby, S.E. & McMurray, B. (2023). Efficiency of spoken word recognition slows across the adult lifespan. Cognition. 240. [PDF] [Preprint] [doi]
McMurray, B., Apfelbaum, K.S., Colby, S., & Tomblin, J.B., (2023). Understanding language processing in variable populations on their own terms: Towards a functionalist psycholinguistics of individual differences, development and disorders. Applied Psycholinguistics. 44(4). 565-592. [Preprint] [doi]
Choi, I., Gander, P.E., Berger, J.I., Woo, J., Choy, M., Hong, J., Colby, S., McMurray, B., & Griffiths, T.D. (2023). Spectral grouping of electrically encoded sounds predicts speech-in-noise performance in cochlear implantees. Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology. 24. 607-617. [Preprint] [doi]
Colby, S., Seedorff, M., & McMurray, B. (2023). Audiological and Demographic Factors that Impact the Precision of Speech Categorization in Cochlear Implant Users. Ear and Hearing. 44(3). 572-587. [PDF] [Preprint] [doi]
Colby, S. & Orena, A. (2022). Recognizing voices through a cochlear implant: A systematic review of talker identification, discrimination, and perception. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 65, 3165-3194. [PDF] [Preprint] [doi]
Colby, S. & McMurray, B. (2021). Cognitive and physiological measures of listening effort during degraded speech perception: Relating dual-task and pupillometry paradigms. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 64 (9), 3627–3652. [PDF] [Preprint] [doi]
Colby, S., Shiller, D., Clayards, M., & Baum, S. (2019). Lexical bias in older and younger adults: Different responses to altered auditory feedback. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62 (4S), 1144-1151. [PDF] [doi]
Colby, S., Clayards, M. A., & Baum, S. R. (2018). The role of lexical status and individual differences for perceptual learning in younger and older adults. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 61 (8), 1855–1874.[PDF] [doi]
Colby, S., Poulton, V., & Clayards, M. (2017). The role of inhibition in older and younger adults’ lexical competition. Canadian Acoustics, 45 (3), 174-175. [PDF]
Talks
Colby, S., & McMurray, B. (2023, November). Online language processing and listening effort in the face of unexpected talker information. Oral presentation at the 22nd Auditory Perception, Cognition, and Action Meeting (APCAM), San Francisco, CA, U.S.A. [PDF]
Colby, S., & McMurray, B. (2022, June). Efficiency of Spoken Word Recognition Declines Across the Adult Lifespan. Oral presentation at 6th International Conference on Cognitive Hearing Science for Communication, Linköping, Sweden. [PDF]
Colby, S., Seedorff, M., & McMurray, B. (2022, February). Audiological and Demographic Factors that Impact Phonetic Categorization by Cochlear Implant Users. Oral presentation at 45th Midwinter Meeting of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology (Virtual). [PDF]
Colby, S., Smith, F., Rooff, K, & McMurray B. (2022, February). The Effects of Language Experience and Inhibitory Control on Spoken Word Recognition for Cochlear Implant Users. Oral presentation at the 45th Midwinter Meeting of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology (Virtual). [PDF]
Colby, S., Shiller, D., Clayards, M., & Baum, S. (2019, December). The lexical bias in older adults’ compensation to altered auditory feedback. Oral presentation at 178th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Colby, S., Poulton, V., Clayards, M. (2017, October). The role of inhibition in older and younger adults’ lexical competition. Oral presentation at Acoustics Week in Canada 2017, Guelph, ON, Canada.
Colby, S., Clayards, M., & Baum, S. (2017, April). Top-down and bottom-up perceptual learning for speech is maintained in older adults. Oral presentation at Workshop on Speech Perception and Production across the Lifespan (SPPL 2017), University College London, London, U.K.
Posters
Colby, S., Smith, F.X., Huffman, M., Jeppsen, C., Muegge, J., Kutlu, E., & McMurray, B. (2023, November). The dimensions of real-time spoken word recognition in cochlear implant users. Poster presented at the Psychonomic Society's 64th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, U.S.A. [PDF]
Colby, S., Huffman, M., & McMurray, B. (2022, December). Engaging effort improves efficiency during word recognition in cochlear implant users. Poster presented at the 183rd Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, Nashville, TN, U.S.A. [PDF]
Colby, S., Smith, F.X., Rooff, K., & McMurray, B. (2020, November). Cognitive control and the resolution of lexical competition in cochlear implant users. Poster presented at Psychonomic Society’s 61st Annual Meeting (Virtual). [Video]
Colby, S., & McMurray, B. (2019, December). The role of listening effort during degraded speech recognition: A comparison of the dual-task and pupillometry paradigms. Poster presented at 178th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, San Diego, CA, U.S.A. [PDF]
Colby, S., Poulton, V., & Clayards, M. (2018, May). Inhibitory and lexical frequency effects in younger and older adults’ spoken word recognition: Evidence from eye-tracking. Poster presented at Cognitive Aging Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. [PDF]
Colby, S., Poulton, V., & Clayards, M. (2017, December). Inhibitory and lexical frequency effects in younger and older adults’ spoken word recognition. Poster presented at 174th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A. [PDF]
Colby, S., Shiller, D., Clayards, M., & Baum, S. (2017, November). Lexical effects in older adults’ sensorimotor adaptation for speech. Poster presented at 7th International Conference on Aging and Speech Communication Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, U.S.A. [PDF]
Colby, S., Poulton, V., & Clayards, M. (2017, April). Inhibition predicts lexical competition in older adults’ spoken word recognition. Poster presented at Workshop on Speech Perception and Production across the Lifespan (SPPL 2017), University College London, London, U.K. [PDF]
Colby, S., Clayards, M., & Baum, S. (2016, November). Top-down and bottom-up learning for speech in younger and older adults. Poster presented at Congrès international en orthophonie et en audiologie (International Conference on Speech Language Pathology and Audiology). Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada. [PDF]
Clayards, M. & Colby, S. (2015, December). Individual differences in cue weights are correlated across contrasts. Poster presented at Workshop on Individual Differences in Language Processing Across the Lifespan. Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands. [PDF]