Lara L. Jones, Ph.D.
Wayne State University

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Concepts & Cognition Lab
4809 Woodward Ave. (Simons Bldg., 3rd floor)  Click here to find on campus map.

 Principal Investigator:  Lara L. Jones, Ph.D.
Current Research Assistants (Winter 2013):  Alegra Devour, Syeda Rob, Nicholas Tomasi, Ashley Kiel, Paul Thomas, Ryan Calcaterra
DESCRIPTION OF PRIMARY RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Welcome to the Concepts and Cognition Lab!  Most of our ongoing research projects investigate the links or relations between concepts, which form the basis of language comprehension. For example, presentation of a given concept (DOG) increases the accessibility of other directly related concepts (CAT, PUPPY, FOX, LEASH, BONE, COLLAR) and even indirectly related concepts (mouse). We use a variety of word recognition tasks to measure the increased activation of these related concepts. We are particularly interested in factors influencing relational integration, or the combining of two concepts (MOUNTAIN and GOAT) by the inference of a plausible relation between the two (a MOUNTAIN GOAT is a GOAT that lives on a MOUNTAIN). In addition to this habitat relation, words can also be connected by a composition relation (STRAW HAT), a locative relation (ISLAND HOUSE), or an instrumental relation (WIND KITE; wind is needed in order to fly a kite), to name just a few.


Photo taken by LLJ on July 12th, 2011

A related area of research is the inference and transfer of relations in verbal analogy. For example, the analogy LEATHER : SADDLE :: GOLD : _____, can be solved by detecting the relation in the first pair (composition; a saddle is made of leather) and then applying it to the second pair to aid in the selection of the correct answer (shown in bold) from a list of competing alternatives (SILVER, RICH, DIAMOND, EARRING, METAL). Our lab investigates individual differences in the ability to focus attention on the analogical relation while resisting interference from semantically more associated alternatives. We also are interested in how this process of relational transfer can be improved and how training in verbal analogy can lead to improvements in other cognitive skills such as interference control.


LAB ALUMNI (and their current endeavor):
  • Michelle Bryant (Wayne State School of Medicine)
  • Neondra Burrell
  • Nick DuFour
  • Linda Fakhouri
  • Amalia Hrin
  • Joshua Kutchen
  • Allen Kadado (Wayne State School of Medicine)
  • Sarah Kazem
  • Joshua Kutchen
  • Angelic Ledford
  • Cherry Meyer (University of Chicago, Linguistics PhD program), 
  • Mai Sedki (Wayne State School of Medicine)
  • Kathy Womacke
  • Justina Yohannan (Univ. of Mass - Boston, School Psychology program)


LAB MEETINGS/PHOTOS:
During our weekly lab meetings, we discuss the background, design, procedures, and then results of ongoing projects or we discuss and critique articles/manuscripts related to our research interests. 
Content copyright . Lara L. Jones. All rights reserved.