Terry Kit-Fong Au
Biographic Data
| ID | 196576 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Terry Kit-Fong Au |
| GIVEN NAMES | Terry Kit-Fong |
| FAMILY NAME | Au |
| SIGNATURE | AU T K |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Hong Kong |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 64 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 14 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1990 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2023 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
On becoming socially anxious: Toddlers’ attention bias to fearful faces
Early attention bias to threat-related negative emotions may lead children to overestimate dangers in social situations. This study examined its emergence and how it might develop in tandem with a known predictor namely temperamental shyness for toddlers' fear of strangers in 168 Chinese toddlers. Measurable individual differences in such attention bias to fearful faces were found and remained stable from age 12 to 18 months. When shown photos of…
Learning Challenging L2 Sounds Via Computer Training: High-Variability Perceptual Training for Children and Adults
Do learners of a second language (L2) need frequent contact with native speakers of that language in order to master its phonology? What if they hear audio recordings of native speakers and receive immediate corrective feedback about their perception? We used a randomized controlled experiment with 135 Chinese speakers (with English as their L2) to examine whether a high-variability perceptual training (HVPT) paradigm might enhance the perception…
Auditory perception and word recognition in Cantonese-Chinese speaking children with and without Specific Language Impairment
Auditory processing and spoken word recognition difficulties have been observed in Specific Language Impairment (SLI), raising the possibility that auditory perceptual deficits disrupt word recognition and, in turn, phonological processing and oral language. In this study, fifty-seven kindergarten children with SLI and fifty-three language-typical age-matched controls were assessed with a speech-gating task to measure spoken word recognition, psy…
The Social Costs in Communication Hiccups Between Native and Nonnative Speakers
It is well-established that native speakers perceive nonnative speakers with strong foreign accents, compared with those with a more nativelike accent, as less intelligent and competent, less ambitious and dependable as coworkers, and less comfortable around native speakers. But little is known about how nonnative speakers themselves are affected when communication hiccups-often due to incorrect or accented pronunciations-occur in their conversat…
Can non-interactive language input benefit young second-language learners
To fully acquire a language, especially its phonology, children need linguistic input from native speakers early on. When interaction with native speakers is not always possible – e.g. for children learning a second language that is not the societal language – audios are commonly used as an affordable substitute. But does such non-interactive input work? Two experiments evaluated the usefulness of audio storybooks in acquiring a more native-like …
Getting children to do more academic work: Foot-in-the-Door versus Door-in-the-Face
Early childhood language memory in the speech perception of international adoptees
It is as yet unclear whether the benefits of early linguistic experiences can be maintained without at least some minimal continued exposure to the language. This study compared 12 adults adopted from Korea to the US as young children (all but one prior to age one year) to 13 participants who had no prior exposure to Korean to examine whether relearning can aid in accessing early childhood language memory. All 25 participants were recruited and t…
The Validity of Observational Measures in Detecting Optimal Maternal Communication Styles: Evidence from European Americans and Latinos
This study examined the sensitivity of an observational coding system for assessing positive and negative maternal behaviors of Latino and European American mothers toward their adolescent children. Ninety Latino (54 Spanish speaking and 35 English speaking) and 20 European American mother–adolescent dyads participated in an observational study of conversations about sexuality, AIDS, and conflicts. Associations were examined between observed mate…
Learning Spanish as a Heritage Language: The Role of Sociocultural Background Variables
This study represents a first effort to identify sociocultural background variables that predict the successful mastery of a heritage language by adult learners. While there are well-documented sociocultural models for other second language learners, thus far there are no similar published models for heritage language learners. We focused on Latino college students learning Spanish (N = 55) and the following background variables: cultural identif…
Production benefits of childhood overhearing
The current study assessed whether overhearing Spanish during childhood helps later Spanish pronunciation in adulthood. Our preliminary report based on a subset of the data [Au et al., Psychol. Sci. 13, 238–243 (2002)] revealed that adults who overheard Spanish during childhood had better Spanish pronunciation, but not better morphosyntax, than adult learners of Spanish who had no childhood experience with Spanish. We now present data from the fu…
Overhearing a Language During Childhood
Despite its significance for understanding of language acquisition, the role of childhood language experience has been examined only in linguistic deprivation studies focusing on what cannot be learned readily beyond childhood. This study focused instead on long-term effects of what can be learned best during childhood. Our findings revealed that adults learning a language speak with a more nativelike accent if they overheard the language regular…
How Latino American and European American adolescents discuss conflicts, sexuality, and Aids with their mothers
