Cognitive Ageing and Language Comprehension: Insights from Eye-Tracking and EEG

About the Project

With populations living longer worldwide, understanding how healthy ageing affects cognition is a pressing challenge. Reading is a vital skill, central to independence and wellbeing. Although ageing is linked to changes in visual and cognitive abilities, the neural mechanisms remain poorly understood. This PhD will address this gap by investigating how ageing shapes the behavioural and neural processes that support reading.

The project will use synchronised eye-tracking and EEG to examine behavioural and neural signatures of reading. By combining these methods, the research will provide new insights into how cognitive and language processes are affected by ageing. Based in the School of Psychology and Vision Sciences, the project will use state-of-the-art EEG and eye-tracking facilities. Our group is internationally recognised for pioneering these methods in the study of ageing and reading.

The successful applicant will have scope to shape their PhD within one of the following areas:

Ageing & Language Processing: How ageing affects word recognition, syntactic processing, and semantic interpretation.

Cognitive Benefits of Second Language Learning: Whether learning a second language can delay decline and enhance resilience.

Working Memory & Vocabulary Acquisition: The role of working memory in vocabulary learning in older readers.

Training will be provided in experimental design, eye-tracking, EEG, and advanced statistical modelling (mixed-effects models in R). The supervisory team has a strong record of international collaboration and publications. The student will be supported to present at conferences, collaborate with partner laboratories, and publish in leading journals.

This project would suit candidates with interests in cognitive psychology, neuroscience, psycholinguistics, or ageing research, who are motivated to develop strong technical and analytical skills.

Techniques that will be undertaken during the project

• High-precision eye movement recording
• Electro-encephalography
• Co-registration of eye movements and EEG
• Linear mixed-effect modelling in the R programming environment

Enquiries

Project Enquiries to kbp3@leicester.ac.uk

To apply please use the application link at the bottom of this web page Psychology and Vision Sciences | Postgraduate research | University of Leicester

Funding Notes

This project is only available on a self funded basis or if you have your own sponsorship.