Prof. LI Ping, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies

Leveraging Emerging Technologies for the Study of Language, Cognition, and the Brain. EdUHK-THU Education Forum: Future Education and Learning. The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) and Tsinghua University (THU), The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 13-14 June 2025.

Abstract
In an era of rapid developments in genAI and digital technology, many fields are facing significant challenges or even crisis. In studying language learning and education, we must combine the latest techniques and emerging technologies to study the behavioral and neurocognitive representations of native and non-native languages. For example, we can use neurocomputational theories to study individual differences in processing; we can build VR/xR platforms that simulate the acquisition process and motivate learning in a real world-like natural environment; and we can study how human learners, compared with AI models, more effectively integrate multimodal information in social interactive contexts, and how such interactive processes enable some to learn more effectively than others. To achieve these goals, we need to collect and use high-quality domain-specific data (unlike what genAI models do), linguistic and non-linguistic processing data, and real-time multimodal learning data. We can also leverage genAI to develop evidence-based, personalized, pedagogical designs for language learning, processing, and representation.