Noah H. Silbert
Assistant Research Scientist
Center for Advanced Study of Language
University of Maryland
7005 52nd Avenue
College Park, MD 20742
(301) 226-8914
nsilbert at umd dot edu
www.nhsilbert.net
Education
B.A. with distinction in Linguistics, Indiana University, 1998
M.A. in English as a Second Language, University of Hawai`i, 2002
Ph.D. in Linguistics and Cognitive Science, Indiana University, 2010
M.S. in Applied Statistics, Indiana University, 2010
Research Interests
Speech perception, psychoacoustics, phonological structure in speech production
and perception, audio-visual information integration, auditory categorization, sec-
ond language speech perception, models of perception and decision making, statistical modeling
Research Experience
August, 2010 – Current: Assistant Research Scientist, Center for Advanced Study of Language, University of Maryland, Area Director Cathy Doughty
September, 2007 – July, 2010: Graduate Research Assistant, NIH Grant, Perceptual Processes, Evidence, and Configurality, Principal Investigator James T. Townsend
September, 2006 – August, 2007: NIH Pre-doctoral Fellow, Cognitive Modeling Training Grant, director James T. Townsend
May, 2006 – August, 2006: Graduate Research Assistant, Audiology Research Laboratory, director Larry Humes
January, 2006 – May, 2006: Graduate Research Assistant, NSF Project, Prosody in Cross-Language Production and Perception, Principal Investigator Kenneth de Jong
September, 2003 – December, 2005: Graduate Research Assistant, Linguistic Speech Laboratory, director Kenneth de Jong
Teaching Experience
September, 2007 – May, 2008; September, 2008 – May, 2009: Grader, Introduction to Bayesian Data Analysis I & II, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, taught by Professor John Kruschke
January, 2007 – May, 2007; September, 2008 – December, 2008: Assistant Instructor, Introduction to Mathematical Psychology, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, taught by Professor James T. Townsend
September, 2005 – December, 2005: Instructor, Introduction to the Study of Language, Department of Linguistics, Indiana University.
July, 2005 – August, 2005: Instructor, Statistical Techniques, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University.
January, 2005 – May, 2005: Assistant Instructor, Introductory Phonetics, taught by Professor Robert Port
September, 2004 – December, 2004: Instructor, Phonological Analysis, Department of Linguistics, Indiana University.
September, 2003 – December, 2003; January, 2004 – May, 2004: Assistant Instructor, Introduction to the Study of Language, taught by Professor Samuel Obeng (2003), taught by Sean McLennan (2004).
July, 2001 - August, 2001: Nihon University, Mishima, Japan, and Outreach College. Teaching Assistant, pronunciation and oral fluency, and Student Interchanger, ESL conversation tutoring. Supervisor Judy Ensing, (808) 956-3414
Publications
Peer Reviewed
Silbert, N. H., de Jong, K., Lentz, J. J., & Townsend, J. T. (in preparation) Syllable structure and integration of voicing and place of articulation information in stop-consonant identification.
Silbert, N. H., de Jong, K., Lentz, J. J., & Townsend, J. T. (in preparation) Syllable structure and Integration of voicing and manner of articulation information in labial consonant identification.
Silbert, N. H., Townsend, J. T., & Lentz, J. J. (2009) Independence and separability in the perception of complex non-speech sounds. Attention, Perception & Psychophysics, 71 (8), 1900-1915. [silbertetal09b.pdf]
Silbert, N. H., de Jong, K., Thomas, R. D., & Townsend, J. T. (2009) Diagonal d′ does not (always) diagnose failure of separability: An addendum to Kingston, Diehl, Kirk, and Castleman (2008). Journal of Phonetics, 37, 339-343. [silbertetal09.pdf]
de Jong, K., Silbert, N., & Park, H. (2009). Generalization across segments in second language consonant identification. Language Learning, 59 (1), 1-31. [deJongetal09.pdf]
Silbert, N., & de Jong, K. (2008). Focus, prosodic context, and phonological feature specification: Patterns of variation in fricative production. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 123 (5), 2769-2779. [silbertdeJong08.pdf]
Silbert, N., & de Jong, K. (2007). Laryngeal Feature Structure in 1st and 2nd Language Speech Perception. In J. Trouvain and W.J. Barry (eds.), Proceedings of the 16th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany. pp.1901-1905. [silbertdeJong07.pdf]
Conference Presentations
Silbert, N. H., de Jong, K. J., Lentz, J. J., & Townsend, J. T. (2009). Integration of phonological information in obstruent consonant identification. Poster to be presented at the 158th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America.
