Language and Thought

The relationship between concepts and natural language has been discussed for centuries. Research shows that language influences how we carve up events to some extent, yet there remains debate as to what extent language shapes nonverbal processes. In a series of experiments, we are investigating how preverbal infants, children, and adults perceive and understand dynamic events and whether language has effects on the way they deal with events. We are also examining how non-linguistic concepts influence word learning.

Technology in Education

This project aims to explore how technological tools such as social robots can help children and adults learn second language and more. In particular, we have been focusing on teaching English to native speakers of Turkish, but we are in the process of expanding the content!