email: [email protected]
office location: Lutz 118
work phone: (502) 852-6129

Maria Kondaurova, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
CV

Dr. Kondaurova received her doctorate in Linguistics at Purdue University in 2008, focusing on mechanisms of selective attention in speech perception by second language learners. After graduation, she applied her area of expertise in acoustic phonetics to examine the effect of infant/child hearing status on characteristics of infant-directed speech at Indiana University. Since then, her work has broadened to investigate the role of auditory environment (e.g., remote communication, spoken vs. sung speech registers) and the effect of caregiver-child interaction on cognitive processes underlying language acquisition and learning in both clinical and naturalistic settings.

email: [email protected]

Loui Chang
MS in Psychological Science, 2026
MS in Public Health, Health Behavior & Society, 2023

Loui Chang received her B.A. in Psychology and MPH with the Health Behavior and Society concentration from the University of Kentucky. Following graduation, he worked as a research analyst at the Center for Drug and Alcohol Research. Loui entered the doctoral program at UofL in the Fall of 2024 and is currently working as a graduate assistant in the lab. In his free time, Loui enjoys reading, composing music, writing, and videography. His research interests include music perception for children with hearing loss, talking register and sung register on language development, and psycholinguistics. 

email: [email protected]

Natalie Spiva

Natalie received her B.S. in Psychological Science and B.A. in Spanish from Western Kentucky University in May 2025. Following graduation, she completed a study abroad program as a Gilman scholar in Spain. Natalie entered the doctoral program at UofL in the fall of 2025 and is currently working as a graduate assistant in the lab. In her free time, Natalie enjoys reading, writing, sports, and listening to music. Her research interests include bilingualism, first and second language acquisition, psycholinguistics, and learning sciences.

Maen Aljijakli

Isabella Hausladen