Ping Li

Sin Wai Kin Foundation Professor in Humanities and Technology

Chair Professor of Neurolinguistics and Bilingual Studies

Dean, Faculty of Humanities

Director, Laboratory for Brain, Language, and Computation

Co-Director, Centre for Immersive Learning and Metaverse in Education

Assoc. Director, University Research Facility in Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience

Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China

Office: GH801a
Phone: +852-3400-8210
E-Mail: ping2.li@polyu.edu.hk
Curriculum Vitae: PDF

Research Interests

My research aims at understanding the relationships among language, brain, and culture. In particular, my lab examines the dynamic interactions in the ecosystems of language learning and knowledge representation, and the corresponding dynamic changes in the native and non-native cross-linguistic brains. We investigate the computational and neural mechanisms underlying language acquisition and representation in both native and non-native speakers of Western languages (e.g., English) and Asian languages (e.g., Chinese). Our research identifies common and distinct cognitive and neural processes in language acquisition and representation. To achieve these goals, we rely on a variety of convergent behavioral, computational, and neuroimaging methodologies and technologies (e.g., cognitive testing, artificial neural network modeling, virtual reality, and functional magnetic resonance imaging).

Recent Publications

Yu, S., Gu, C., Huang, K., & Li, P. (2024). Predicting the next sentence (not word) in large language models: What model-brain alignment tells us about discourse comprehension. Science Advances, 1-12.
Gu, C., Peng, Y., Nastase, S. A., Mayer, R. E., & Li, P. (2024). Onscreen presence of instructors in video lectures affects learners’ neural synchrony and visual attention during multimedia learning. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(12), e2309054121.
Li, C., Jiang, Y., Ng, H.F., Dai, Y., Cheung, L. F., Chan, H. C., & Li, P. (2024). Collaborative learning in the Edu-Metaverse era: An empirical study on the enabling technologies. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies.
Li, P., & Lan, Y.J. (2021).Digital language learning (DLL): Insights from behavior, cognition, and the brain. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 1-18. (Keynote Article)
Li, P., & Dong, Y. (2020). Language experience and cognitive control: A dynamic perspective. Psychology of Learning and Motivation, 72, 27-52. (Volume: Adult and Second Language Learning, eds., K.D. Federmeier & H.-W. Huang)
Li, P., & Jeong, H. (2020). The social brain of language: Grounding second language learning in social interaction. npj Science of Learning, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-020-0068-7
Li, P., Legault, J., Klippel, A, & Zhao, J. (2020). Virtual reality for student learning: Understanding individual differences. Human Behaviour and Brain, 1, 28-36.
Li, P., & Clariana, R. (2019). Reading comprehension in L1 and L2: An integrative approach. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 50, 94-105.
Li, P., Zhang, F., Yu, A., & Zhao, X. (2019). Language History Questionnaire (LHQ3): An enhanced tool for assessing multilingual experience. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition.
Li, P., & Yang, J. (2018). Neurocognitive approaches to Chinese second language learning. In C.R. Ke (eds.), The Routledge handbook of Chinese second language acquisition (pp.11-30). Taylor & Francis: Routledge.
Li, P., & Zhao, X. (2018). Computational modeling. In de Groot, A.M.B, & Hagoort, P. (eds.), Research methods in psycholinguistics and the neurobiology of language: A practical guide (pp. 208-229). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Li, P., Schloss, B., & Follmer, J. (2017). Speaking two “languages” in America: A semantic space analysis of how presidential candidates and their supporters represent abstract political concepts differently. Behavior Research Method, 49, 1668-1685.