Human Interaction Lab

Lab Mission

Research in the Human Interaction Lab focuses on improving communication for people with neurological speech disorders, particularly those with dysarthria. Communication is fundamental to relationships, work, and participation in everyday life. Our research aims to ensure that people with dysarthria can engage successfully in these interactions. 

We approach communication as a shared, dynamic process between partners. By examining both the speaker and the listener as parts of an interdependent system, we seek to make interaction more accessible, successful, and rewarding for everyone involved.

One of the lab's primary research lines has investigated how listeners understand and adapt to the speech of people with dysarthria. This work now supports communication partner training as a treatment approach to improve the intelligibility of dysarthric speech. Another central research line focuses on understanding how conversation partners coordinate and collaborate their behaviors with one another to make the interaction feel meaningful and successful. 

Research in the Human Interaction Lab is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIDCD).