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Welcome to the Cognitive Neuroscience of Language Lab

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The research program in the Laboratory for the Cognitive Neuroscience of Language focuses on the cognitive and neural underpinnings of language processing in monolingual and bilingual readers and listeners across the lifespan. This research encompasses a range of topics that include word processing and representation, sentence processing, and discourse processing. We also examine individual differences in language processing as a function of cognitive control in neurotypical individuals and in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia.

Our research capitalizes on multiple research methods to gain the deepest possible understanding of the psychological processes and brain mechanisms that we use to extract meaning from text and conversation. These research methods include eye tracking (collaboratively), and the recording of brain electrical activity (ERPs) and hemodynamic responses (functional magnetic resonance imaging — fMRI), as well as a variety of other behavioral measures. Our data analytic methods include both traditional univariate techniques as well as multivariate machine-learning algorithms. Our research program has been supported since 1997 by grants from the McDonnell-Pew Foundation, NSF, and NIMH.

For more information about our research and projects visit our research page.

News

April 2025: Bay Area Linguistics Meeting at CMB

The Bay Area Language Processing Interest Group (BAyLI) was hosted at the CMB at UC Davis, and organized by Dr. Nora Beier and Noemi Diaz. Several Speakers gave short presentations on topics related to speech processing and Large Language Models. The Key Note lecture was given by Dr. Tamara Swaab. 

 

April 2025: RAs Present at URC

The RA's of Swaab lab have presented their posters at the annual URC conference here in Davis! Congrats to Jaime, Haiye, and Kathleen who shared their research.