Dr. Lauren Covey is assistant professor in the Linguistics Department, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate classes in introductory linguistics, second language acquisition, as well as cognitive science. Before joining the faculty at Montclair State, she earned a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Kansas.

Dr. Covey's research program addresses a fundamental question in the field of linguistics concerning why second language (L2) learning is considerably more difficult for adults than children. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, her work uses cutting-edge experimental techniques from cognitive neuroscience to examine how L2 learners comprehend language in real time. Much of Dr. Covey's work additionally examines how individual differences in cognitive abilities impact language processing in both native and non-native speakers. She co-directs the Experimental Linguistics Laboratory at Montclair State.

Cognitive neuroscience approach to second language acquisition, and utilizing psycholinguistic and neurolinguistic techniques to examine how native speakers and second language learners process sentences in real time.

Undergraduate and graduate classes in introductory linguistics, second language acquisition, as well as cognitive science.