Psycholinguistics explores how language is processed and represented in the human mind, underpinning our abilities to communicate, comprehend, produce, and acquire language. Despite extensive progress, key challenges remain, particularly regarding the cognitive mechanisms underlying linguistic processing, individual differences, multilingualism, and how emerging computational frameworks such as large language models can inform psychological theories. Recent psycholinguistic research highlights the necessity of integrating sophisticated computational methodologies, examining linguistically diverse and special populations, and investigating cross-linguistic variation. Nonetheless, there exist significant gaps in understanding how computational advances correspond to actual cognitive mechanisms, how language processing varies across individuals and groups, and the extent to which empirical paradigms effectively address theoretical questions.

This Research Topic aims to showcase recent progress, emerging debates, and novel developments in psycholinguistics, emphasizing theoretical discussions, innovative computational models and methodologies, as well as empirical research that addresses current critical questions in the field. It seeks contributions that can identify unresolved issues, articulate current limitations of existing models, methods, and theories, and propose directions to guide psycholinguistics toward breakthroughs by 2025. The Topic strives to motivate interdisciplinary collaboration, inspire innovative experimental approaches, and enhance understanding of linguistic processing within multilingual and diverse populations.

To gather further insights on contemporary psycholinguistic research, we welcome high-quality theoretical, empirical, computational, and review papers, encompassing original and forward-looking contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Integration of large language models and computational frameworks in psycholinguistic theory building and empirical testing;
- Empirical investigations regarding individual differences, special populations, and their implications for language processing theories;
- Cross-linguistic and multilingual research contributing to models of linguistic representation and cognitive processing;
- Development and application of novel methodologies, experimental paradigms, and analytic techniques enhancing ecological validity and theoretical relevance;
- Identification, critical evaluation, and targeted discussion of current limitations, open research questions, and challenges hindering psycholinguistic field advancement.

Article types of particular interest include original research articles, concise reviews, perspective pieces, theoretical analyses, and editorial contributions outlining future research directions in psycholinguistics.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

Insights in Psycholinguistics: 2025