Tania Leal

Dept. of Spanish and Port

Mar 20, 2026

Bilingual Minds In Action: Research and Community Engagement in the Arizona Applied Psycholinguistics Lab

Davo Acevedo Cardona

M.A. Student, Human Language Technology

Carlos Krapp López

Ph.D. candidate, Spanish & Port

Mark Papag Cruz

B.A. student, College of Science

Hannia Rojas Barreda

Ph.D. student, Spanish & Port

Fabiola Urrea Salazar�B.A. Spanish | B.S. Public Health

• In our lab, students don’t just learn about bilingualism—they actively shape how we study it and help it flourish in our communities.

Big idea

• How bilingual speakers process language in real time
• Focus on Spanish in heritage and second-language contexts
• Questions about grammar, meaning, and learning

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What we

study

• Bilingualism is complex and dynamic
• Explains variability across speakers
• Connects to learning and real-world language use, especially in bilingual communities like ours (Tucson!)

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Why it matters

• Students involved at every stage of research
• Projects extend across semesters (often, years)
• Collaboration across levels

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How we

work

together

in the

lab

• Long-term research teams
• Mixed experience levels
• Real research
• Ongoing mentorship and mentorship opportunities

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A Vertically Integrated Model

• Design experiments
• Develop materials
• Run participants
• Analyze data
• Present results
• Apply for grant opportunities (even international ones!)

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What do

we

actually

do?

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What does this look like?

Pupillometry

RQ: How do bilingual speakers process Spanish mood distinctions (indicative vs. subjunctive) in real time? Do heritage speakers and L2 learners differ in how they use these grammatical cues?

What we do: Track cognitive effort during processing via pupil dilation

Why it matters:

• Mood is a well-known challenge in bilingual acquisition
• Helps us understand how grammatical knowledge is accessed
• Contributes to debates about morphology in bilingual grammars

Roles: Design the experiment, Create and norm stimuli, Code experiment, Segment and prepare audio, learn how the machine works!

Pupillometry

Statistical learning

RQ: Does the sound structure of a language make patterns easier or harder to learn?

What we do: Use artificial language learning tasks, Expose participants to patterned input, Test how they learn structures

Why it matters:

• Learning is shaped by what learners already know;
• Connects sound systems (phonology) with grammar learning
• Helps explain differences in bilingual acquisition outcomes

Roles: Design experiment, Build experimental materials, submit IRB application, apply for grants and internal and external support

Processing of new information

RQ: How do bilingual speakers use prosodic emphasis (intonation) to interpret meaning?

What we do: Manipulate prosodic prominence, Measure how participants interpret meaning

Why it matters:

• Language relies on multiple cues, not just grammar
• Bilinguals may weigh these cues differently

Roles: Build experiments, code experiments, apply for grants, present data

• Connects our lab with real-world impact (Robotics program in elementary school)
• Immersion context
• Expands access to bilingual education
• Applied student experience

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Beyond

The Lab: ��Collaboration with T&I

Beyond

The Lab: ��Collaboration with T&I

• Hands on training
• Collaboration across levels
• Professional development
• Presentation opportunities

Student Experience

• Students are not just learning about bilingualism—they are actively shaping how we understand it

Take-home message

¡Gracias!

tanialeal@arizona.edu

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