RESEARCH IN SPATIAL MEANING
Spatial language use across languages and development as a reflection of semantic structure
This work examines the ways in which speakers' use of spatial expressions, including preposition-based expressions like "is in/on" and lexical verb-based expressions like "is hanging from/sticking to", reflect how they conceptualized diverse spatial relations between objects. Our results suggest that although most languages have only a small inventory of spatial expressions, we can still use language to uncover nuanced structure in the underlying conceptual space. To do this, we rely on the observation that some relations are better described by an expression (like "is on") than other relations. That is, speakers do not use a single spatial expression with equal probability across relations - and we see this reflected in the relative frequency with which they use particular expressions across their descriptions of many relations.
Spatial language use across languages and development as a reflection of semantic structure
This work examines the ways in which speakers' use of spatial expressions, including preposition-based expressions like "is in/on" and lexical verb-based expressions like "is hanging from/sticking to", reflect how they conceptualized diverse spatial relations between objects. Our results suggest that although most languages have only a small inventory of spatial expressions, we can still use language to uncover nuanced structure in the underlying conceptual space. To do this, we rely on the observation that some relations are better described by an expression (like "is on") than other relations. That is, speakers do not use a single spatial expression with equal probability across relations - and we see this reflected in the relative frequency with which they use particular expressions across their descriptions of many relations.
Papers
Johannes, K., Wang, J., Papafragou, A., & Landau, B. (to appear). Systematicity and variation in the distribution of spatial expressions in three distinct languages. Proceedings of the 37th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society.
Landau, B., Johannes, K., Skordos, D., & Papafragou, A. (under review). Universality and variation in the representation of Containment and Support: Evidence from English- and Greek-speaking children and adults
Johannes, K., Wilson, C., & Landau, B. (submitted). Lexical verbs and the development of spatial language
Talks
Johannes, K. (October, 2014). Revisiting the case for underspecified spatial meanings. Paper presented at the Mid Atlantic Conference on Studies in Meaning, Rutgers University, NJ.
Johannes, K.*, Wilson, C., & Landau, B. (November, 2012). Modelling Verb Choice in Spatial Language: Refining the Learning Problem for English. Paper presented at the Boston University Conference on Language Development, Boston, MA.
*recipient of the Paula Menyuk Award, Boston University Conference on Language Development
Johannes, K., Wang, J., Papafragou, A., & Landau, B. (to appear). Systematicity and variation in the distribution of spatial expressions in three distinct languages. Proceedings of the 37th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society.
Landau, B., Johannes, K., Skordos, D., & Papafragou, A. (under review). Universality and variation in the representation of Containment and Support: Evidence from English- and Greek-speaking children and adults
Johannes, K., Wilson, C., & Landau, B. (submitted). Lexical verbs and the development of spatial language
Talks
Johannes, K. (October, 2014). Revisiting the case for underspecified spatial meanings. Paper presented at the Mid Atlantic Conference on Studies in Meaning, Rutgers University, NJ.
Johannes, K.*, Wilson, C., & Landau, B. (November, 2012). Modelling Verb Choice in Spatial Language: Refining the Learning Problem for English. Paper presented at the Boston University Conference on Language Development, Boston, MA.
*recipient of the Paula Menyuk Award, Boston University Conference on Language Development
Lexical and compositional semantics of path-denoting expressions
This work uses tools from formal semantics to examine the scalar information associated with paths. Analyzing sentences like "The train traveled partly along the river", I propose two types of path-related scales that are derived from two different sources. First, paths have a distance-based scale that is contributed by the event of traveling, which necessarily invokes a path. Modification of this scale by an adverb like "partly" gives a reading in which part of the distance that the train traveled was (directly) along the river. This distance scale contrasts with a second property-based scale, derived from the spatial relations between paths and objects and captured in the meaning of expressions like "along the river" in English. Modification of this scale by "partly" leads to an interpretation in which the (entire) path of the train's route was only somewhat parallel to the river.