The authors examined how the structure of mother-adolescent conversations differs by ethnic group, age, and dyadic and individual factors. Mother-adolescent dyads of European or Latino descent participated in conversations and reported on their relationship and AIDS knowledge. Latina American mothers dominated conversations more than European American mothers, independent of socioeconomic status. Mothers dominated conversations about sexuality an…
Developing an intuitive understanding of conservation and contamination: Invisible particles as a plausible mechanism
Four studies examined whether 3- to 7-year-olds appreciate that a substance can continue to exist and maintain its inherent properties (e.g., taste, having weight) even after it has become invisible upon dissolution. These studies also examined whether young children have the concept of «tiny, invisible particles» and if so, whether they can use it to reason about material kinds. These studies revealed that, by age 3, some children could apprecia…
Children's use of information in word learning
Whenever children hear a novel word, the context supplies information about its meaning. One way children may cope with so much information is to use whatever seems to make sense, given their prior knowledge and beliefs, while ignoring or quickly forgetting the rest. This work examined if and how children's beliefs about word meanings may affect their use of contrastive linguistic information in the input in word learning. In Study 1, some 3- and…
How Latino American and European American adolescents discuss conflicts, sexuality, and Aids with their mothers
The authors examined how the structure of mother-adolescent conversations differs by ethnic group, age, and dyadic and individual factors. Mother-adolescent dyads of European or Latino descent participated in conversations and reported on their relationship and AIDS knowledge. Latina American mothers dominated conversations more than European American mothers, independent of socioeconomic status. Mothers dominated conversations about sexuality an…
Developing an intuitive understanding of conservation and contamination: Invisible particles as a plausible mechanism
Four studies examined whether 3- to 7-year-olds appreciate that a substance can continue to exist and maintain its inherent properties (e.g., taste, having weight) even after it has become invisible upon dissolution. These studies also examined whether young children have the concept of «tiny, invisible particles» and if so, whether they can use it to reason about material kinds. These studies revealed that, by age 3, some children could apprecia…
Learning Spanish as a Heritage Language: The Role of Sociocultural Background Variables
This study represents a first effort to identify sociocultural background variables that predict the successful mastery of a heritage language by adult learners. While there are well-documented sociocultural models for other second language learners, thus far there are no similar published models for heritage language learners. We focused on Latino college students learning Spanish (N = 55) and the following background variables: cultural identif…
The Validity of Observational Measures in Detecting Optimal Maternal Communication Styles: Evidence from European Americans and Latinos
This study examined the sensitivity of an observational coding system for assessing positive and negative maternal behaviors of Latino and European American mothers toward their adolescent children. Ninety Latino (54 Spanish speaking and 35 English speaking) and 20 European American mother–adolescent dyads participated in an observational study of conversations about sexuality, AIDS, and conflicts. Associations were examined between observed mate…
The Social Costs in Communication Hiccups Between Native and Nonnative Speakers
It is well-established that native speakers perceive nonnative speakers with strong foreign accents, compared with those with a more nativelike accent, as less intelligent and competent, less ambitious and dependable as coworkers, and less comfortable around native speakers. But little is known about how nonnative speakers themselves are affected when communication hiccups-often due to incorrect or accented pronunciations-occur in their conversat…
On becoming socially anxious: Toddlers’ attention bias to fearful faces
Early attention bias to threat-related negative emotions may lead children to overestimate dangers in social situations. This study examined its emergence and how it might develop in tandem with a known predictor namely temperamental shyness for toddlers' fear of strangers in 168 Chinese toddlers. Measurable individual differences in such attention bias to fearful faces were found and remained stable from age 12 to 18 months. When shown photos of…
Getting children to do more academic work: Foot-in-the-Door versus Door-in-the-Face
Children's use of information in word learning
Whenever children hear a novel word, the context supplies information about its meaning. One way children may cope with so much information is to use whatever seems to make sense, given their prior knowledge and beliefs, while ignoring or quickly forgetting the rest. This work examined if and how children's beliefs about word meanings may affect their use of contrastive linguistic information in the input in word learning. In Study 1, some 3- and…
Developing an intuitive understanding of conservation and contamination: Invisible particles as a plausible mechanism
Four studies examined whether 3- to 7-year-olds appreciate that a substance can continue to exist and maintain its inherent properties (e.g., taste, having weight) even after it has become invisible upon dissolution. These studies also examined whether young children have the concept of «tiny, invisible particles» and if so, whether they can use it to reason about material kinds. These studies revealed that, by age 3, some children could apprecia…
How Latino American and European American adolescents discuss conflicts, sexuality, and Aids with their mothers
