Bayes in Bayonne: Methods Workshop for Linguistics and Cognitive Sciences (17th June, 2025)

Registration (Free!)

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Aim

Bayes in Bayonne: Methods Workshop for Linguistics and Cognitive Sciences is the first edition of what we hope will become a regular meeting point for researchers interested in the use of Bayesian inference within linguistics and cognitive sciences. This workshop was conceived to address the growing importance of Bayesian methods in these fields, offering researchers and students a space to learn, exchange ideas, and discuss cutting-edge applications.

For this inaugural event, we are thrilled to host a lineup of internationally recognized speakers whose work represents some of the most innovative and rigorous approaches to Bayesian data analysis in the cognitive and language sciences. Through their talks and tutorials, participants will gain valuable insights into both theoretical and practical aspects of Bayesian modeling, from handling complex data structures to exploring model limitations and advances.

Our aim is to foster a collaborative, welcoming environment where methodological discussions are at the center, laying the foundation for a recurring event that strengthens and connects the community working at the intersection of Bayesian statistics, linguistics, and cognitive sciences.

Invited Keynote Speakers

Dr. Bruno Nicenboim (Tilburg University)

Bruno Nicenboim is an assistant professor in the Department of Cognitive Science and AI at Tilburg University and the principal investigator of the Computational Psycholinguistics Lab. He is currently co-authoring the book An Introduction to Bayesian Data Analysis for Cognitive Science with Daniel Schad and Shravan Vasishth, to be published by CRC Press. At the workshop, he will present work-in-progress on the limitations of model comparison using Bayes factors and cross-validation for computational models. Title and abstract of the talk are to be confirmed.

Personal website

Dr. Elizabeth Pankratz (University of Edinburgh)

Elizabeth Pankratz will join the Department of Psychology at the University of Edinburgh as a lecturer in statistics this fall. At the workshop, she will present her recent work on how language users generalize linguistic rules to novel items. Using Bayesian modeling, she investigates the broader, latent population of words from which each linguistic rule may be drawn. Title and abstract of the talk are to be confirmed.

Personal website

Dr. Santiago Barreda (UC Davis)

Santiago Barreda is an associate professor in the Department of Linguistics at UC Davis and co-director of the UC Davis Phonetics Lab. He is the co-author, with Noah Silbert, of the book Bayesian Multilevel Models for Repeated Measures Data: A Conceptual and Practical Introduction in R. In his workshop presentation, he will discuss using the t-distribution to handle outliers without removing them, exploring random effects and their correlations to better understand individual differences, and fitting heteroskedastic models to predict error variability across subjects and conditions. Title and abstract of the talk are to be confirmed.

Personal website

Provisional Programme

  • 08:45 – 09:00: Reception and Opening
  • 09:00 – 10:00: Talk by Bruno Nicenboim
  • 10:00 – 10:15: Coffee Break
  • 10:15 – 11:15: Talk by Elizabeth Pankratz
  • 11:15 – 11:30: Coffee Break
  • 11:30 – 12:30: Talk by Santiago Barreda
  • 12:30 – 14:30: Lunch Break
  • 14:30 – 16:30: Hands-on Tutorial on Mixture Models by Bruno Nicenboim

Often, the data we collect is generated by multiple underlying processes relevant to our research questions. For example, reaction times in a decision task may result from the decision-making process itself (process 1) and attentional lapses (process 2), with attention loss leading to longer reaction times.

Mixture models allow us to combine these different processes into a single model, helping us understand and infer properties of each latent process. This makes it possible to answer questions about both attention and decision-making mechanisms.

See Chapter 17 of Nicenboim, Bruno; Schad, Daniel J.; & Vasishth, Shravan, Introduction to Bayesian Data Analysis for Cognitive Science, available at https://bruno.nicenboim.me/bayescogsci/.

  • 16:30 – 16:45: Coffee Break
  • 16:45 – 18:00: Poster Session / Flash Presentations

Date and Location

  • Date: June 17, 2025
  • Location: The workshop will be held on the Bayonne Campus of the University of Pau and the Adour Region.

Code of Conduct

We follow the R Conference Code of Conduct.

The organizers of the Workshop on Bayesian Statistical Methods for Linguistics and Cognitive Sciences are committed to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, race, or religion (or lack thereof).

This code of conduct applies to all conference activities, including talks, panels, workshops, and social events. Organizers will actively enforce this code and expect cooperation from all participants to help ensure a safe and respectful environment.

Funding

This workshop is made possible thanks to the support of several organizations: