I have a B.A. in linguistics (Yale University, 1976) and a Ph.D. in psychology (University of Pennsylvania, 1980). Not surprisingly, given this background, my research and teaching encompass both psychology and linguistics. In one line of resarch, I examine children’s spelling and the reasons behind their errors. Other studies look at the skills and knowledge that children bring to the learning of literacy, including phonological awareness and knowledge about letters. My research involves typically developing children, children with dyslexia, and deaf children; it includes those learning to read and write in English as well as those learning other languages, including Chinese and Portuguese. Other lines of research look at the processes involved in reading and spelling in adults and at the nature of spelling-sound relationships in English and other languages. For example, we are investigating the cues that English spelling provides about word stress and other aspects of pronunciation and how people make use of these cues. I teach courses on developmental psychology, psychology of language, and language acquisition, and I advise students who are studying these topics. A pdf of my curriculum vita is available here.