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Maria M Arredondo
Assistant Professor, Research Lab Director (Academic)
Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, Population Research Centermaria.arredondo@austin.utexas.edu
Office Location
SEA
Postal Address
108 E DEAN KEETON ST
AUSTIN, TX 78712-
Education and Academic Positions
Faculty Research Associate, Population Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin
Research Scientist, Haskins Laboratories at Yale University
National Science Foundation (NSF) Postdoctoral Fellow, University of British Columbia and Haskins Laboratories
Ph.D., Developmental Psychology, University of Michigan
M.S., Psychology, University of Michigan
B.S., Psychology and minor in Sociology, University of Houston
My personal experiences as a child immigrant and a second language learner have helped me understand the links between language and cognition. In my research, I seek to advance fundamental knowledge on bilingual children’s cognition, and inform families and schools on how providing immigrant, diverse and multilingual children with the opportunity to maintain their languages and cultures leads to academic success. In the contexts of increased global migration and growth of multilingual communities, research-based models of child development that include bilingualism in context are vital for addressing the needs of language acquisition and cognitive development.
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My research focuses on understanding how infants, toddlers and school-age children acquire their language(s). I am especially interested in why some children can become proficient bilinguals, while others seem to struggle. To test these questions, I use functional near-infrared spectroscopy to study the cognitive and neural networks that support bilingualism. I am also interested in how children come to learn and understand from their culture(s). Through all these mechanisms, I investigate what allows diverse and multilingual children to learn their languages and provides them with the skills to succeed academically.
The methods of my studies include infant and child-friendly experimental designs, neuroimaging (functional near-infrared spectroscopy, also known as fNIRS), standardized assessments of language abilities, surveys, and one-on-one qualitative child-friendly interviews.
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Selected Publications
Arredondo, M. M., Aslin, R. N., & Werker, J. F. (2021). Bilingualism alters infants’ cortical organization for attentional orienting mechanisms. Developmental Science, e13172. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/desc.13172
Arredondo, M. M. (2021). Shining a light on cultural neuroscience: Recommendations on the use of fNIRS to study how sociocultural contexts shape the brain. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology.
Weatherhead, D., Arredondo, M. M., Nácar Garcia, L., & Werker, J. F. (2021). The Role of Audiovisual Speech in Fast-Mapping and Novel Word Retention in Monolingual and Bilingual 24-Month-Olds. Brain Sciences, 11(1), 114. https://www.mdpi.com/963042
Arredondo, M. M., Hu, X., Satterfield, T., Tsutsumi Riobóo, A., Gelman, S. A., & Kovelman, I. (2019). Bilingual effects on lexical selection: a neurodevelopmental perspective. Brain & Language, 195, 104640. Doi: 10.1016/j.bandl.2019.104640
Arredondo, M. M.& Gelman, S. A. (2019). Do varieties of Spanish influence U.S. Spanish-English bilingual children’s friendship judgments? Child Development, 90, 655-671.Doi: 10.1111/cdev.12932
Arredondo, M. M., Hu, X., Seifert, E., Satterfield, T., & Kovelman, I. (2018). Bilingual exposure enhances left IFG specialization for language in children. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 1-19.Doi: 10.1017/S1366728918000512
Reh, R., Arredondo, M. M.,& Werker, J. (2018). Understanding individual variation in levels of second language attainment through the lens of critical period mechanisms. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition,1-2. Doi: 10.1017/S1366728918000263
Tran, C. D., Arredondo, M. M., & Yoshida, H. (2018). Early executive function: the influence of culture and bilingualism. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition,1-19. Doi: 10.1017/S1366728918000160
Arredondo, M. M., Hu, X., Satterfield, T., & Kovelman, I. (2017) Bilingualism alters children’s frontal lobe functioning for attentional control. Developmental Science. Doi: 10.1111/desc.12377
Arredondo, M. M.,Rosado, M. & Satterfield, T. (2016). Understanding ethnic identity development and its impact on Spanish literacy for U.S. Latino children. Journal of Cognition and Culture, 16, 245-266. Doi: 10.1163/15685373-12342179
Kremin*, L., Arredondo*, M. M., Hsu, L. S., Satterfield, T., & Kovelman, I. (2016). The effects of Spanish heritage language literacy on English reading for Spanish-English bilingual children in the U.S. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Doi: 10.1080/13670050.2016.1239692 *Shared first-authorship
Tran, C. D., Arredondo, M. M., & Yoshida, H. (2015). Differential effects of bilingualism and culture on early attention: A longitudinal study in the U.S., Argentina, and Vietnam. Frontiers in Psychology: Language Sciences. Doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00795
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2020 SRCD Small Grants for Early Career Scholars. PI."Bilingual bebé: Linking neuro-cognitive mechanisms to dual-language learning."
2020 Rising STARs Program at the University of Texas at Austin
2018-2020 National Science Foundation (NSF SBE SPRF) Postdoctoral Fellowship; $138,000 “Infants’ emerging functional specialization in bilingual language acquisition and attentional processes.” Co-PIs: Janet F. Werker, Richard N. Aslin
2018-2020 Killam Laureate Postdoctoral Fellowship at The University of British Columbia
2012-2017 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRFP)
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Undergraduate
HDF 315L – Research methods in human development & family sciences
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I am always happy to support undergraduate and graduate research opportunities, please feel free to reach out.
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