Macpherson, Megan
FACULTY
Biography
Megan MacPherson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Central Michigan University. Dr. MacPherson’s research focuses on how healthy aging, Parkinson’s disease, and cognitive load affect speech production. Her research uses a variety of physiologic (e.g., kinematic, autonomic, electromyographic), acoustic, and behavioral methods.
More about Megan Macpherson
Publications & Presentations
Publications
- Abur, D., MacPherson, M. K., Shembel, A. C., & Stepp, C. E. (2023). Acoustic measures of voice and physiologic measures of autonomic arousal during speech as a function of cognitive load in older adults. Journal of Voice, 37(2), 194-202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2020.12.027.
- Brice, A. E., Salnaitis, C., & MacPherson, M. K. (2023). Neural activation in bilinguals and monolinguals using a word identification task. Languages - Special Issue: Current Trends and Future Directions in Bilingual Language Acquisition, 8(216), 1-27. https://doi.org/10.3390/languages8030216.
- Exner, A. H., Francis, A. L., MacPherson, M. K., Darling White, M., & Huber, J. E. (2023). The effects of speech task on lexical stress in Parkinson disease. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 32, 506-522. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_AJSLP-22-00185.
- Douglas, N. F., & MacPherson, M. K. (2021). Positive changes in certified nursing assistants’ communication behaviors with people with dementia: Feasibility of a coaching strategy. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 20, 239-252. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.13564811.
- MacPherson, M. K. (2019). Cognitive load affects speech motor performance differently in older and younger adults. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 1258-1277. https://doi.org/10.1044/2018_JSLHR-S-17-0222.
- Johnson, R. K., Lasker, J. P., Stierwalt, J. A. G., MacPherson, M. K., & LaPointe, L. L. (2017). Motor learning guided treatment for acquired apraxia of speech: a case study investigating factors that influence treatment outcomes. Speech, Language and Hearing, 21(4), 213-223. https://doi.org/10.1080/2050571X.2017.1388488.
- MacPherson, M. K., Abur, D., & Stepp, C. E. (2017). Acoustic measures of voice and physiologic measures of autonomic arousal during speech as a function of cognitive load. Journal of Voice, 31(4), 504.e1-504.e9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2016.10.021.
- Francis, A. L., MacPherson, M. K., Chandrasekaran, B., & Alvar, A. M. (2016). Autonomic nervous system responses during perception of masked speech may reflect constructs other than subjective listening effort. Frontiers in Psychology, 7 (Article 263), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00263.
- Arnold, H., MacPherson, M. K., & Smith, A. (2014). Autonomic correlates of speech versus nonspeech tasks in children and adults. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 57, 1296-1307. https://doi:10.1044/2014_JSLHR-S-12-0265.
- Kaganovich, N., Kim, J., Herring, C., Schumaker, J., MacPherson, M. K., & Weber-Fox, C. (2013). Musicians show general enhancement of complex sound encoding and better inhibition of irrelevant auditory change in music: An ERP study. European Journal of Neuroscience, 37, 1295-1307. https://doi:10.1111/ejn.12110.
- Kemmerer, D., Miller, L., MacPherson, M. K., Huber, J., & Tranel, D. (2013). An investigation of semantic similarity judgments about action and non-action verbs in Parkinson's disease: Implications for the Embodied Cognition Framework. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00146.
- MacPherson, M. K., & Smith, A. (2013). Influences of sentence length and syntactic complexity on the speech motor control of children who stutter. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 56, 89-102. https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2012/11-0184).
- MacPherson, M. K., Huber, J. E., & Snow, D. P. (2011). The intonation-syntax interface in the speech of individuals with Parkinson's disease. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 54, 19-32. https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2010/09-0079).
- Sheffert, S., MacPherson, M. K., & Wilson, M. (2003). The influence of multimodality, talker variability, and noise on immediate serial recall. Cognitive Technology, 8(2), 42-50.
Presentations
- MacPherson, M. K. (2023, November 16-18). Autonomic correlates of physiological and cognitive-linguistic task demands in healthy older adults. [Poster technical session]. Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Virtual – Boston, MA, United States.
- MacPherson, M. K., Ayotte, S., Ingalls, E., Merrow, O., Terry, A., & Kinnicutt, P. (2023, November 16-18). Effect of Parkinson’s disease on autonomic function for speech production. [Oral technical session]. Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Virtual – Boston, MA, United States.
