Elizabeth Johnson's research at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) since 2008 has focused on how children master language across diverse cultural backgrounds. Initially struggling to replicate earlier studies, Johnson adapted her approach to consider the varied linguistic environments of her participants.
Johnson's work examines how children's exposure to different languages and accents influences their language learning and social perceptions. Her early fascination with language acquisition began during her undergraduate studies in Italy, leading her to pursue a doctoral degree at Johns Hopkins University.
At the Child Language and Speech Studies (CLASS) Lab, Johnson collaborates with experts from various fields to explore language acquisition's complexities. Research primarily involves infants and children, with findings relevant to parents and educators in multilingual communities.
One significant discovery revealed that children from non-native English-speaking families exhibit vocabulary growth comparable to their peers from native English-speaking families. Additionally, studies on children's preferences for accents showed a bias towards local Canadian English, even among bilingual children.
Recent unpublished studies examine infants' emotional responses to familiar versus unfamiliar languages. Johnson emphasizes the importance of understanding these responses to better inform language teaching methods.
The CLASS Lab employs behavioral methods, such as eye tracking, alongside new techniques like electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure infants' neural responses to speech. Findings indicate that bilingual infants process unfamiliar accents differently than monolingual peers.
Johnson's passion for research extends to community engagement, providing families insights into language learning, especially in multilingual settings. She believes that understanding language acquisition requires studying children in diverse linguistic environments.