Jennifer Mayer BSc MSc

PhD Title:

"Exploring speech perception in high-functioning adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Identifying atypicalities in speech processing and associated phenotypes."

Description:

Although high-functioning autistic individuals develop a range of language skills, these are atypical and problems in speech perception appear to persist into adulthood.  Relatively little is known about the precise nature of these difficulties.  The aim of my research is to identify specific difficulties in speech perception and investigate potential links between these and the social and communication deficits characterising ASD.

Supervisors:

Professor Pamela Heaton

Dr. Jose van Velzen

Academic qualifications

2008 BSc (hons) Psychology, Goldsmiths College, University of London

2009 MSc (distinction) Research Methods in Psychology, Goldsmiths College, University of London

Teaching

First Year Undergraduate Tutorials: Psychology of the Person, Information Processing and Cognition, and Biological and Comparative Approaches to Psychology

Second Year Undergraduate Tutorials: Biological Substrates of Behaviour Tutorials, Personality and Psychopathology, Social Psychology Tutorials, The Psychology of Lifespan Development Tutorials, and Cognitive Psychology Tutorials

Third Year Undergraduate Tutorials: Origins of Human Nature: Comparative and Evolutionary Approaches

Guest Lecturer Roehampton University, February 2011, Course: Autism: an Interdisciplinary Approach, Title: Music, Speech, & Autism

Areas of supervision

3rd Year Undergraduate Project Supervision: 'Assessing the effects of pitch and timbre on perceptual and semantic processing in an auditory Stroop and the associations with autistic traits in typically developing adults'

Grants & awards

Grindley Grant, Experimental Psychology Society, April 2012

Annual Conference Bursary, PsyPAG, July 2011

BPS Annual Conference Poster Prize Shortlist, BPS, May 2011

Small Research Grant, Baily Thomas Trust, January 2011

Annual Conference Bursary, PsyPAG, July 2010

Professional activities

Current Appointments/Roles: 

Postgraduate Psychology DSC, Goldsmiths College, University of London

Previous Appointments/Roles:

Division of Neuropsychology Representative, PsyPAG

International Representative, PsyPAG

MPhil/PhD Psychology Representative, Goldsmiths College

Psychology Postgraduate PAL Coordinator, Goldsmiths College

Professional Associations:

INSAR

BPS Division of Neuropsychology

BPS Developmental Section

BPS Cognitive Section

Psychology Postgraduate Affairs Group (PsyPAG)

Conferences

Mayer, J. (May 2012). Do sensory processing deficits impact on speech encoding in ASD?  Evidence from an experimental study of intellectually high-functioning adults. Poster Presentation at IMFAR, Toronto, Canada.

Mayer, J. & Heaton, P. (May 2012).  Do perceptual and grammatical manipulations impair word recall in high-functioning ASD?. Oral Presentation at Novartis Conference at Goldsmiths College, London, UK.

Mayer, J. (April 2012). Sentence recall in intellectually high functioning adults with ASD: Are pragmatic language deficits and perceptual difficulties associated with reduced recall of grammatically complex sentences?. Oral Presentation at BPS Annual Conference, London, UK.

Mayer, J. (September 2011). Atypical speech perception in adults with ASD. Oral Presentation at BPS Developmental Section Conference at Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK.

Mayer, J. (September 2011). Atypical speech perception in adults with ASD. Oral Presentation at BPS Cognitive Section Conference at Keele University, Keele, UK.

Mayer, J. (July 2011). Atypical speech perception in adults with ASD. Oral Presentation at PsyPAG Annual Conference at Bangor University, Bangor, UK.

Mayer, J. & Heaton, P. (May 2011).  Atypical speech perception in adults with ASD. Poster Presentation at Novartis Conference at Goldsmiths College, London, UK.

Mayer, J. & Heaton, P. (May 2011).  Atypical speech perception in adults with ASD. Poster Presentation at BPS Annual Conference in Glasgow, UK.

Mayer, J. (July 2010). Atypical language processing in autism: the effects of speech complexity. Oral Presentation at PsyPAG 25th Annual Conference at Sheffield Hallam, Sheffield, UK.

Custance, D. & Mayer, J. (May 2009). Cross-species empathy in domestic dogs. Oral Presentation at Novartis Conference at Goldsmiths College, London, UK.

Professional development

12th Annual Course: Neuroradiology & Functional Neuroanatomy

Autism Diagnostic Training Schedule (ADOS), Administration and Coding

PG Certificate in the Management of Learning and Teaching (in progress)

Research interests

Autism Spectrum Disorders, Speech Processing, Auditory Perception, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Statistical Methods

Selected publications

Custance, D.M., Bujak, E., Mayer, J., Hill, E. & Heaton, P.F (submitted). Object-directed imitation in children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.