Khiela J Holmes
Biographic Data
| ID | 213215 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Khiela J Holmes |
| GIVEN NAMES | Khiela J |
| FAMILY NAME | Holmes |
| SIGNATURE | HOLMES K J |
| AFFILIATIONS | Reed College |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1373-0881 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 10 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 34 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 10 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
How syntax promotes stereotypes
Representing object state change during sentence comprehension
Language comprehension entails forming contextually appropriate representations of described entities and events. Previous work suggests that non-visual object properties like weight are automatically integrated into event models during comprehension. Horchak and Garrido (2021) found that Portuguese speakers’ response times were faster when the state of a presented object (e.g., a smashed tomato) matched the event implied by the preceding sentenc…
How language shapes anti-fat bias
Being fat is often described as a “disease”—a form of linguistic framing that may exacerbate bias against fat people rather than reduce it as intended. Framing fatness as a matter of equal treatment and respect (“fat rights”) may be more effective for bias reduction. In a preregistered experiment ( N = 401), we directly compared the effects of disease and fat-rights framing on attitudes toward fat people. Participants read a news article that aff…
How and when does syntax perpetuate stereotypes? Probing the framing effects of subject-complement statements of equality
Although subject-complement statements like “girls are as good as boys at math” appear to express gender equality, people infer a gender difference: the group in the complement position (boys) is judged superior. We investigated (1) whether this syntactic framing effect generalizes to other socially charged inferences and (2) whether awareness of the bias implied by the syntax mitigates its influence. Across four preregistered experiments (N = 2,…
Does grammatical gender affect object concepts? Registered replication of Phillips and Boroditsky (2003)
Low-Level Symptoms of Depression in Mothers of Young Children are Associated with Behavior Problems in Middle Childhood
The Role of Religiosity in African American Preadolescent Aggression
This study examined the role of parent and preadolescent religiosity in aggression among African American preadolescents with moderate to high aggression. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to determine (a) which aspects of parent and preadolescent religiosity (i.e., church attendance, private religious activities, and intrinsic religiosity) accounted for the most variance in preadolescent aggression and (b) the potential moderating role …
Even Abstract Motion Influences the Understanding of Time
Many metaphor theorists argue that our mental experience of time is grounded in our understanding of space, including motion through space. Results from recent experiments – in which people think about motion, which in turn influences their thinking about time – support this position. Still, many questions remain about the nature of the metaphorical connection between time and space. Can the mere suggestion of motion influence how people reason a…
Linguistic relativity
The central question in research on linguistic relativity, or the Whorfian hypothesis, is whether people who speak different languages think differently. The recent resurgence of research on this question can be attributed, in part, to new insights about the ways in which language might impact thought. We identify seven categories of hypotheses about the possible effects of language on thought across a wide range of domains, including motion, col…
Ethnic Identity in African American and European American Preadolescents
The current study tested models to determine the extent to which self-worth and social goals mediate the influence of ethnic identity on aggression among aggressive European and African American preadolescents. Ethnic identity emerged as important for both groups, but in different ways. Different patterns of influence of ethnic identity and of mediation were found for the European and African American preadolescents. Ethnic identity was found to …
Linguistic relativity
The central question in research on linguistic relativity, or the Whorfian hypothesis, is whether people who speak different languages think differently. The recent resurgence of research on this question can be attributed, in part, to new insights about the ways in which language might impact thought. We identify seven categories of hypotheses about the possible effects of language on thought across a wide range of domains, including motion, col…
Ethnic Identity in African American and European American Preadolescents
The current study tested models to determine the extent to which self-worth and social goals mediate the influence of ethnic identity on aggression among aggressive European and African American preadolescents. Ethnic identity emerged as important for both groups, but in different ways. Different patterns of influence of ethnic identity and of mediation were found for the European and African American preadolescents. Ethnic identity was found to …
Ethnic Identity in African American and European American Preadolescents
The current study tested models to determine the extent to which self-worth and social goals mediate the influence of ethnic identity on aggression among aggressive European and African American preadolescents. Ethnic identity emerged as important for both groups, but in different ways. Different patterns of influence of ethnic identity and of mediation were found for the European and African American preadolescents. Ethnic identity was found to …
Linguistic relativity
The central question in research on linguistic relativity, or the Whorfian hypothesis, is whether people who speak different languages think differently. The recent resurgence of research on this question can be attributed, in part, to new insights about the ways in which language might impact thought. We identify seven categories of hypotheses about the possible effects of language on thought across a wide range of domains, including motion, col…
Even Abstract Motion Influences the Understanding of Time
Many metaphor theorists argue that our mental experience of time is grounded in our understanding of space, including motion through space. Results from recent experiments – in which people think about motion, which in turn influences their thinking about time – support this position. Still, many questions remain about the nature of the metaphorical connection between time and space. Can the mere suggestion of motion influence how people reason a…
The Role of Religiosity in African American Preadolescent Aggression
This study examined the role of parent and preadolescent religiosity in aggression among African American preadolescents with moderate to high aggression. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to determine (a) which aspects of parent and preadolescent religiosity (i.e., church attendance, private religious activities, and intrinsic religiosity) accounted for the most variance in preadolescent aggression and (b) the potential moderating role …
Low-Level Symptoms of Depression in Mothers of Young Children are Associated with Behavior Problems in Middle Childhood
How and when does syntax perpetuate stereotypes? Probing the framing effects of subject-complement statements of equality
Although subject-complement statements like “girls are as good as boys at math” appear to express gender equality, people infer a gender difference: the group in the complement position (boys) is judged superior. We investigated (1) whether this syntactic framing effect generalizes to other socially charged inferences and (2) whether awareness of the bias implied by the syntax mitigates its influence. Across four preregistered experiments (N = 2,…
Does grammatical gender affect object concepts? Registered replication of Phillips and Boroditsky (2003)
How language shapes anti-fat bias
Being fat is often described as a “disease”—a form of linguistic framing that may exacerbate bias against fat people rather than reduce it as intended. Framing fatness as a matter of equal treatment and respect (“fat rights”) may be more effective for bias reduction. In a preregistered experiment ( N = 401), we directly compared the effects of disease and fat-rights framing on attitudes toward fat people. Participants read a news article that aff…
How syntax promotes stereotypes
Representing object state change during sentence comprehension
Language comprehension entails forming contextually appropriate representations of described entities and events. Previous work suggests that non-visual object properties like weight are automatically integrated into event models during comprehension. Horchak and Garrido (2021) found that Portuguese speakers’ response times were faster when the state of a presented object (e.g., a smashed tomato) matched the event implied by the preceding sentenc…
Psychology (7 works) · Social Psychology (5 works) · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition (4 works) · Artificial Intelligence (3 works) · Categorization, perception, and language (3 works) · Cognitive psychology (3 works) · Computer Science (3 works) · Developmental psychology (3 works) · Linguistics (3 works) · Medicine (3 works)