Projects
Syntactic and semantic constraints on parallel word processing during reading Ghent University
In this four-year project, I will test several hypotheses generated by a new model of reading, the OB1-reader. This computational model assumes parallel processing of multiple words during natural reading. It is inherently based on evidence from studies which revolved around the parallel integration of orthographic information. As such, the model does not yet employ mechanisms which are dictated by higher-order semantic and syntactic ...
Elucidating the time course of semantic processing of written words, spoken words and pictures by means of multivariate MEG analysis KU Leuven
Language takes a very special place in human interactions. There are millions of words we can choose from to build a sentence in order to get exactly the right message across. Some words are very semantically similar, like a duck and a goose, some are vaguely similar because they share some features, like a duck and a vulture, and others are not similar at all, like a duck and an ice cream cone. Using functional MRI, we managed to identify ...
A Network Based Account of Word Processing and Semantic Cognition KU Leuven
In this project, we propose to study word meaning using a network based on word associations. We want to enlarge our existing word association sets in Dutch and in English, which are already the world’s largest sets in both languages, to the size of an adult’s mental lexicon. Using these data sets, we want to derive three kinds of models for word processing and semantic cognition. The first model is a simple (first-order) associative ...
The contribution of the medial temporal system in humans to semantic processing of words and pictures. KU Leuven
The brain contains several memory systems. Episodic memory deals with episodes in a particular space and time context and is typically associated with structures deep in the temporal lobe (the medial-temporal lobe system). An episodic memory deficit is commonly seen in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Semantic memory refers to our knowledge of the world, the meaning of words and pictures and associations between concepts. Patients with semantic ...
When to lose one’s senses? Semantic loss vs polysemy sustenance in the lexicon of English KU Leuven
Semantic change is commonly recognized to follow an A > A/B (> B) trajectory. That is, semantic change always results in polysemy between old and new senses at first; only later and in only some cases does this lead to the eventual loss of an older sense. Whereas the general mechanism of semantic extension (A > A/B) has received ample attention, the possible next step, semantic loss (> B), is still ill-understood. Yet insight in ...
Semantic Image Analysis Towards a Visual Turing Machine. KU Leuven
In the recent years visual recognition systems have progressed with leaps and bounds in their accuracy. The vision of this research proposal is to go beyond the existing, accurate, yet rough visual recognition machines, and approach an ideal Visual Turing Machine, namely a machine that would pass as a human when analyzing visual data. We identify 3 directions for this vision. First, beyond generic predictions a Visual Turing Machine should ...
Semantic graphs for personalized intelligent tutoring systems Ghent University
Distance learning is getting more traction with the rise of online learning platforms such as Coursera or DataCamp, and adopted rapidly due to the COVID19 crisis. The most popular approaches, such as exercises in a fixed learning path, are directed towards the entire student population and fail to take into account individual strengths and weaknesses. Despite its clear benefits for learners, one-to-one tutoring is not scalable because it is ...
Primed to (finally) find out: Uncovering the mental lexicon via semantic priming KU Leuven
When it comes to language, context is everything. Indeed, the meaning of a word or a sentence can change considerably when taken out of context. As a consequence, the contextual nature of language has been the topic of much research. In this project, I will examine how a single word creates a context for a second word. It is a well-known finding that people recognize a word (e.g., dog) faster when it is preceded by a related word (e.g., cat). ...
Enhancing data analytics for IoT by enabling semantic enrichment of machine learning tasks Ghent University
The recent spread of sensors, actuators and mobile devices, comprising the Internet of Things (IoT), provides ample opportunity to improve our quality of life through data analytics. However, as IoT data is bound by the four Vs of Big Data—volume, variety, velocity, and veracity—deriving meaningful insights becomes challenging. Today, two approaches have been employed side by side. Relying on knowledge graphs (KGs) and logical rules, ...