Our research themes

Impact of Parkinson’s Disease on Social Communication

Investigating how Parkinson’s Disease affects social communication dynamics and emotional processing.

Selected publications

  • Sharma, S., Fleck, K., Winslow, S., & Rothermich, K. (2023). The Impact of Parkinson’s Disease on Social Communication: An Exploratory Questionnaire Study. Seminars in speech and language, 44(5), 254–266.
  • Scott, J., Jaworska, N., Wilson, A., Funke, M.*, Sharma, S., Johnson, E. K., & Rothermich, K., (2023). Changes in anxiety and stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic in individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Psychiatry Research Communications, 3(4), 100147.
  • Schwartz R., Rothermich K.,1, Kotz, S.A., Pell, M.D (2018). Unaltered Emotional Experience in Parkinson’s Disease: Pupillometry and Behavioral Evidence. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 40:3, 303-316. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2017.1343802
  • Pell, M.D., Monetta, L., Rothermich, K., Kotz S.A., Cheang, H.S., & McDonald, S. (2014). Social Perception in Adults with Parkinson’s Disease. Neuropsychology, 28(6), 905–916. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/neu0000090

Speech Accommodation in Multilingual and Intergenerational Interactions

Exploring how individuals adapt their speech in interactions between speakers of different languages.

Selected publications

  • Baker, R., Bobb, S. C., Nobles, C., Reis, H., Wright, H. H., Walenski, M., & Rothermich, K. (2025). Measuring speech accommodation for older adults: A scoping review. Journal of Language and Aging Research, 3(1), 5-47.
  • Baker, R. P., Mello, K., Ragsdale, H., Rothermich, K., & Bobb, S. (2023). Exploring Natural Speech Accommodation in L1-L2 Interactions: Implications for Pedagogy. Babylonia Multilingual Journal of Language Education, 3, 22–29.
  • Rothermich, K., Baker, R., Falkins, S., Kum, J., Capps, M. R., Bobb, Susan C. (2023). Reported Use of Second-Language Speech Accommodation in Everyday Interactions: The Role of Individual Differences. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 66(9), 3307-3327.
  • Bobb, S. C., Mello, K., Turco, E., Lemes, L., Fernandez, E., & Rothermich K., (2019). Second Language Learners’ Listener Impressions of Foreigner-Directed Speech. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 1-14.

Nonliteral Language Processing Across Populations

Investigating how different populations perceive and understand nonliteral language cues using EEG, eye tracking, and brain stimulation.

Selected publications

  • Makarla, P. R., Joergensen, G. H., Tyner, K. B., Sprinkle, C., & Rothermich, K. (2024). Differences in politeness perception of irony and prosocial lies: Exploring the role of age, gender, and geographic location. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology / Revue canadienne de psychologie expérimentale, 78(2), 100–113.
  • Joergensen, G. H., Makarla, P. R., Fammartino, M., Benson, L., & Rothermich, K. (2022). No, no one had fun. Individual differences in nonliteral language perception. Language and Speech, 65(2), 290-310.
  • Rothermich, K., Ahn, S., Dannhauer, M., & Pell, M. D. (2022). Social appropriateness perception of dynamic interactions. Social Neuroscience, 17(1), 37-57.
  • Rothermich K., Schoen Simmons, E., Rao Makarla, P., Benson, L., *Plyler, E., Kim, H., & Joergensen, G. H. (2021). Tracking Nonliteral Language Processing Using Audiovisual Scenarios. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology = Revue Canadienne de Psychologie Experimentale, 75(2), 211–220.