A reviewer once told me my results were significant but the effect sizes were too modest. New blog post on why small effects in lexical research aren't a consolation prize. They're a signal that survived centuries of noise. alexanderkilpatrick.github.io/posts/2026/06/small-effects/

This is my new website: alexanderkilpatrick.github.io

Language isn’t optimized just for efficiency. This study shows that phonological surprisal systematically marks vivid meanings—slowing processing but strengthening memory. Surprisal isn’t noise; it’s how language directs attention. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Say it like you mean it: Linguistic vividness and the attentional optimization hypothesis

This study investigates whether phonemic Surprisal in English words is systematically elevated for semantically vivid meanings, extending prior resear…

sciencedirect.com

Following up from yesterday. Here is a link to a The Conversation article about my research: theconversation.com/some-words-a...

Some words affect us more than others. It boils down to how they sound

Not all words are created equal – and those that sound more surprising are more likely to grab our attention and stick in our memory.

theconversation.com

American English words that are specific, imaginable, or concrete tend to be made up of surprising phonological sequences. We propose the Attentional Optimization Hypothesis to explain this. Say it like you mean it: www.sciencedirect.com/.../pii/S001...

Clarification: Summaries of my paper “What AI Might Teach Us About the Origin of Human Language” (arXiv:2301.06211) have appeared on ResearchBunny and in their promotional material. I was unaware of them until recently and I did not commission, fund, or collaborate on these posts.

I made this. It's about how, in at American English, words that are semantically vivid, tend to be made up of more unpredictable sequences of phonemes and explores the processing effects of this. The study is currently under review so it might be nonsense 😁. youtu.be/MmwaKjoUpy8

Information Theory: The Attentional Optimization Hypothesis

YouTube video by alex kilpatrick

youtu.be

🔍 What happens when the sounds in a word are unexpected? Our new study explores how phonemic surprisal—the unpredictability of phonemes—shapes how we process, remember, and evolve words. 📄 Published in @PLOSOne 🔗 doi.org/10.1371/jour... #psycholinguistics #informationtheory

Exploring the dynamics of Shannon’s information and iconicity in language processing and lexeme evolution

This two-part meta-study explores the relationship of Shannon’s information and iconicity in American English, with a focus on their implications for cognitive processing and the evolution of lexemes....

doi.org

This study has been my obsession for two years. It uncovers a fascinating link between iconicity, Shannon’s information, and language processing. Now a preprint—successfully through first review round. Call me Ishmael. www.researchgate.net/publication/...

(PDF) Exploring the Dynamics of Shannon's Information and Iconicity in Language Processing and Lexeme Evolution

PDF | This two-part meta-study explores the relationship of Shannon's information and iconicity in American English, with a focus on their implications... | Find, read and cite all the research you ne...

researchgate.net

Obligatory publication post: American English words with negative valence carry more Shannon's information. Both increased information and negative valence are associated with higher accuracy in a memory recognition experiment. pubs.aip.org/asa/jel/arti...

I'm presenting at the first workshop on computational humor tomorrow. Here is my practice run for the study: "The Exception of Humor: Iconicity, Phonemic Surprisal, Memory Recall, and Emotional Associations" Alexander Kilpatrick and Maria Flaksman. youtu.be/mX-oErhmIKQ?...

1st Workshop on Computational Humor-Kilpatrick & Flaksman

YouTube video by alex kilpatrick

youtu.be

Conference proceeding for the 1st workshop on computational humor. The exception of humour: Words with negative associations are both more surprising and memorable; however, humorous words-which are stochastically positive-are also surprising and memorable. www.researchgate.net/publication/...

(PDF) The exception of humour: Iconicity, Phonemic Surprisal, Memory Recall, and Emotional Associations

PDF | This meta-study explores the relationships between humor, phonemic bigram surprisal, emotional valence, and memory recall. Prior research... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on Re...

researchgate.net

Alongside being a serious academic document, Maria Flaksman's "An Etymological Dictionary of English Imitative Words" is a super entertaining read. www.peterlang.com/document/136...

Peter Lang Verlag - An Etymological Dictionary of English Imitative Words

This Dictionary is the first etymological dictionary of English imitative (onomato-poeic, mimetic) words. Imitative words (e.g. crash, bang, achoo) are ...

peterlang.com

My latest research, "The Negativity Bias is Encoded in Language," shows that American English reinforces negative valence, making words with negative meanings more surprising and memorable. Read it here: www.researchgate.net/publication/...

(PDF) The Negativity Bias is Encoded in Language

PDF | This study investigates the relationship between emotional valence, phonemic bigram surprisal, and memory in American English. We hypothesize that... | Find, read and cite all the research you n...

researchgate.net