Anqi Hu |

About

I am a Ph.D. researcher at University of Delaware, currently conducting research in Northeastern University working in Language Acquisition and Brain Laboratory. I study the language learning mechanisms across the life span in neurotypical adults and children and also in autistic children. Through my research, I hope to answer:

What underlies language impairment in autistic children?

What predicts better language learning outcomes in typical language development?

I also design and develop online games for data collection with children (see my spotlight interview with Gorilla), and automate data analysis tools for a range of behavioral data, including eye-tracking and transcription of natural speech (see my github analysis page).

I am graduating from my PhD in May, 2024, currently looking for post-doc positions or jobs, related to research in Language Learning, Child Development, Neurological, and Computational Linguistics. I am happy to discuss or talk about my research in any format. Please feel free to contact me via my email: anqihu@udel.edu

Resume & CV

[One-page Resume] [Academic CV]

Education

University of Delaware - Ph.D. in Linguistics & Cognitive Science (2018 - Current)
University of Delaware - M.A. in Linguistics & Cognitive Science (May 2021)
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - B.A. with Summa Cum Laude in Linguistics (2014 - 2018)

Journal Publications

JADD

Dissociation Between Linguistic and Nonlinguistic Statistical Learning in Children with Autism

Anqi Hu, Violet Kozloff, Amanda Owen Van Horne, Diane Chugani, Zhenghan Qi

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (JADD), 2023.

PDF

JOVE

Measuring Statistical Learning Across Modalities and Domains in School-Aged Children Via an Online Platform and Neuroimaging Techniques

Julie M. Schneider, Anqi Hu, Jennifer Legault, Zhenghan Qi

Journal of Visual Experiment (JOVE), 2020.

PDF

Linking the neural basis of distributional statistical learning with transitional statistical learning: The paradox of attention

Julie M. Schneider, Yi-lun Weng, Anqi Hu, Zhenghan Qi

Neuropsychologia (Neuropsychologia), 2022.

PDF

Statistical learning in children's emergent L2 literacy: Cross-cultural insights from rural Côte d'Ivoire

Benjamin Zinszer, Joelle Hannon, Anqi Hu, Aya Élise Kouadio, YAPO HERMANN AKPE, Fabrice Tanoh, Madeleine L Wang, Zhenghan Qi, Kaja K. Jasińska

Developmental Science (Dev Sci), 2023.

PDF In-Principle Acceptance

Does non-linguistic segmentation still predict literacy in an L2 education? Statistical learning in Ivorian primary schools

Benjamin Zinszer, Joelle Hannon, Aya Élise Kouadio, Hermann Akpé, Fabrice Tanoh, Anqi Hu, Zhenghan Qi, Kaja K. Jasińska

Language Learning (Lang Learn), 2023.

PDF In Press

Conference Proceedings

ICPhs

Accommodation to Vocal Pitch in Children with Autism

Anqi Hu, Zhenghan Qi, Kathryn Franich

Proceedings of the 20th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences (ICPhs), 2023.

PDF Peer Reviewed

Current Research Projects

Implicit Learning and Language Development

Dissertation Project: The Interaction Between the Attention and the Language System During Linguistic Statistical Learning Across Typical and Atypical Language Development

Determine the relationship between concurrent language skills and the attention facilitation effect in linguistic SL among autistic children
Determine the relationship between reading skill improvement and the attention facilitation effect in linguistic SL among children with reading difficulties
Decipher the interaction between attention (dis)engagement and the brain’s sensitivity to linguistic patterns in typical language development

Project 2: Statistical Learning and Language Development in Autistic and Neurotypical Children

Identified behavioral indicators of language impairment in autistic children by analyzing statistical learning in multiple domains and modalities (Published Paper)
Uncovered the neural bases of statistical learning in neurotypical adults and children using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques (Conference Poster)

Project 3: Speech Learning through Implicit Imitation in School-aged Autistic Children

Investigated pitch imitation and prosodic variances in autistic children by comparing pitch entrainment to model talkers in sentence repetition tasks (Published Proceeding)
Developed and launched web-based audio recording software for at-home speech data collection

Social Learning and Vocabulary Acquisition

Project 4: Incidental Word Learning in Social Contexts in Autistic Children

Compared word learning and retention from storylistening in a direct-addressed versus an overhearing social contexts in school-aged autistic children (Conference Poster)
Executed a 3-year production process for naturalistic story stimuli, encompassing script development, filming, editing video and audio materials
Tailored online experimental platform to capture eye tracking data

Project 5: Quality of Web-based Eye Tracking Experiments in Children

Partnered with various labs across institutes to analyze web-based eye tracking data, assessing its quality in child developmental research (Conference Poster)
Engineered a Python script for eyegaze coding, enhancing efficiency by 50%