Professor Natalie Phillips, PhD

Overview: My general area of research is cognitive aging and adult human neuropsychology, with an emphasis on integrating behavioural and electrophysiological (event-related brain potentials, ERP) measures of brain function in aging and neurological populations. Current research areas include: 1) identifying patients with mild cognitive impairment (who are at risk for developing Alzheimer's disease) by studying neuropsychological, electrophysiological, and anatomical measures of language and executive function; 2) studying interactions between working memory and language function; 3) audio-visual speech perception in younger and older adults and patients with dementia; and 4) bilingual language processing. (Funding by NSERC, CIHR, Alzheimer Society of Canada).

Kousaie, S., & Phillips, N.A. (2017). A behavioural and electrophysiological investigation of the effect of bilingualism on aging and cognitive control. Neuropsychologia, 94C, 23-35. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.11.013

Phillips, N. A. (2016). Theimplications of cognitive aging for listening and the FUEL model.  Ear andHearing, 37, 44S-51S.

Pichora-Fuller, M.K., Kramer, S.E., Eckert, M., Edwards, B., Hornsby,B., Humes, L.E., Lemke, U., Lunner, T., Matthen, M., Mackersie, C., Naylor, G.,Phillips, N., Richter, M., Rudner, M., Sommers, M., Tremblay, K., Wingfield, A.  (2016). Hearing impairment and cognitiveenergy: A framework for understanding effortful listening (FUEL). Ear and Hearing, 37,5S-27S.

Frtusova,J. B.,& Phillips, N. A. (2016). The auditory-visualspeech benefit on working memory in older adults with hearing impairment. Frontiers in Psychology, 7. http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00490

Kousaie, S., and Phillips, N.A. (2012) Conflict monitoring and resolution: Are two languages better than one? Evidence from reaction time and event-related brain potentials. Brain Research, 1146, 71-90.

** Johns, E. K., Phillips, N. A., Belleville, S., Goupil, D., Babins, L., Kelner, N., Ska, B., Gilbert, B., Massoud, F., de Boysson, C., Duncan, H., & Chertkow, H. (2012). Profile of Executive Functioning in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment: Disproportionate Deficits in Inhibitory Control. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 18, 1-15. ** Winner of the CIHR-Institute of Aging Age Award

Kousaie, S., and Phillips, N.A. (2011). Aging and bilingualism: Absence of a Abilingual advantage@ in Stroop interference in a non immigrant sample. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, iFirst, 1B14.

Winneke, A., and Phillips, N.A. (2011). An investigation of age-related differences in audiovisual speech perception using event-related potentials. Psychology and Aging, 26(2), 427-438.

** Kousaie, S., and Phillips, N.A. (2011). Age related Differences in Interlingual Priming: A Behavioural and Electrophysiological Investigation." Aging, Neuropsychology and Cognition, 18, 22B55. ** Winner of the CIHR-Institute of Aging Age Award

Phillips, N.A., Klein, D., Mercier, J., and de Boysson, C. (2006). ERP measures of auditory word repetition and translation priming in bilinguals. Brain Research, 1125, 116-131.

Nasreddine, Z.S., Phillips, N.A., Bédirian, V., Charbonneau, S., Whitehead, V., Collin, I., Cummings, J.L., and Chertkow, H. (2005). The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA): A Brief Screening Tool For Mild Cognitive Impairment. Journal of the American Geriatric Society, 53, 695-699.

Book Chapters

Chauvin, A., Duncan, H.D., and Phillips, N.A. (Accepted).  Bilingualism, Cognitive Reserve, Aging, and Dementia:  What is the new ground to cover?  In E. Bialystok, Ed., Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism.

Duncan, H.D. and Phillips, N.A. (2016).  The Contribution of Bilingualism to Cognitive Reserve in Healthy Aging and Dementia.  In E. Nicoladis & S. Montanari, Eds., Bilingualism Across the Lifespan: Factors moderating language proficiency. APA Books, pp. 305-322.