Welcome to the Cognitive Neuroscience of Language Lab

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.

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Internships
Many UC-Davis undergraduate students work as research interns in our lab.  We occasionally take interns from other nearby universities during the academic year or interns from more distant colleges and universities during the summer. We require a minimum GPA of 3.2.

*Unfortunately, we don’t have any open RA positions at this time but we encourage you to apply again for spring quarter! We have a special interest in applicants who are Spanish-English bilinguals or Chinese-English bilinguals.

To apply, download and fill out the application form and send it, along with a copy of your transcript, to wrwang@ucdavis.edu, with the subject line “Interested in Being an RA – [First and Last Name]”.  We will keep your application on file and contact you to arrange an interview when there are openings.