Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Psychology, University of Washington
Lab Affiliation(s): Cognition and Cortical Dynamics Lab; Bilingualism, Mind, and Brain Lab; Human Electrophysiology Facility (HEF) Lab
Research Interests: language learning, neurplasticity, individual differences, ERPs, learning and memory
We all know some people who pick up languages with ease, and others who cannot seem to learn a second language despite their strong efforts. I’m interested in using this variation in adult language attainment to identify more general learning processes and differences among adults in non-language domains. My research focuses on how the existing language network in adults accommodates or promotes language learning, and what language learning can tell us about the process of learning more generally. I use event-related potentials (ERPs) to detect subtle changes in the native language during the course of second language learning, either by capturing second language learners at different points in their proficiency or by training adults on a new language and observing the trajectory in language processing over time.
I received my Ph.D. in 2018 from Penn State. As of July, 2018, I am a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Washington working with Drs. Chantel Prat and Rajesh Rao thanks to funding from the University of Washington Institute for Neuroengineering. The goal of the project we’re working on is to find the best ways to put the brain in the optimal state to learn a new language. To do so, we use different ways of manipulating brain activity (exogenously through tDCS or endogenously through neurofeedback training) to change the brain state of learners prior to learning, and then we teach them the vocabulary and grammar of a new language. For updated information regarding my current position and research, please see my personal website (bottom of page).
Contact Information
At UC-Riverside as Visiting Graduate Student:
3351 Olmsted Hall
kinseyb@ucr.edu
At Penn State as Graduate Student:
Department of Psychology
klb489@psu.edu
Personal website: kinseybice.com