Catherine Caldwell-Harris

Professor Caldwell-Harris conducts research on diverse aspects of language processing, including second language acquisition, emotional aspects of language, and word recognition. She is the first researcher to document that emotion words elicit larger skin conductance responses in a first language than in a second. She is currently studying emotional reactivity in the U.S. for speakers who grew up speaking Russian, Mandarin, or Spanish, as well as English native speakers who learned Russian as a foreign language. She is also interested in how units larger than single words are important for fluency and efficiency in all types of language processing.

In cross-cultural research, she is the originator (with Ayse Aycicegi) of the Personality-Culture Clash hypothesis. They propose that mental health is facilitated by having a personality in tune with cultural values.

In addition to topics listed in my current and prior conferences list, Professor Caldwell-Harris is available to speak on advertising to bilingual populations, processing simplified and traditional Chinese, and current perspectives on evolutionary psychology.