معرفی
Penny Pexman is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Calgary and incoming Vice-President (Research) at Western University. She holds a BA, MA, and PhD from Western University (1992–1998). Her primary research focuses on cognitive development, psycholinguistics, and the neural bases of language processing, particularly abstract/concrete word meanings, sound symbolism, and non-literal language comprehension (e.g., sarcasm, irony). Pexman leads the Language Processing Lab and has held senior administrative roles including Associate Vice-President (Research) at the University of Calgary. She is an elected Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association and Association for Psychological Science.
- Education: BA '92, MA '93, PhD '98 (Western University)
- Affiliations: Calgary Postdoctoral Program Director, Women in Cognitive Science Canada Co-Founder
Her research explores how language conveys meaning through experimental and neuroimaging methods. Key themes include embodied cognition, semantic richness effects, and developmental pathways for abstract concepts. Pexman has pioneered studies on name symbolism influencing hiring perceptions and the cognitive mechanisms behind non-literal language processing.
Her scientific contributions include over 150 peer-reviewed articles and editorial leadership (e.g., Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology editor, 2013–2018). Awards recognize her mentorship and interdisciplinary research promoting diversity in STEM.
- Awards: CPA/APA Fellowships, NSERC/SSHRC grants
- Advising/Grants: Supervised numerous graduate students, managed $21M research budget at Western
Pexman’s lab develops semantic databases (e.g., verb norms, concreteness ratings) and investigates cross-cultural aspects of irony comprehension. She advocates for postdoctoral scholar professional development and gender equity in cognitive science.
