We use behavioral, electrophysiological (EEG), and imaging (fMRI) methods to examine the cognitive processes and the neural basis of meaning and language in context. The topics include:
(1) Figurative language: How do people process metaphorical language? Do metaphors help abstract concept learning, such as the learning of science concepts? What are the social-affective functions of metaphors? What is the relationship between metaphor and mental health?
The role of metaphor in learning and concept change (Lai, Lindsay, Delikishkina, Bulkes, Troncoso)
Irony and negative emotion processing (Pfeifer, Maytorena)
Emotional metaphors (Baiocco, Lai)
The expressive and regulatory roles of metaphor in emotion processing (Lai)
The role of metaphor in mental health issues such as depression and anxiety (Lai, Pfeifer, Tidwell, Gabow)
Visual metaphor processing (Cagatay, Pfeifer, Lai)
Idioms: Literality, predictability, and decomposability (Hubbard, Bulkes, Lai)
(2) Emotion and language: How is emotion encoded in language? How do language activities such as reading give rise to emotion? How do readers’ mood states influence meaning making in language? How does language affect emotion?
Emotional language and prediction in younger and older adults (Ku, Lai)
Individual differences in emotional language perception (Ku, Lai)
Emotional/psychological verbs and mental verbs (Vanek, Ku, Lai)
Emotional and social meanings of swearing (Donahoo, Sendek, Lai)
Effects of emojis on language comprehension in text messages (Armstrong, Pfeifer, Lai)
Effects of mood on reanalysis of details in discourse (Lai)
(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 (Kamenetski, Lai)
Representation of motion events in Polish-English bilinguals (Georges, Kamenetski, Lai)
Attention to motion events in Turkish-Turkish early bilinguals (Kamenetski, Lai, Flecken)
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)