Dr Aina Casaponsa
Lecturer in Language, Cognition and NeuroscienceResearch Interests
I work in the areas of experimental psycholinguistics, multilingualism, and second language acquisition with a focus on cross-language interactions and underlying brain mechanisms.
My research focuses on multilingual cognition:
- How do bilinguals process two language in one mind?
- Does second/third language acquisition change the way we use and perceive our native language?
- What are the cognitive factors underpinning successful second language learning across the lifespan?
- Does multilingualism offers a cognitive advantage?
Recent research projects have looked at language-selective aspects of visual word recognition in bilinguals, electrophisiological correlates of uncounsicous language detection mechanisms, developmental changes associated with cross-language interactions, cognitive factors associated with second language learning in young and older adults.
Career Details
Upon obtaining my B.Sc. in Psychology from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, I further specialised in research in Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience at the University of Granada (M.Sc) and in Cognitive Neuroscience of Language (M.Sc.) at the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL) – University of the Basque Country (EHU-UPV). Whilst finalizing my PhD on bilingualism and visual word recognition at the BCBL, I held a 3 month internship at Bangor University. Before I started my current position here at Lancaster University as a 50th Anniversary lecturer I held a post-doctoral position at the MRC Institute of Hearing Research - University of Nottingam.
PhD Supervision Interests
I would be happy to supervise PhD projects in bilingual cognition (specially foreign language effects and language context effects on conceptualisation and perception), cross-language interactions in bilinguals, and foreign language learning. I would be happy to receive applications involving cognitive neuroscience methods (specially EEG/ERPs, EDA/GSR, or eye-tracking), or methods employed in experimental psycholinguistics.
MultiPic Brasil: Brazilian Portuguese in the Multilingual Picture Database
01/01/2024 → 31/12/2025
Research
Neuroscientific investigation of object categorization in bilinguals
01/10/2017 → 01/10/2019
Research
Determinants of Asymmetry in Masked Translation Priming
01/02/2017 → 01/08/2019
Research
Impacts of second language acquisition on native language (L1)
01/12/2016 → 10/12/2017
Research
The role of orthotactics in bilingual language processing
01/01/1900 → …
Research
- Research Group in Cognitive Linguistics