Visual perspective taking (VPT) refers to the ability to comprehend what another person can see from their viewpoint. It’s a skill we first develop when we master the art of “hide and seek.” When finding the best hiding spot, children need to consider where they will be least likely to be seen. They need to […]
Sensation and Perception
When you strum a guitar or press a piano key, can you name the exact note you hear? For most people, the answer is a resounding no. Most people need a reference tone or a tuner to identify notes. Still, some gifted individuals, such as Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys) and Charlie Puth, can accurately […]
Color fills our world. Color makes our visual landscape exciting, vibrant, and full of character. Color also has meaning that extends far beyond color. Different cultures have associated meanings to different colors. Green, yellow, and red may be linked to traffic signals. Brown, orange, and yellow may indicate a seasonal change in nature. Universities are […]
Carrying out a sequence of actions is something we do every day without thinking much about it—like when we cook. We first gather ingredients, then clean, chop, and arrange them so they are ready for cooking. Each step follows the previous one, requiring cognitive control to stay on track. But for people with mental health […]
In this All Things Cognition podcast, I interview Matt Evans and Nicolas Davidenko about their recent paper on the pitch of earworms. Let’s get right into it! Interview Transcript Lai: You’re listening to All Things Cognition, a Psychonomic Society podcast. Now here’s your host, Laura Mickes. Mickes: Having a song stuck in your head is […]
We’ll start this one off with a bit of a test. Have a look at the images below – can you guess what they are? You might find a judgment like this a bit difficult, and tasks like this reveal that visual perception is much more than simply registering an image. To do this accurately, […]
A harsh review can sometimes feel like a wrecking ball to one’s work, and, as academic lore has it, it’s often ‘Reviewer 2’ who wields the ball. However, a critical review I received in the late 1990s became a turning point in my research, thanks to Larry Barsalou’s (1999) groundbreaking article on perceptual symbol systems. […]
Writing tributes isn’t my strongest suit, but when it comes to Larry, I’ll just tell it like it is (and no, this isn’t an endorsement of Donald Trump). I’ve spent most of my academic career immersed in Psycholinguistics and Cognitive Science. My primary focus has always been on what some might consider the more mundane […]
When you are as thoughtful, intellectually curious, and gracious as Larry Barsalou is, you can inspire others without even knowing it. While I have never been lucky enough to work with Larry closely as a mentee or a colleague, my career would not be what it is today without his personal influence. To understand Larry’s […]
I am extremely happy to be part of a tribute for Larry Barsalou. Having worked on word meaning, concepts, and related issues for a number of years, Larry’s ideas have strongly influenced me, just like they continue to influence a large number of young and older researchers. Larry’s work on ad hoc concepts, embodied/grounded cognition, […]