Vicky Lai

Associate Professor, Cognition & Neural Systems

Interim Director, Cognitive Science Program

Associate Professor, Cognitive Science Program

Faculty, Second Language Acquisition and Teaching Program

Courtesy Faculty, Department of Linguistics

Director, Cognitive Neuroscience of Language Laboratory

Psychology 456 (Office)

Links

Research Interests:

Figurative language: How do people comprehend metaphors, irony, and idioms? What is the role of metaphor in embodied cognition? Can metaphors help abstract, science concept learning? What are the social-affective functions of metaphors and irony?
Emotion and language: How is emotion encoded in language? How do language activities such as reading give rise to emotion? How do readers’ mood states influence meaning making in language? Do older adults understand and produce emotional language differently from younger adults?
Language and thought: Do the language(s) we speak influence how we perceive and reason about the world?

Updated: 09/19/22

Selected Publications:

Yu, Y., Krebs, L., Beeman, M., & Lai, V. T. (2025). Hidden Brain States Reveal the Temporal Dynamics of Neural Oscillations During Metaphor Generation and Their Role in Verbal Creativity. Psychophysiology, 62(2), e70023.
Lai, V.T., Pfeifer, V., & Ku, L.C. (2024). Emotional language processing: An individual differences approach. Psychology of Learning and Motivation - Advances in Research and Theory, 80, 73-104.
Lai, V. T., Hubbard, R., Ku, L. C., & Pfeifer, V. (2023). Electrophysiology of non-literal language. Language electrified: Principles, methods, and future perspectives of investigation, 613-646.

Courses Taught:

*Year listed indicates when this individual last taught the specified course.

Updated: 07/15/25