Papers
Johannes, K. (to appear). Paths and gradability: Spatial scales in event descriptions.
Talks
Johannes, K. (April, 2011). The role of scales in PPs and motion events. Paper presented at the Verb Scalarity Workshop, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Johannes, K. (January, 2011). Conceptual constraints on the modification of path-denoting expressions in English. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America, Pittsburg, PA.
SECONDARY WORK AND COLLABORATIONS
Semantics of oriented adverbs
in collaboration with C. Beller, M. Oliver, K. Rawlins, & E. Zaroukian, Department of Cognitive Science, JHU
This work used formal semantic tools to examine the meaning contribution of a class of Beneficent adverbs (including "kindly", "generously", "politely", and "selfishly") in sentences like "John kindly invited Mary" and "Kindly, John invited Mary". We propose that these adverbs encode a beneficiary role, the source of which varies by attachment height. In the first (low-attached) example, the beneficiary is supplied by the verb argument: Mary benefits from John's kindness. However, in the second (high-attached) example, the beneficiary need not be Mary, but, rather, is supplied by context.
Beller, C., Johannes, K., Oliver, M., Zaroukian, E., & Rawlins, K. Oriented Adverbs. (January, 2013). Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America, Boston, MA.
Applied corpus linguistics in teaching and instructional supervision
in collaboration with E. Pajak, Johns Hopkins School of Education
This work focused on understanding differences in the educational concepts of teaching and instruction by examining how speakers implicitly differentiate these concepts in their everyday language use. To do this, we used large corpora of text to measure the distribution of "teach" and "instruct" with the modifiers "good" and "effective", which show sensitivity to the meanings of the words they modify. We discovered that the distribution and meaning of the phrases good/effective teaching/instruction in everyday conversation differentiated teaching, as a value-laden concept, from instruction, as a procedural concept. These findings have wide application in the fields of Education and, specifically, Instructional Supervision.
Johannes, K.*, & Pajak, E. (October, 2013). Disentangling Good and Effective Teaching and Instruction through Corpus Analysis. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Council of Professors of Instructional Supervision, Pennsylvania State University, PA.
*recipient of the Arthur Blumberg Scholar Award, Council of Professors of Instructional Supervision
Statistical learning and temporal attention
in collaboration with S. Park, M. Levine, Department of Cognitive Science, JHU
This work investigates a well-known phenomenon in temporal attention: the Attentional Blink (AB). The (AB) effect is sensitive to a range of semantic and goal-directed relationships between target items. We hypothesize that the AB effect can be mediated by learned temporal association between targets. Using statistical learning as a tool to manipulate temporal association across items, we observed that exposure to different kinds of statistical structure between two targets attenuated the AB effect to varying degrees.
Johannes, K., Levine, M., & Park, S. (November, 2013). Trained statistical structure among targets attenuates the Attentional Blink. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting on Object Perception, Attention, and Memory, Toronto, ON.
Johannes, K., Levine, M., & Park, S. (in preparation). Trained statistical structure among targets attenuates the Attentional Blink
Affect, attention and memory
in collaboration with H. Chapman, A. Anderson, & M. Moskovitch, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto
This work examines the extent to which different emotional categories could have distinct effects on attention and subsequent memory, over and above dimensional influences in arousal and valence. We tested this possibility by investigating the impact of two negative, highly arousing, and withdrawal-related emotions: disgust and fear. We found enhanced recall and recognition memory for disgusting photographs, compared to neutral photographs and fearful photographs matched for valence and arousal. Disgust enhancement of memory remained significant even when controlling for attention at encoding and for arousal, visual salience, and conceptual distinctiveness. We speculate that disgust enhancement of memory could arise from an origin in conditioned taste aversion, a highly enduring form of implicit memory
Chapman, H. A., Johannes, K., Poppenk, J., Moscovitch, M., & Anderson, A. K. (2013). Evidence for the differential salience of disgust and fear in episodic memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
Johannes, K. (to appear). Paths and gradability: Spatial scales in event descriptions.
