Members

• Dr Walter van Heuven: Language Processing; Bilingualism; Computational Modelling; Bilingual Brain

Walter's research focuses on bilingual language processing, computational models of language processing, and neuroimaging studies of the bilingual brain. Current work investigates word recognition in monolinguals and bilinguals (e.g., language interaction in Chinese-English bilinguals), and language conflict in the bilingual brain. He is also working on different computational models (e.g., models of bilingual word processing, letter position coding, task-switching, and pronoun resolution).

• Dr Kathy Conklin: Bilingualism; Eye tracking

Kathy is investigating lexical-semantic representation and processing in both a first language (L1) and a second Language (2). In particular she is interested in: 1. how processing sentences or a discourse in L2 is influenced by word representations in L1 2. how the mental representation of verbs influences the interpretation of sentences in both L1 and L2 Future research will use eye-tracking methodology to investigate the conditions under which gender information from L1 influences processing in L2 during the natural task of listening to sentences in a short discourse. Other work will examine how lexically encoded participant roles (e.g. source, participant, and event locations) influence sentence processing in L2.

• Dr Nikki Pitchford: Literacy Acquisition; Developmental Disorders of Reading; Orthographic Transparency; Letter-Position Encoding

Nikki's research focuses on language and literacy development and disorders. She works with children that experience difficulties acquiring written language skills after neurological damage (through stroke, tumour, or premature birth). She is also interested in how differences in orthographic transparency influence the development of written word recognition. Current work in this area focuses on letter-position encoding in Greek and English skilled and developing readers.

• Prof Georgina Jackson
• Dr Ruth Filik

PhD students

• Taoli Zhang
• Alice Doherty
• Emily Coderre
• Andrew Kelly
• Marie-Josee Bisson

• Maria Ktori
• Anna Siyanova

International Collaborators

• Prof. Ton Dijkstra, NICI, Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands
• Dr. Jonathan Grainger, Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, Université de Provence, France
• Dr. Taomei Guo, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neurosciences and Learning, Beijing Normal University, China
• Prof. Kichun Nam, Korea University, South Korea
• Dr. ChinLung Yang, Department of Linguistics, University of Hong Kong