How does language reflect and shape the way we think?
What is the nature of abstract concepts?
How do people reason about complex, real-world issues?
These are among the questions that guide research in the Thought Lab at 91麻豆精品, directed by Dr. Kevin Holmes. Drawing on tools from experimental psychology and insights from the multidisciplinary field of cognitive science, we strive to better understand human thought and the processes underlying it.
Lab News
April 2026
- We have another new paper out! This one is on the mental models people construct when comprehending language. It's in the Journal of Memory and Language with collaborators from Bowdoin College.
March 2026
- New paper out in Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, based on Sarah Wu's thesis! We show that believing music was AI-generated can dampen the listening experience.
January 2026
- Our new paper on syntactic framing and pragmatic inference—co-authored by Kevin Holmes, three lab alumni (Sarah Wu, Nan Elpers, and Evan Doherty), and collaborator —is out in Psychonomic Bulletin & Review!
July 2025
- Current and former lab members convened in San Francisco for CogSci 2025! Amalia Shapira and Daniela Buchillon-Almeida presented posters on their thesis work. A few weeks earlier at the SPSSI conference in Portland, Signe Slaughter presented a poster as well.
June 2025
- Lab alum Andrew Kirvin-Quamme spearheaded a project reassessing the conclusions of a recent, high-profile study on decision-making in people with ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome). —the product of a close collaboration between patients and scientists—is out in Frontiers in Psychology!
April 2025
- Several of our thesis students will be presenting their research at conferences this summer! At the conference in Portland, Signe Slaughter will present on linguistic framing in LGBTQ+ "panic" defenses. At in San Francisco, Amalia Shapira and Kati Wolcott will present on generic language about social categories, and Daniela Buchillon-Almeida will present on linguistic distancing in Spanish. The lab will also be represented at CogSci by a poster on event representation in language comprehension—a collaboration with and of Bowdoin College.
December 2024
- Kevin Holmes collaborated with , , and on a comprehensive, multidisciplinary review of research on linguistic framing. Our paper is now out in Psychological Science in the Public Interest and is featured in an APS Observer .
September 2024
- Our paper on linguistic distancing and emotion regulation in English and Spanish—co-authored by Kevin Holmes, Lena Kassin, Daniela Buchillon-Almeida, and Enriqueta Canseco-Gonzalez—is out in Scientific Reports!
- Gor Hakobyan and Kati Wolcott presented their summer work at Reed's Summer Research Poster Session!
July 2024
- The lab presented a quartet of posters at in Rotterdam!
May 2024
- Kevin Holmes was named a of the .
April 2024
- Both of the papers we submitted to were accepted for poster presentation, with full-paper publication in the proceedings. Two other member abstracts from the lab will also be presented as posters. See you in Rotterdam!
- Sarah Wu is joining the Stanford Social Media Lab as a predoctoral research fellow, studying AI-mediated communication.
- Kevin visited Vassar College and was a guest speaker in Steve Flusberg's Language in Action class. He also got to hang out with Steve's dog, Dany!
February 2024
- Kevin Holmes gave a virtual talk on linguistic framing as part of the UC San Diego Cognitive Science Department's winter seminar series on Metaphor and Cognition.
December 2023
- Our paper based on Ella Rook's thesis research—on how language shapes anti-fat bias—is out in Frontiers in Communication!
November 2023
- Sarah Wu presented a poster on her thesis research at in San Francisco!
August 2023
- Liantao (Tony) Shan started a Ph.D. program in cognitive science at UC Merced!
July 2023
- The lab was well represented at in Sydney, Australia! Lena Kassin presented a poster in person, Emerson Schimmel presented a virtual poster, and Kevin Holmes gave a talk in the symposium honoring .
June 2023
- Kevin Holmes co-authored a paper with on use-inspired basic research in Affective Science. He also gave a talk on the framing effects of identity language at in Denver.
May 2023
- Enriqueta Canseco-Gonzalez concluded her remarkable 31-year career at Reed!
- Ari Goldstein, Molly Moir, Tony Shan, and Sarah Wu successfully completed their senior theses!
March 2023
- Kevin Holmes was awarded a 2023-24 . A blurb about the research he's pursuing during his sabbatical year .