The lab includes graduate students in Basic and Applied Cognitive Science, doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers. The lab supervisor and director is Dr. Athanassios Protopapas, Associate Professor of Cognitive Science in the Department of Philosophy and History of Science at the University of Athens.

Our research focuses on language and learning processes, for example single word reading, effects of morphology and stress on word perception, implicit and explicit category learning etc. Our methodology is experimental, complemented by computational modeling. Since 2014 we also have access to eye tracking equipment (EyeLink 1000 Plus).

The questions we are trying to address include:

• What kinds of information are included in the mental lexicon, and how are they involved in word recognition?
• How does reading skill develop through practice, what factors affect it, and how can it be predicted?
• How does practice bring about improvement and automatization of cognitive skills?
• What cognitive mechanisms underlie learning through practice? do they depend on whether verbal content is involved?

Our weekly meetings take place in the department computer lab. We present and discuss our own research progress or recent published work that attracts our interest.

Experiments: We run a variety of experiments addressing aspects of perception and learning, and we always seek volunteers to participate. If you would like to help us by devoting some of your time to science, or if you need more information first, please contact us!

fMRI—As of 2012 we also carry out neuroimaging studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging technology. By taking part in a neuroimaging study you will be able to see your own brain as well as the specific areas that respond more intensely to the words or other stimuli presented during the experiment.