About
Established in 2020 by Dr. Shanna Kousaie, the Cognitive Neuroscience of Bilingualism Lab is composed of graduate students, honours students, research assistants, and volunteers.
Research in the lab uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and behavioural measures to understand the links between bilingual language experience, cognition, and brain structure and function.
Currently, we are collecting data for the study "Multimodal measures of the interaction between cognition and language experience". If you are between the ages of 18 and 35, are monolingual or English-French bilingual, and are interested in participating in this study please contact cogneuro.bilingualism@uottawa.ca.
We are also commencing a new study “Neurocognitive measures of the impact of language experience on cognitive reserve in aging and cognitive impairment” that is examining the influence and mechanism(s) of bilingual language experience as a protective factor in cognitive aging.
The lab is also interested in developing an objective way to measure relative language proficiency using speech samples collected from participants in different past and ongoing studies in the lab.
Students interested in volunteering, completing an Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) project, an honours thesis, or graduate studies with the Cognitive Neuroscience of Bilingualism Lab should contact Dr. Shanna Kousaie.
Dr. Kousaie can supervise graduate students in the Clinical and Experimental Psychology program as well as undergraduate students completing their honours thesis.
Please include your contact information, transcript, and CV.
Thank you for your interest in our lab!
Research Activities
Are you interested in participating in Cognitive and neuroscience research? Take a look at our current projects! All of our projects have a cash compensation when you complete the study!
Multimodal measures of the interaction between cognition and language experience (18-35)
This study aims to understand the links between bilingual language experience, cognition, and brain structure and function. The study consists of three sessions:
- Behavioural
- EEG
- MRI.
Once all of the sessions are complete, you will receive a cash compensation as a thank you for helping our research and you will also receive an image of your brain!
If you are between the ages of 18 and 35, are monolingual or English-French bilingual, and are interested in participating in this study please contact cogneuro.bilingualism@uottawa.ca.
Neurocognitive measures of the impact of language experience on cognitive reserve in aging and cognitive impairment (65+)
This upcoming study is examining the influence and mechanism(s) of bilingual language experience as a protective factor in cognitive aging. This activity consists of two sessions:
- Behavioural and EEG
- MRI
This activity is looking for English-French bilingual individuals aged 65+.
Dr. Shanna Kousaie
Lab Director
Assistant Professor
Somayya Saleemi
Doctoral Student
Somayya Saleemi (she/her) is a Doctoral student at the University of Ottawa in the Clinical Psychology program. Her research is focused on the effects of bilingualism on cognition and aging. Other areas of interest include child psychology, clinical neuropsychology, and research ethics.
She completed her Hons. BSc. in Psychology from York University in Toronto, followed by an Ontario Post Graduate Certificate in Clinical Research from Humber College.
In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, swimming, and spending time with her three cats named Potter, Weasley, and Hermione.
Jasmine Lee
Doctoral Student
Jasmine is pursuing her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa. Her thesis research explores neurocognition, bilingualism and executive functioning across the lifespan, with a focus on bilingualism as a mitigating factor in neurodegeneration in aging.
Prior to her current studies, she completed her B.A. & Sc. in Honours Cognitive Science and M.Sc. in Neuroscience at McGill University.
Lauren Cooper-Ballinger
Honours Student
Lauren is a 4th year in the BSc Psychology program at uOttawa. She previously volunteered with the CNB lab, and she is very interested in the neuroscientific approach towards language and cognition.
Patrice Yazdanyar
Lab Coordinator
Patrice graduated with an Honours B.A. in Psychology in 2021 at the University of Ottawa; he completed his Honours Thesis in the Cognitive Aging and Driving Laboratory. Patrice is currently the lab coordinator for the CNB lab and the Child Development Laboratories.
Melody Shabani
Research Assistant
Melody is a 2nd year Health Sciences Honours student at the University of Ottawa. She volunteers in the CNB lab, helping to test participants using the EEG. She is interested in learning and using different methods of neurocognitive testing such as the electroencephalogram, behavioral testing and MRI, in the hope of gaining further insights into the underlying relationships between bilingualism and neurocognition.
Sofia Thivierge
Research Assistant
Sofia is a second-year Joint Honours BA student in Psychology and Linguistics at uOttawa. Currently, she is working on developing measures of second language proficiency, based in linguistic theory, for use in bilingualism studies. She is interested in studying how language relates to both neuroanatomy and cognitive processes, as well as the impact of syntactic and semantic information on emotional processing.
Ansh Lavatre
Research Assistant
Ansh is a 3rd-year student at the University of Ottawa studying within the Honors of Health Sciences program. Helping behind the scenes, Ansh assists in keeping the general database up to date on a daily basis across the several labs within the research group. As a student fascinated by the science behind human health and functioning, he is interested in the link between neurocognition and behavioral outcomes from a qualitative and quantitative perspective.
Francesca Carraro
Research Assistant
Maria Provenzano
Research Assistant
Duru Ünal
Research Assistant
Duru is a 2nd year student in the Honours B.A. Psychology program at the uOttawa. As a research assistant in the CNB lab, she contributes to behavioral testing with both younger and older adults. Her primary interest lies in understanding the brain's structure and function, which fuels her aspiration to become a clinical psychologist. Duru is dedicated to expanding her knowledge and gaining practical experience, with the goal of one day helping individuals navigate their mental health challenges.
Talia Salzman
Research Assistant
CNB Alumni
- Younes El Hamdany (Baccalauréat en art, spécialisation psychologie ’23)
- Britney Hammell (Bachelor of Arts, Honours Psychology, minor in Health Sciences ’23)
- Emma Kazmierowski (Bachelor of Arts, Honours Psychology, minor in Linguistics ’23)
- Naya Goguen (Baccalauréat en sciences, spécialisation psychologie '22)
- Maxine Montpetit (Baccalauréat en sciences, spécialisation psychologie '22)
- Hannah Kalil (Bachelor of Arts, Honours Psychology ’22)
- Ariane Chartrand (Baccalauréat en art, spécialisation psychologie ’22)
- Anna Marinescu (Baccalauréat en art, spécialisation psychologie ’24)
News from the CNB Lab
Check out what we've been up to!
Canadian Psychological Association 2024
Jasmine showcasing her work at the Canadian Psychological Association 2024 conference!
ACFAS 2023
We were thrilled to have three of our students (Younes, Jasmine, and Anna) present their work at the ACFAS 2023 conference!
CSBBCS 2023
Here's one of our grad students, Jasmine, sharing her work at CSBBCS 2023!
Centre for Research on the Brain, Language and Music, Montreal
We were so excited to see Jasmine give a talk on De-mystifying Knowledge Translation at the Centre for Research on the Brain, Language and Music in Montreal!