We use behavioral, electrophysiological (EEG), and imaging (fMRI) methods to examine the cognitive processes and the neural basis of meaning and language in context. Please see our publication page for completed research and below for ongoing research:
(1) Figurative language: Is metaphoric language understood differently than literal language? What cognitive processes and brain areas are involved? What is the role of metaphor in our ability to understand abstract concepts? Can metaphors help us learn science concepts, via comprehension, production (with and without AI), or/and conversation? What are the social-affective (emotional) functions of verbal irony and metaphors?
Metaphoric learning and science concepts (Lai, Lindsay, Delikishkina, Bulkes, Troncoso)
Irony and negative emotion (Pfeifer, Lai)
Emotional metaphors (Baiocco, Lai)
The expressive and regulatory roles of metaphoric labels in emotion processing (Lai, Kim)
Metaphors and mental health such as depression and anxiety in healthy adults and patients (Lai, Pfeifer, Tidwell, Gabow)
Visual metaphors (Cagatay, Pfeifer, Lai)
Metaphor and embodiment (Cagatay, Lai)
Creativity and metaphor generation (Yu, Lai)
Idioms and memory (Hubbard, Baiocco, Lai)
(2) Emotion and language: How is emotion encoded in / conveyed by words (associated emotional meaning) and sentences (combinatorial implied emotional meaning)? How does emotional content in language influences the cognitive processes involved in language, such as prediction, semantic conflict between text and real world knowledge? How do emojis and swear words influence the processing of the adjacent words? How do language labels affect emotion and mood?
Emotional language and prediction in older adults (Ku, Lai)
Individual differences in emotional language perception (Ku, Lai)
Cross-linguistic differences in emotional metaphors for sadness/grief in English and Mandarin (Lai, Ku, Lu)
(3) Language and thought in bilinguals: Do differences in languages influence how speakers of those languages perceive and reason about the world?
The influence of verbal aspect on the mental simulation of actions and events in Russian-English bilinguals (Kamenetski, Lai)
Representation of motion events in Polish-English bilinguals (Georges, Kamenetski, Lai)
Other topics in language and cognition:
Enrichment by gestures in second language acquisition (Abdennebi)
Primary progressive aphasia in bilinguals (Jebahi)
Temporal duration in event representation (Lai)