Gerry Altmann

Gerry Altmann is a Professor and Director of Perception, Action, and Cognition in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Connecticut. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh in 1986. His research employs behavioral and neuroscientific methods to investigate real-time language processing, event cognition, and object representation dynamics.

His research focuses on:

• Sentence processing and language comprehension mechanisms
• Event cognition and mental representation of object histories
• Real-time mapping between language and visual environments
• Neural correlates of language processing using EEG and fMRI

Recent publications (2019-2025) demonstrate methodological diversity including eye-tracking, EEG, computational modeling, and behavioral paradigms. Predominant themes include event representation, neural dynamics of language processing, and cognitive architectures supporting abstract concept formation.

Honors include:

• Founding Director of the CT Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences (2015-2021)
• Editor-in-Chief of Cognition (2006-2015)
• Honorary Secretary of the UK's Experimental Psychology Society (2004-2007)

He has supervised numerous graduate students including doctoral candidate Emily Yearling and master's student Wesley Leong. Recent graduates include Julia Mocciola, Katrina Turick, and Yanina Prystauka.

Dr. Altmann directs the Altmann Lab at UConn, which uses eye-tracking, EEG, and fMRI to study language processing. The lab is affiliated with the CT Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences and includes postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate researchers.