Vandam, M., Silbert, N. H., & Port, R. F. (2009). Fine-grained control of voice-onset time production, lexical usage-frequency, and phrasal context. Poster to be presented at the 158th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America.
Townsend, J. T., Houpt. J. W., Silbert, N. H., & Altieri, N. A. (2009). Toward a new psychophysics based on geometry and stochastic systems theory. Keynote address to be presented at and appear in the proceedings of the 25th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Psychophysics.
Altieri, N., Silbert, N., & Townsend, J. T. (2009). An analysis of perceptual dependencies in audiovisual speech perception: A new approach. Talk to be presented at and appear in the proceedings of the 25th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Psychophysics.
Altieri, N., Silbert, N., & Pei, L. (2009). An investigation of perceptual dependencies in audiovisual speech perception. Poster presented at 10th International Multisensory Research Forum, New York.
Silbert, N., Townsend, J. T., & Lentz, J. J. (2008). Three types of decision bounds in General Recognition Theory. Talk to be given at the 41st Annual Society for Mathematical Psychology Conference.
de Jong, K., Hao, Y.-C., Park, H., & Silbert, N. (2008). The '[+English]' effect in acquisition of English as a second language: Novel- category biases in second language perception and production. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 123, 3332. (Poster Abstract)
Silbert, N., & de Jong, K. (2007). Response bias, type and token frequency, and prosodic context in segment identification. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 122, 3019. (Abstract).
Silbert, N., Townsend, J. T., & Lentz, J. J. (2007). Independence in the perception of complex non-speech sounds. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 122, 3062. (Abstract).
Silbert, N., & de Jong, K. (2007). Distinctive features and mathematical models of perception and decision making. Poster presented at Where Do Features Come From? Phonological Primitives in the Brain, the Mouth, and the Ear, University of Paris III, Paris, France.
Silbert, N., & de Jong, K. (2007). Laryngeal Feature Structure in 1st and 2nd Language Speech Perception. Talk given at the 16th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany.
Silbert, N., Townsend, J. T., & Lentz, J. J. (2007). Independence in the perception of complex non-speech sounds. Poster presented at the 40th Annual Meeting of the Society for Mathematical Psychology, University of California, Irvine.
de Jong, K.J., &, Silbert, N. (2005). On Segmental Factorability in Second Language Learning. Paper B10 presented at the First ASA Workshop on Second Language Acquisition, 15 May, 2005, Vancouver, B.C., Canada.
de Jong, K., Silbert, N., & Park, H. (2004). Segments and segmental properties in cross-language perception: Korean perception of English obstruents in various prosodic locations. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 115, 2504. (Abstract).
Park, H., de Jong, K., & Silbert, N. (2004). Cross-language perceptual category mapping: Korean perception of English obstruents. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 115, 2504. (Abstract).
Technical Reports
de Jong, K.J., & Silbert, N. (2006). On Segmental Factorability in Second Language Learning. IULC Working Papers – Online, 6-02.
Silbert, N., de Jong, K., & Park, H. (2005). Linguistic Generalization in L2 Consonant Identification Accuracy: a Preliminary Report. IULC Working Papers – Online, 5-01.
Professional Service
Reviewer, Language Learning, Editor Robert DeKeyser, Editor, langlearn @ umd.edu
Professional Memberships
Acoustical Society of America
American Statistical Association
Cognitive Science Society
Linguistic Society of America
Society for Mathematical Psychology