Jenny Saffran, PhD

Position title: Letters & Science Mary Herman Rubinstein Professor, Psychology

PhD, University of Rochester

Contact Information

Waisman Center Room 538A
1500 Highland Avenue
Madison, WI 53705
608.263.5792
jenny.saffran@wisc.edu
Infant Learning Lab

Research Statement

How do babies learn language? We approach this question through lab-based experiments designed to reveal the learning abilities that infants bring to this challenging task. Research foci include statistical learning, or the means by which infants track patterns and regularities in the input, and its relationship to other cognitive processes such as prediction and active sampling. We are also very involved in questions concerning the nature of the knowledge acquired during language learning, including what words actually mean to babies, the environmental input that shapes word knowledge, and experience-driven individual differences. Finally, we actively collaborate with researchers who have extensive expertise in developmental disabilities in order to better understand diverse developmental trajectories in language learning.

Research Topics:

Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Child Development, Language, Multilingualism

Selected Publications

PubMed

Novack, M. A., Dworak, E. M., Han, Y. C., Kaat, A. J., Ustsinovich, V., Saffran, J., Frank, M. C., Waxman, S., & Gershon, R. C. (2025). Development and validation of the NIH Baby Toolbox® language measures. Infant behavior & development, 80, 102121. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102121
Breitfeld, E., & Saffran, J. R. (2025). Environmental context scaffolds children’s semantic representation of novel words. Cognition, 262, 106162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2025.106162
Prescott, K. E., Mathée-Scott, J., Bolt, D., Saffran, J., & Ellis Weismer, S. (2024). The effect of volatility in linguistic input on prediction behavior in autistic toddlers. Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 17(11), 2305–2318. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.3212
Mathée-Scott, J., Prescott, K. E., Pomper, R., Saffran, J., & Weismer, S. E. (2024). Prediction by Young Autistic Children from Visual and Spoken Input. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 10.1007/s10803-024-06568-z. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06568-z
Breitfeld, E., & Saffran, J. R. (2024). Early word learning is influenced by physical environments. Child development, 95(3), 962–971. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.14046
Hartman, J., Saffran, J., & Litovsky, R. (2024). Word Learning in Deaf Adults Who Use Cochlear Implants: The Role of Talker Variability and Attention to the Mouth. Ear and hearing, 45(2), 337–350. https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001432
Mathée-Scott, J., Larson, C., Venker, C., Pomper, R., Edwards, J., Saffran, J., & Ellis Weismer, S. (2022). Use of Mutual Exclusivity and its Relationship to Language Ability in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 52(10), 4528–4539. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05321-0
Ruba, A. L., Pollak, S. D., & Saffran, J. R. (2022). Acquiring Complex Communicative Systems: Statistical Learning of Language and Emotion. Topics in cognitive science, 14(3), 432–450. https://doi.org/10.1111/tops.12612
Ellis Weismer, S., & Saffran, J. R. (2022). Differences in Prediction May Underlie Language Disorder in Autism. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 897187. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.897187
Prescott, K. E., Mathée-Scott, J., Reuter, T., Edwards, J., Saffran, J., & Ellis Weismer, S. (2022). Predictive language processing in young autistic children. Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 15(5), 892–903. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2684
Pomper, R., Kaushanskaya, M., & Saffran, J. (2022). Change is hard: Individual differences in children’s lexical processing and executive functions after a shift in dimensions. Language learning and development : the official journal of the Society for Language Development, 18(2), 229–247. https://doi.org/10.1080/15475441.2021.1947289
Bacon, D., & Saffran, J. (2022). Role of speaker gender in toddler lexical processing. Infancy : the official journal of the International Society on Infant Studies, 27(2), 291–300. https://doi.org/10.1111/infa.12455
Pomper, R., Ellis Weismer, S., Saffran, J., & Edwards, J. (2021). Coarticulation facilitates lexical processing for toddlers with autism. Cognition, 214, 104799. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104799
Bacon, D., Weaver, H., & Saffran, J. (2021). A Framework for Online Experimenter-Moderated Looking-Time Studies Assessing Infants’ Linguistic Knowledge. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 703839. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.703839
Venker, C. E., Mathée, J., Neumann, D., Edwards, J., Saffran, J., & Ellis Weismer, S. (2021). Competing Perceptual Salience in a Visual Word Recognition Task Differentially Affects Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 14(6), 1147–1162. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2457
Benitez, V. L., & Saffran, J. R. (2021). Two for the price of one: Concurrent learning of words and phonotactic regularities from continuous speech. PloS one, 16(6), e0253039. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0253039
Venker, C. E., Mathée, J., Neumann, D., Edwards, J., Saffran, J., & Ellis Weismer, S. (2021). Competing Perceptual Salience in a Visual Word Recognition Task Differentially Affects Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 14(6), 1147–1162. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2457
Santolin, C., Garcia-Castro, G., Zettersten, M., Sebastian-Galles, N., & Saffran, J. R. (2021). Experience with research paradigms relates to infants’ direction of preference. Infancy : the official journal of the International Society on Infant Studies, 26(1), 39–46. https://doi.org/10.1111/infa.12372
