New post-doc position
We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with a background in psycholinguistics, experimental linguistics, or experimental psychology (Ph.D. in Psychology, Cognitive Science, or Linguistics). The ideal candidate has expertise in experimental data analysis and excellent written communication skills in English. Programming skills (e.g., Python, Matlab) are a plus. The candidate will work on a project investigating the links between language planning and available cognitive resources across the life span using a driving simulator and eyetracker. His/her tasks will include: Writing and editing of journal articles, statistical analyses of existing data, collection, pre-processing and statistical analyses of novel experimental data.
Check here) for details
New Funded project! (Dec. 2023)
Together with Elsa Spinelli Université (Grenoble Alpes) and P. Welby (Université Aix-Marseille) we will be looking at the impact of orthographic knowledge during second language word learning. Post-doc and PhD positions will be available soon! The project is funded jointly by the ANR and DFG and will run in 2024-2026.
Statistical consulting with the LiRI (University of Zürich) (Oct. 2023)
Audrey Bürki joined the Language StatsGroup as a statistical consultant.
Summer school in Oslo (Sept. 2023)
We’re contributing to the Multiling Summer School in Oslo
New PhD student (Sept 2023)
Sabia Constantini joined our lab, wecome Sabia! We are looking forward to working with you.
Applications are open for the 7th Summer School on Statistical Methods for Linguistics and Psychology
Info for applicants can be found here
Our research in Wissen (March 2023)
Some of our research reported in the magazine Wissen (in German)
News from the simulator (Feb. 2023)
The driving simulator is ready to go, first pilot data collected. Let’s talk and drive. More soon.
2022
New lab members (January 2022)
Marie Hansen (PhD student) and Paula Lissón (Post-doc) have just joined the lab. Welcome!
Teaching in Potsdam Summer School on Statistical Methods for Linguistics and Psychology
Check news and schedule here
Slides for “Foundational methods in frequentist statistics” can be found here
Two new papers for our project in the SFB 1287 “Variability in language”
Bürki, A., & Madec., S. (in press). Picture-word interference in language production studies: Exploring the roles of attention and processing times. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition (link to article and data to be added soon)
Fuhrmeister, P., & Bürki, A. (in press). Distributional properties of semantic interference in picture naming: Bayesian meta-analyses. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review (link to article and data to be added soon)
2021
New paper in Journal of Memory of Language (June 2021)
Congratulations to Maria Korochkina on her first paper!
Korochkina, M., Bürki, A., & Nickels, L. (2021). Apples and oranges: How does learning context affect novel word learning? Journal of Memory and Language, Volume 120, 104246. (data and script can be accessed here)
Abstract Despite scarce empirical evidence, introducing new vocabulary in semantic categories has long been standard in second language teaching. We examined the effect of learning context on encoding, immediate recall and integration of new vocabulary into semantic memory by contrasting categorically related (novel names for familiar concepts blocked by semantic category) and unrelated (mixed semantic categories) learning contexts. Two learning sessions were conducted 24 hours apart, with each participant exposed to both contexts. Subsequently, a test phase examined picture naming, translation and picture-word interference tasks. Compared to the unrelated context, the categorically related context resulted in poorer naming accuracy in the learning phase, slower response latencies at the immediate recall tasks and greater semantic interference in the picture-word interference task (picture naming in L1 with semantically related novel word distractors). We develop a theoretical account of word learning that attributes observed differences to episodic rather than semantic memory.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2021.104246
New Project funded (May 2021)
The DFG approved the second phase of the SFB 1287 “Variability in language” (read more here.
Our project in the SFB will examine how speakers plan their speech ahead and whether advanced planning depends on available resources (manipulated using a driving simulator).
New paper accepted in Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience (May 2021)
Congratulations to Hyein Jeong for her first paper! The paper, data and script can be accessed here The study uses behavioral, acoustic, and neurophysiological data to examine the impact of word co-occurrences (extracted from big corpora) on language production.
Jeong, H., van den Hoven, E., Madec, S., & Bürki, A. (accepted for publication). Behavioral and brain responses highlight the role of usage in the preparation of multi-word utterances for production. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.
New DFG funded project (April 2021)
The project, entitled “New insights into the speaker’s lexicon: Computational modeling and experimental data” will start in a few months and run during three years. Positions will be available. More soon.
Ringvorlesung Kognitionswissenschaft
Audrey Bürki gave a lecture in the lecture series Cognitive Science at the Institute of Psychology, Humboldt University (Berlin)
New PhD Student (01.10.2020)
Solveig Castelli joined the lab in October, on a grant from the Idealab program. Welcome!
Heisenberg grant (06.08.2020)
Heisenberg grant awarded to Audrey Bürki, with the following project: “From thinking about two blue giraffes to saying /tuːbluːʤɪˈrɑːfs/… Cracking the code of the LAnguage Production System (CLAPs)” To be started in a few months.
New collaborator (15.07.2020)
Pamela Fuhrmeister from UConn joined the team, welcome! Find out more here https://pamfuhrmeister.com/
New paper accepted in Language, Cognition and Neuroscience (July 2020)
Bürki, A., Viebahn, M., Gafos, A. (in press). Plasticity and transfer in the sound system: Exposure to syllables in production or perception changes their subsequent production.
New paper accepted in the Journal of Memory and Language
Our paper “What did we learn from forty years of research on semantic interference? A Bayesian metaanalysis” (Authors: A. Bürki, S. Elbuy, S. Madec, S. Vasishth) has been accepted in the Journal of Memory and Language. Preprint can be found here
New Collaborator (01.10.2019)
Ali Behzadnia was accepted in the IDEALAB program (congratulations!). He will spend the first two years of his PhD with us in Potsdam and the last year at Macquarie University in Sydney with Elisabeth Beyersmann.
Climate-friendly initiative at the University of Potsdam
Just committed to not take the plane anymore for conferences within 1000 km
PhD Student (01.08.2019)
Shereen Elbuy, who has been working with us as a Research Assistant just started her PhD. She will work on language production in Arabic.
New research assistants join the lab (01.07.2019)
Cheslie Klein and Anna Slocinska have joined the lab and will work with Emiel and I on utterance planning across languages.
We are going to ESCOP
Maria, Sylvain, Hyein, Leonie and I will go to ESCOP:
- VARIABILITY AND ORTHOGRAPHY IN LEARNING NEW WORDS (Bürki, Spinelli, Welby)
- THE LOCUS OF PHRASE FREQUENCY EFFECT IN ADJECTIVE-NOUN PHRASE PRODUCTION (Jeong, Bürki)
- SEMANTIC INTERFERENCE AND PHONOLOGICAL FACILITATION IN PICTURE-WORD INTERFERENCE (Madec, Elbuy, Villinger, Bürki)
- SEMANTIC INTEGRATION OF NEW VOCABULARY: DOES LEARNING CONTEXT MATTER? (Korochkina, Bürki, Nickels)
Older posts
New Collaborator (01.03.2019)
Emiel van den Hoven joined the lab to work on utterance planning across languages
New DFG grant (29.11.2018)
A newly funded DFG grant will allow us to study how speakers plan utterances (i.e., how many words they plan ahead before articulation onset, in which order words are encoded within planning units). To do so, the project capitalizes on cross-linguistic differences in how words constrain the pronunciation of one another in an utterance (e.g., to produce the correct form of the determiner in Die schwarze Katze german speakers must have accessed the gender of the noun. English speakers can produce the determiner in The black cat correctly without having accessed the noun.) Experiments (behavioral, eye-tracking) will be conducted with German, French and English speakers.