Marilyn Shatz

Marilyn J. Shatz, Ph.D., professor of psychology and professor of linguistics in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, retired from active faculty status on May 31, 2009.

Professor Shatz received her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in 1971, 1973, and 1975, respectively. She joined the University of Michigan faculty as an assistant professor of psychology in 1977 and was promoted to associate professor in 1979 and professor in 1984. She received an additional appointment as professor of linguistics in 2001.

Professor Shatz is a well-known and highly-respected scholar, whose research integrates linguistic, cognitive, and social aspects of child development. She was a pioneer in expanding the field of language acquisition to include related social and cognitive phenomena, such as child-directed speech ("motherese"), specific language impairment, theory of mind, and the impact of culture. Her research has been published in several books and a very large number of chapters and journal articles, many of which are widely cited. Her 1994 book, A Toddler's Life (Oxford University Press), provides an insightful and highly praised investigation of how early development unfolds. Professor Shatz was associate editor of Language and has served on numerous editorial boards.

From 1995-2000, Professor Shatz directed the Program in Linguistics, guiding the program through its transition to department status. She then served as the chair of the Department of Linguistics in 2000-01. She founded the Consortium for Language, Society, and Thought in 2000 and directed it until 2006. Her work has been rewarded with several honors and fellowships, including a J. S. Guggenheim Fellowship and a Fulbright Award. Professor Shatz has been a mentor and role model for dozens of graduate students in psychology and linguistics.

The Regents salute this distinguished teacher and researcher by naming Marilyn J. Shatz professor emerita of psychology and professor emerita of linguistics.

After retirement, Dr. Shatz applied her expertise to the problem of educating foreign-born English language learners in American classrooms. Having been read in over 40 countries worldwide, Dr. Shatz has had a substantial international influence through her writings.

Representative Publications

Shatz, M. (2007) On the development of the field of language development. In E. Hoff and M. Shatz (eds). Blackwell handbook of language development (pp. 1-15). Oxford: Blackwell.

Shatz, M. and Wilkinson, L. (eds). (2010). The education of English language learners. New York: Guilford Press.

Shatz, M. & L. Wilkinson, L. (2013). Understanding language in diverse classrooms. New York: Routledge.

Shatz, M. A commentary on theory of mind, Frontiers in Psychology, 2015, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.0156. Reprinted in F. Baglio and A. Marchetti, (eds). (2017). When (and how) is theory of mind useful: Evidence from life-span research. Lausanne: Frontiers Media. Doi:10.3389/978-2-88945-101-2.
 

Field(s) of Study

• First language acquisition, discourse