Jon Sprouse

Jon Sprouse is a Professor of Psychology at New York University Abu Dhabi. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland and an A.B. from Princeton University. His research focuses on experimental syntax, exploring the combinatorial nature of language syntax and its implementation in the brain. He employs methods like acceptability judgments, EEG, fMRI, and computational modeling to investigate syntactic hypotheses. Recent work includes studies on cliticization in Italian, island effects in multiple languages, and neuroimaging of syntactic dependencies. He has led projects on sustained anterior negativity responses and published extensively in journals like Language and Natural Language and Linguistic Theory.

His research integrates theoretical syntax with experimental evidence, emphasizing data-driven approaches to linguistic inquiry. He has edited the Oxford Handbook of Experimental Syntax and contributed to foundational debates on acceptability judgments' validity. His lab members collaborate on projects combining behavioral experiments with neuroimaging techniques.