Welcome to the LAAC team

The aim of the LAAC (Language Acquisition Across Cultures) team is to shed light on the mechanisms and processes involved in early language acquisition in a variety of cultures and language communities. To this end, we use an interdisciplinary approach (ranging from computational modeling to laboratory experiments and advanced data analysis) in the context of open, collaborative and publicly engaged science. We are a small team (typically < 10 people), with a supportive culture, that is accepting of cultural and individual diversity. You can read our Mission Statement here.

The people in LAAC you’ll likely interact with are:

Radhia Achheb is our head administrative. Talk to her about administrative matters (getting your convention de stage signed, getting an ENS card, etc.)
Loann Peurey, our data manager & software engineer. Talk to him about technical matters (access to the cluster, using ChildProject, etc.)
If you are missing computer hardware (cables, peripherals), you can ask Vireack Ul.
If you are missing pens, notebooks, etc - ask Radhia Achheb.

We are part of a bigger lab (~ 70 people): The Cognitive Sciences and Psycholinguistics Lab (LSCP) is a joint research unit of the School of Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales), the Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS), and the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique). The aim of the research at LSCP is to understand the psychological mechanisms underlying the acquisition and functioning of typical human cognitive functions, such as language, social cognition, and consciousness. Here’s a slightly outdated “organigramme” of the LSCP:

Organigramme LSCP

Within the LSCP, our team works closely with the Cognitive Machine Learning (CoML) team. They are physically in a different place (45 rue d’ulm).

One level up, our laboratory is located in the Department of Cognitive Studies (DEC) of the Ecole Normale Supérieure, which is part of PSL University. If your head is spinning with so many acronyms and institutions, don’t worry: It’s normal.