The authors examined how the structure of mother-adolescent conversations differs by ethnic group, age, and dyadic and individual factors. Mother-adolescent dyads of European or Latino descent participated in conversations and reported on their relationship and AIDS knowledge. Latina American mothers dominated conversations more than European American mothers, independent of socioeconomic status. Mothers dominated conversations about sexuality an…
Overhearing a Language During Childhood
Despite its significance for understanding of language acquisition, the role of childhood language experience has been examined only in linguistic deprivation studies focusing on what cannot be learned readily beyond childhood. This study focused instead on long-term effects of what can be learned best during childhood. Our findings revealed that adults learning a language speak with a more nativelike accent if they overheard the language regular…
Production benefits of childhood overhearing
The current study assessed whether overhearing Spanish during childhood helps later Spanish pronunciation in adulthood. Our preliminary report based on a subset of the data [Au et al., Psychol. Sci. 13, 238–243 (2002)] revealed that adults who overheard Spanish during childhood had better Spanish pronunciation, but not better morphosyntax, than adult learners of Spanish who had no childhood experience with Spanish. We now present data from the fu…
Learning Spanish as a Heritage Language: The Role of Sociocultural Background Variables
This study represents a first effort to identify sociocultural background variables that predict the successful mastery of a heritage language by adult learners. While there are well-documented sociocultural models for other second language learners, thus far there are no similar published models for heritage language learners. We focused on Latino college students learning Spanish (N = 55) and the following background variables: cultural identif…
The Validity of Observational Measures in Detecting Optimal Maternal Communication Styles: Evidence from European Americans and Latinos
This study examined the sensitivity of an observational coding system for assessing positive and negative maternal behaviors of Latino and European American mothers toward their adolescent children. Ninety Latino (54 Spanish speaking and 35 English speaking) and 20 European American mother–adolescent dyads participated in an observational study of conversations about sexuality, AIDS, and conflicts. Associations were examined between observed mate…
Early childhood language memory in the speech perception of international adoptees
It is as yet unclear whether the benefits of early linguistic experiences can be maintained without at least some minimal continued exposure to the language. This study compared 12 adults adopted from Korea to the US as young children (all but one prior to age one year) to 13 participants who had no prior exposure to Korean to examine whether relearning can aid in accessing early childhood language memory. All 25 participants were recruited and t…
Getting children to do more academic work: Foot-in-the-Door versus Door-in-the-Face
Can non-interactive language input benefit young second-language learners
To fully acquire a language, especially its phonology, children need linguistic input from native speakers early on. When interaction with native speakers is not always possible – e.g. for children learning a second language that is not the societal language – audios are commonly used as an affordable substitute. But does such non-interactive input work? Two experiments evaluated the usefulness of audio storybooks in acquiring a more native-like …
Auditory perception and word recognition in Cantonese-Chinese speaking children with and without Specific Language Impairment
Auditory processing and spoken word recognition difficulties have been observed in Specific Language Impairment (SLI), raising the possibility that auditory perceptual deficits disrupt word recognition and, in turn, phonological processing and oral language. In this study, fifty-seven kindergarten children with SLI and fifty-three language-typical age-matched controls were assessed with a speech-gating task to measure spoken word recognition, psy…
The Social Costs in Communication Hiccups Between Native and Nonnative Speakers
It is well-established that native speakers perceive nonnative speakers with strong foreign accents, compared with those with a more nativelike accent, as less intelligent and competent, less ambitious and dependable as coworkers, and less comfortable around native speakers. But little is known about how nonnative speakers themselves are affected when communication hiccups-often due to incorrect or accented pronunciations-occur in their conversat…
Learning Challenging L2 Sounds Via Computer Training: High-Variability Perceptual Training for Children and Adults
Do learners of a second language (L2) need frequent contact with native speakers of that language in order to master its phonology? What if they hear audio recordings of native speakers and receive immediate corrective feedback about their perception? We used a randomized controlled experiment with 135 Chinese speakers (with English as their L2) to examine whether a high-variability perceptual training (HVPT) paradigm might enhance the perception…
On becoming socially anxious: Toddlers’ attention bias to fearful faces
Early attention bias to threat-related negative emotions may lead children to overestimate dangers in social situations. This study examined its emergence and how it might develop in tandem with a known predictor namely temperamental shyness for toddlers' fear of strangers in 168 Chinese toddlers. Measurable individual differences in such attention bias to fearful faces were found and remained stable from age 12 to 18 months. When shown photos of…
Psychology (14 works) · Linguistics (9 works) · Developmental psychology (7 works) · Language Development and Disorders (7 works) · Cognitive psychology (4 works) · First language (4 works) · Mathematics education (4 works) · Medicine (4 works) · Phonetics and Phonology Research (4 works) · Social Psychology (4 works)