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Viridiana Benitez

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Psychology
Asst Professor
Faculty, TEMPE Campus, Mailcode 1104
Biography

Viridiana Benitez’s research is in the area of cognitive development, with a focus on understanding how young children learn words, how they track the statistical patterns of their environment, and how language experience, such as bilingualism, affects word learning, attention, and memory. To answer these questions, Professor Benitez works with infants, children, and adults who have monolingual or bilingual language learning experiences. Benitez received a bachelor's in psychology at the University of Houston, a doctorate in developmental psychology at Indiana University, and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

Recently, Benitez's Learning and Development Lab was featured in this ASU Now article highlighting her work on learning.

CV
Binary Data Curriculum Vitae
Education
  • Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2014-2017
  • Ph.D. Developmental Psychology, Indiana University 2013
  • B.S. Psychology, University of Houston 2008
  • A.A. San Jacinto College 2006

 

Videos
Predictable Learning with Viridiana Benitez
Research Website
http://www.learndevlab.org
Google Scholar
Google Scholar Profile
Publications

Benitez, V.L., & Saffran, J.R. (2018). Predictable events enhance word learning in toddlers. Current Biology, 28, 1-7. 

Zettersten, M., Wojcik, E., Benitez, V.L., & Saffran, J.R. (2018). The company objects keep: Linking referents together during cross-situational word learning. Journal of Memory and Language, 99, 62-73. 

Benitez, V.L.*, Vales, C.*, Hanania, R., & Smith, L.B. (2017). Sustained selective attention predicts flexible switching in preschoolers. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 156, 29-42. *Equal authorship contribution

Bulgarelli, F., Benitez, V.L., Saffran, J.R., Byers-Heinlein, K., Weiss, D.J. (2017). Statistical learning of multiple structures by 8-month-old infants. Proceedings of the 41st annual BUCLD, ed. Maria LaMendola and Jennifer Scott, 128-139. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press.

Benitez, V.L., Yurovsky, D., & Smith, L.B. (2016). Competition between multiple words for a referent in cross-situational word learning. Journal of Memory and Language, 90, 31-48.

Morse, A F., Benitez, V.L., Belpaeme, T., Cangelosi, A., & Smith, L.B. (2015). Posture affects how robots and infants map words to objects. PLoS ONE, 10(3): e0116012.

Benitez, V.L., & Smith, L.B. (2012) Predictable locations aid early object name learning. Cognition, 125(3), 339-352.

Yoshida, H., Tran, D.N., Benitez, V., & Kuwabara, M. (2011). Inhibition and adjective learning in bilingual and monolingual children. Frontiers in Developmental Psychology, 2, 1-14.

Fall 2019
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 341Developmental Psychology
PSY 399Supervised Research
PSY 499Individualized Instruction
Spring 2019
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 341Developmental Psychology
PSY 399Supervised Research
PSY 498Pro-Seminar
PSY 499Individualized Instruction
PSY 598Special Topics
Fall 2018
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 341Developmental Psychology
PSY 399Supervised Research
PSY 499Individualized Instruction
Spring 2018
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 341Developmental Psychology
PSY 399Supervised Research
PSY 499Individualized Instruction
Fall 2017
Course NumberCourse Title
PSY 341Developmental Psychology
PSY 399Supervised Research
PSY 499Individualized Instruction
Expertise Areas
Developmental Psychology
Cognitive and Linguistic Development
Learning and Memory
Bilingual and English Language Learners
Cognitive Science