Venker CE, Pomper R, Mahr T, Edwards J, Saffran J, Ellis Weismer S. (2020). Comparing Automatic Eye Tracking and Manual Gaze Coding Methods in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism Research. 13(2), 271–283. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2225
Pomper R, Ellis Weismer S, Saffran J, Edwards J. (2019). Specificity of Phonological Representations for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(8):3351-3363. doi: 10.1007/s10803-019-04054-5.
Pomper R, Saffran JR. (2019). Familiar Object Salience Affects Novel Word Learning. Child Development, 90(2):e246-e262. doi: 10.1111/cdev.13053
Peng ZE, Hess C, Saffran JR, Edwards JR, Litovsky RY. (2019). Assessing Fine-Grained Speech Discrimination in Young Children With Bilateral Cochlear Implants. Otology & Neurotology, 40(3):e191-e197. doi: 10.1097/MAO.0000000000002115.
Venker CE, Edwards J, Saffran JR, Ellis Weismer S. (2019). Thinking Ahead: Incremental Language Processing is Associated with Receptive Language Abilities in Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(3):1011-1023. doi: 10.1007/s10803-018-3778-4.
Santolin C, Saffran JR. (2018). Constraints on Statistical Learning Across Species. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 22(1):52-63. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2017.10.003.
Saffran JR, Kirkham NZ. (2018). Infant Statistical Learning. Annual Review of Psychology. 69:181-203. doi: 10.1146/annurev-psych-122216-011805.
Haebig E, Saffran JR, Ellis Weismer S. (2017). Statistical word learning in children with autism spectrum disorder and specific language impairment. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 58(11):1251-1263. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.12734.
Potter CE, Saffran JR. (2017). Exposure to multiple accents supports infants’ understanding of novel accents. Cognition, 166:67-72. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2017.05.031.
Ellis Weismer S, Haebig E, Edwards J, Saffran J, Venker CE. (2016) Lexical Processing in Toddlers with ASD: Does Weak Central Coherence Play a Role?. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 46(12):3755-3769.
McMillan, B. T., & Saffran, J. R. (2016). Learning in Complex Environments: The Effects of Background Speech on Early Word Learning. Child development, 87(6), 1841–1855. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12559
Venker CE, Haebig E, Edwards J, Saffran JR, Ellis Weismer S. (2016) Brief Report: Early Lexical Comprehension in Young Children with ASD: Comparing Eye-Gaze Methodology and Parent Report. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 46(6):2260-6. doi: 10.1007/s10803-016-2747-z.
Hay JF, Graf Estes K, Wang T, Saffran JR. (2015) From flexibility to constraint: the contrastive use of lexical tone in early word learning. Child Development, 86(1):10-22. doi: 10.1111/cdev.12269.
Wojcik EH, Saffran JR. (2015) Toddlers encode similarities among novel words from meaningful sentences. Cognition, 138:10-20. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2015.01.015.
Mahr T, McMillan BT, Saffran JR, Ellis Weismer S, Edwards J. (2015) Anticipatory coarticulation facilitates word recognition in toddlers. Cognition. 142:345-50. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2015.05.009.
Willits JA, Seidenberg MS, Saffran JR. (2014) Distributional structure in language: contributions to noun-verb difficulty differences in infant word recognition. Cognition. 132(3):429-36. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2014.05.004.
Wang T, Saffran JR. (2014) Statistical learning of a tonal language: the influence of bilingualism and previous linguistic experience. Frontiers in Psychology. 3;5:953. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00953.
Saffran J. (2014) Sounds and meanings working together: Word learning as a collaborative effort. Language Learning. 1;64(Suppl 2):106-120.
Willits JA, Wojcik EH, Seidenberg MS, Saffran JR. (2013) Toddlers Activate Lexical Semantic Knowledge in the Absence of Visual Referents: Evidence from Auditory Priming. Infancy. 18(6). doi: 10.1111/infa.12026.
Wojcik EH, Saffran JR. (2013) The ontogeny of lexical networks: toddlers encode the relationships among referents when learning novel words. Psychological Science. 24(10):1898-905. doi: 10.1177/0956797613478198.
Venker CE, Eernisse ER, Saffran JR, Weismer SE. (2013) Individual Differences in the Real-Time Comprehension of Children with ASD. Autism Research. 6(5):417-32. doi: 10.1002/aur.1304.
Romberg AR, Saffran JR. (2013) All Together Now: Concurrent Learning of Multiple Structures in an Artificial Language. Cognitive Science, 37(7):1290-320. doi: 10.1111/cogs.12050.
Hay JF, Saffran JR. (2012) Rhythmic grouping biases constrain infant statistical learning. Infancy. 17(6):610-641.
Romberg AR, Saffran JR. (2012) Expectancy learning from probabilistic input by infants. Frontiers in Psychology. 3:610.
Lew-Williams C, Saffran JR. (2012) All words are not created equal: expectations about word length guide infant statistical learning. Cognition. Feb;122(2):241-6.
Lany J, Saffran JR. (2011) Interactions between statistical and semantic information in infant language development. Developmental Science. Sep;14(5):1207-19.
Lew-Williams C, Pelucchi B, Saffran JR. (2011) Isolated words enhance statistical language learning in infancy. Developmental Science. Nov;14(6):1323-9.
Hay JF, Pelucchi B, Graf Estes K, Saffran JR. (2011) Linking sounds to meanings: infant statistical learning in a natural language. Cognitive Psychology. Sep;63(2):93-106.
Romberg AR, Saffran JR. (2010) Statistical learning and language acquisition. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science. Nov;1(6):906-914.
Grieco-Calub TM, Saffran JR, Litovsky RY. (2009) Spoken word recognition in toddlers who use cochlear implants. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. Dec;52(6):1390-400.