Biography
I am interested in how children perceive spoken language and how this relates to language and literacy development. I completed my PhD at UCL in 2019, supervised by Professor Mairéad MacSweeney and Professor Charles Hulme. My PhD research focussed on the relationship between visual speech perception, phonological awareness and reading in deaf and hearing children. I use techniques such as eyetracking, structural equation modelling and training studies.
I am currently working with Dr Matt Davis on speech perception and language development in children.
Research
I am interested in speech perception in children and how this relates to their reading and language development, in particular for children with reduced access to auditory information, or with phonological difficulties. My interests also include the role of visual speech information in spoken language development.
As a member of the Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit Brain Bus team I also enjoy working on interactive neuroscience activities for children.
Publications
Schwarz, J., Li, K. K., Sim, J. H., Zhang, Y., Buchanan-Worster., E, Post, B., Gibson., J. L., McDougall, K. (2022). Semantic cues modulate children’s and adults’ processing of audio-visual face mask speech. Frontiers in psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.879156
West, G., Lervåg, A., Snowling, M. J., Buchanan-Worster, E., Duta, M., & Hulme, C. (2022). Early language intervention improves behavioral adjustment in school: Evidence from a cluster randomized trial. Journal of School Psychology, 92, 334–345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2022.04.006
Buchanan-Worster, E., Hulme, C., Dennan, R., & MacSweeney, M. (2021). Speechreading in hearing children can be improved by training. Developmental Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.13124 - Video abstract (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBdpliGkbkY)
West, G., Snowling, M. J., Lervag, A., Buchanan-Worster, E., Duta, M., Hall, A., McLachlan, H., & Hulme, C. (2021). Early language screening and intervention can be delivered successfully at scale: Evidence from a cluster randomised controlled trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13415
Buchanan-Worster, E., MacSweeney, M., Pimperton, H., Kyle, F., Harris, M., Beedie, I., Ralph-Lewis, A., & Hulme, C. (2020). Speechreading Ability Is Related to Phonological Awareness and Single-Word Reading in Both Deaf and Hearing Children. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_jslhr-20-00159
Pimperton, H., Kyle, F., Hulme, C., Harris, M., Beedie, I., Ralph-Lewis, A., Worster, E., Rees, R., Donlan, C., MacSweeney, M. (2019). Computerized Speechreading Training for Deaf Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62(8), 2882–2894. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_jslhr-h-19-0073
Worster, E., Pimperton, H., Ralph-Lewis, A., Monroy, L., Hulme, C., & MacSweeney, M. (2018). Eye Movements During Visual Speech Perception in Deaf and Hearing Children. Language Learning, 1–21. http://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12264
