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 Reed College, 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 2024
- Both of the papers we submitted to CogSci 2024 were accepted for poster presentation, with full-paper publication in the proceedings. See you in Rotterdam!
- Kevin Holmes, Lena Kassin, and collaborator Steve Flusberg (Vassar) will be presenting our work on lexical framing and eyewitness memory.
- Kevin also co-authored a paper with Tyler Marghetis and Alyssa Ortega (UC Merced) on cross-cultural diversity in spatial cognition.
- The lab's work will be featured in two other CogSci posters as well, one on linguistic distancing and emotion regulation (with co-authors Lena Kassin, Daniela Buchillon-Almeida, and Enriqueta Canseco-Gonzalez) and one on framing effects in large language models (with Steve Flusberg).
- Exciting news from recent lab alumni!
- Siri Krishnamurthy '22 is starting a Ph.D. in psychology at the University of Oregon this fall, studying the cognitive and clinical neuroscience of memory.
- Sarah Wu '23 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!
March 2024
- One of Kevin Holmes' sabbatical projects is an integrative review article on the psychology of linguistic framing, written with lead author Steve Flusberg as well as Paul Thibodeau, Robin Nabi, and Teenie Matlock. Our paper is now in press at Psychological Science in the Public Interest!
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—was published in Frontiers in Communication!
November 2023
- Sarah Wu presented a poster on her thesis research at Psychonomics in San Francisco!
August 2023
- Tony Shan started a Ph.D. program in cognitive science at UC Merced!
July 2023
- The lab was well represented at CogSci in Sydney, Australia! Lena Kassin presented a poster in person, Emerson Schimmel presented a virtual poster, and Kevin Holmes gave a talk in the Elman Prize symposium honoring Teenie Matlock.
June 2023
- Kevin Holmes co-authored a paper with Christy Wilson-Mendenhall on use-inspired basic research in Affective Science. He also gave a talk on the framing effects of identity language at SPSSI 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 James McKeen Cattell Sabbatical Fellowship. A blurb about the research he's pursuing during his sabbatical year appeared in the APS Observer.