Sam Bond

Thesis title: A Detailed Exploration into the Constraints on Statistical Learning

Start year: 2018

Contact: 18031776@brookes.ac.uk

Supervisor(s): Dr Olivia Afonso, Dr Nayeli Gonzalez-Gomez, Dr Michael Pilling

Sam Bond

Research topic

The ability to extract statistical information from speech is an important part of language perception. We use this mechanism, statistical learning, to locate word boundaries in speech or determine rules, like grammar. We also acquire rules governing language sounds, its phonology, based on statistical properties (e.g. English words do not end in a /h/ sound). However, in phonology, not all statistical cues seem equally salient suggesting constraints on this learning mechanism. This PhD project, titled 'A Detailed Exploration into the Constraints on Statistical Learning', aims to explore such constraints using artificial languages. 

Teaching experience

Modules taught

Sam helped with teaching on the Psychology module "An Introduction to Psychological Research" (U24111).

Professional information

Conferences

Examples of conferences attended by Sam:

  • Poster presentation at 'Interdisciplinary Advances in Statistical Learning 2019', organised by the Basque Center on cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL), June 2019
  • Poster presentation at the Experimental Psychology Society (EPS) July 2019 meeting
  • Oral presentation at 'Cognitive Psychology Section & Developmental Psychology Section Joint Conference 2019', organised by the British Psychological Society (BPS), September 2019