Prof. LI Ping, Department of Language Science and Technology

Leveraging AI and Emerging Technologies for the Study of Neurocognition of Chinese and Other Languages. The 19th International Conference on the Processing of East Asian Languages (ICPEAL 2025). South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China, 12 – 14 December 2025.

Abstract
In an era of rapid developments in generative AI (genAI) and digital technology, many fields are facing
significant challenges. In psycholinguistics and the neuroscience of language studies, we must combine the latest techniques and emerging technologies to examine the computational and neurocognitive mechanisms
underlying language learning and processing. For example, we can use neurocomputational methods to study individual differences in language processing; we can build VR/xR platforms that simulate the acquisition process and motivate learning in a real world-like natural but controlled environment; and we can study how human learners, compared with AI models, more efficiently integrate multimodal information in social contexts, and how such social 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 multi-sensory learning data. We can also leverage genAI to develop evidence-based, personalized, pedagogical designs for foreign language learning and representation. Theoretical and educational implications of our findings on language, reading, and the brain will be discussed in light of current technological and scientific developments.