Talks
Johannes, K. (April, 2011). The role of scales in PPs and motion events. Paper presented at the Verb Scalarity Workshop, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Johannes, K. (January, 2011). Conceptual constraints on the modification of path-denoting expressions in English. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America, Pittsburg, PA.
SECONDARY WORK AND COLLABORATIONS
Semantics of oriented adverbs
in collaboration with C. Beller, M. Oliver, K. Rawlins, & E. Zaroukian, Department of Cognitive Science, JHU
This work used formal semantic tools to examine the meaning contribution of a class of Beneficent adverbs (including "kindly", "generously", "politely", and "selfishly") in sentences like "John kindly invited Mary" and "Kindly, John invited Mary". We propose that these adverbs encode a beneficiary role, the source of which varies by attachment height. In the first (low-attached) example, the beneficiary is supplied by the verb argument: Mary benefits from John's kindness. However, in the second (high-attached) example, the beneficiary need not be Mary, but, rather, is supplied by context.
Beller, C., Johannes, K., Oliver, M., Zaroukian, E., & Rawlins, K. Oriented Adverbs. (January, 2013). Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America, Boston, MA.
Applied corpus linguistics in teaching and instructional supervision
in collaboration with E. Pajak, Johns Hopkins School of Education
This work focused on understanding differences in the educational concepts of teaching and instruction by examining how speakers implicitly differentiate these concepts in their everyday language use. To do this, we used large corpora of text to measure the distribution of "teach" and "instruct" with the modifiers "good" and "effective", which show sensitivity to the meanings of the words they modify. We discovered that the distribution and meaning of the phrases good/effective teaching/instruction in everyday conversation differentiated teaching, as a value-laden concept, from instruction, as a procedural concept. These findings have wide application in the fields of Education and, specifically, Instructional Supervision.
Johannes, K.*, & Pajak, E. (October, 2013). Disentangling Good and Effective Teaching and Instruction through Corpus Analysis. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Council of Professors of Instructional Supervision, Pennsylvania State University, PA.
*recipient of the Arthur Blumberg Scholar Award, Council of Professors of Instructional Supervision
Statistical learning and temporal attention
in collaboration with S. Park, M. Levine, Department of Cognitive Science, JHU
This work investigates a well-known phenomenon in temporal attention: the Attentional Blink (AB). The (AB) effect is sensitive to a range of semantic and goal-directed relationships between target items. We hypothesize that the AB effect can be mediated by learned temporal association between targets. Using statistical learning as a tool to manipulate temporal association across items, we observed that exposure to different kinds of statistical structure between two targets attenuated the AB effect to varying degrees.
Johannes, K., Levine, M., & Park, S. (November, 2013). Trained statistical structure among targets attenuates the Attentional Blink. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting on Object Perception, Attention, and Memory, Toronto, ON.
Johannes, K., Levine, M., & Park, S. (in preparation). Trained statistical structure among targets attenuates the Attentional Blink
Affect, attention and memory
in collaboration with H. Chapman, A. Anderson, & M. Moskovitch, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto
This work examines the extent to which different emotional categories could have distinct effects on attention and subsequent memory, over and above dimensional influences in arousal and valence. We tested this possibility by investigating the impact of two negative, highly arousing, and withdrawal-related emotions: disgust and fear. We found enhanced recall and recognition memory for disgusting photographs, compared to neutral photographs and fearful photographs matched for valence and arousal. Disgust enhancement of memory remained significant even when controlling for attention at encoding and for arousal, visual salience, and conceptual distinctiveness. We speculate that disgust enhancement of memory could arise from an origin in conditioned taste aversion, a highly enduring form of implicit memory
Chapman, H. A., Johannes, K., Poppenk, J., Moscovitch, M., & Anderson, A. K. (2013). Evidence for the differential salience of disgust and fear in episodic memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.