I am Stefan Frank, associate professor at Radboud University, and I research how people understand sentences, especially the role that statistical patterns in language play in this. (Text continues below).
Did you know that, in less than a second, we can express our thoughts in complex movements of our mouth and tongue or hands? This amazing efficiency of our brain fascinates me again and again.
You may not realise it, but language is full of patterns. One example is that in Dutch we often put the verb at the end of the sentence. In English, this is not the case and this difference in word order leads to differences in how people understand and process sentences.
These patterns are used by AI systems, such as chatbots, which learn by processing huge amounts of language data. I would like to know whether knowledge of these patterns is also reflected in how people understand sentences. While models like chatbots are impressive, they do not mimic a human brain. They have no consciousness, no will and no understanding of the language they produce. They are statistical machines that recognise and reproduce patterns.
I am currently doing research on bilingualism. Knowledge of one language affects understanding of the other and people who speak two languages do not have a separate system for each language. Their languages constantly influence each other. I try to describe this phenomenon using computational models that learn statistical patterns.
What surprises me most about the brain is the efficiency with which it processes language, effortlessly pulling together the relevant knowledge and information to understand the speaker's intention.
Of course, research comes with challenges. Securing funding, for instance, is highly competitive, and I have faced my share of rejections. Yet perseverance has allowed me to pursue my passion for uncovering the mysteries of language. My motivation comes from curiosity and the challenge of solving complex puzzles. I find the process of formulating a question, designing a study, analysing data and sharing the results immensely fascinating. I am proud of my PhD thesis, which continues to inspire researchers even 20 years after its publication. Equally rewarding is seeing my PhD candidates make their own meaningful contributions to science.
What I hope visitors to the Brain Museum learn is to be amazed by what humans can do with their cognition and somewhat less impressed by what chatbots seem to be able to do. Let's appreciate the unique capabilities of the human brain and celebrate the magic of language!
People of Donders
Behind every scientific discovery lies a story. A story of scientists and staff driven by curiosity and perseverance. What motivates them to delve into the complex world of the brain day in and day out? What continues to fascinate them? What challenges do they face? And what does their work mean to them personally? In the People of Donders series you will meet the people behind the science, discover their passions, and learn what they think is most fascinating about our brains.