- Ingalls, E., & MacPherson, M. K. (2023, April 12). Interrater reliability of autonomic nervous system measurements in healthy older adults and individuals with Parkinson's disease. [Poster presentation]. 6th Annual Herbert H. & Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions Research Symposium, Mount Pleasant, MI, United States.
- MacPherson, M. K. (2023, April 12). Individual differences and group trends in sympathetic activation in speakers with Parkinson’s disease. [Poster presentation]. 6th Annual Herbert H. & Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions Research Symposium, Mount Pleasant, MI, United States.
- MacPherson, M. K. (2022, November 17-19). Heterogeneity of autonomic response profiles across speech tasks in individuals with Parkinson's disease. [Oral technical session]. Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Virtual – New Orleans, LA, United States.
- MacPherson, M. K. (2022, October 21). A holistic approach to Childhood Onset Fluency Disorder. Invited oral presentation at the Communication is Central Professional Learning Event Series, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders-Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, United States.
- MacPherson, M. K. (2021, November 18-20). The autonomic-cognitive-speech relationship in healthy aging: Expanded findings. [Oral technical session]. Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Virtual – Washington, D.C., United States.
- MacPherson, M. K. (2021, November 18-20). Effect of dysautonomia in Parkinson's disease on pre-speech resting levels of autonomic function. [Poster technical session]. Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Virtual – Washington, D.C., United States.
- MacPherson, M. K. (2020, November 19-21). Age-related differences in the autonomic-cognitive relationship during speech production: Expanded findings. [Poster technical session proposal accepted]. Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, San Diego, CA, United States. (Convention canceled due to COVID-19).
- MacPherson, M. K. (2020, November 19-21). Effect of Parkinson's disease on pre-speech resting measures of autonomic nervous system function. [Poster technical session proposal accepted]. Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, San Diego, CA, United States. (Convention canceled due to COVID-19).
- Lingo, S., Lodewyk, A., MacPherson, M. K., Affoo, R. H., & Lehman, M. (2020, March 19-21). Relationship between physical health status and acoustic measures of voice. [Poster presentation proposal accepted]. Annual Conference of the Michigan Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Detroit, MI, United States. (Conference canceled due to COVID-19).
- Lodewyk, A., Lingo, S., Affoo, R., Lehman, M., & MacPherson M. K. (2020, March 19-21). Normative acoustic voice data of healthy college-aged adults living in Michigan. [Poster presentation proposal accepted]. Annual Conference of the Michigan Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Detroit, MI, United States. (Conference canceled due to COVID-19).
- Ingvalson, E. M., MacPherson, M. K., & Lansford, K. L. (2019, November 14-19). [Spoken presentation]. Perceiving and comprehending dysarthric speech. 60th Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- MacPherson, M. K. (2019, November 21-23). Effects of task repetition on autonomic nervous system function in individuals with Parkinson’s disease. [Poster technical session]. Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Orlando, FL, United States.
- MacPherson, M. K. (2019, April 2). Cognitive load during sentence production differentially affects older and younger adults’ speech motor performance. [Poster presentation]. 2nd Annual Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions Research Symposium, Mount Pleasant, MI, United States.
- MacPherson, M. K. (2018, November 15-18). Lower lip articulatory function as related to cognitive load in older adults. [Poster technical session]. Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Boston, MA, United States.
Credentials, Certifications & Awards
- Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech Language Pathology (CCC-SLP)
- Faculty Excellence Exhibition Nominee, Central Michigan University
- Award for Continuing Education, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
- Editor's Award- Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research
- MacPherson, M. K., & Smith, A. (2013). Influences of sentence length and syntactic complexity on the speech motor control of children who stutter. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 56, 89-102. https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2012/11-0184).
Education
- PhD, Speech Science and Gerontology, Purdue University
- MA, Speech-Language Pathology, Central Michigan University
- BS, Communication Disorders, Central Michigan University
Research Interests
- Speech motor control
- Speech physiology
- Healthy aging
- Parkinson’s disease
- Cognition
- Autonomic nervous system
- Childhood onset fluency disorder/developmental stuttering
Membership in Professional Organizations
- Acoustical Society of America
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
- Gerontological Society of America
- Michigan Speech-Language-Hearing Association
- Society for Neuroscience
- Society for Psychophysiological Research
Current Licenses/Certifications Held
- Holder, Speech-Language Pathology, State of Michigan
- SPEAK OUT! Therapy for Parkinson's Disease Licensed Provider, Parkinson Voice Project
Courses Taught
- CSD 463: Introduction to Acoustic Phonetics
- CSD 588: Neuroscience for Communication Sciences and Disorders
- SLP 739: Stuttering