HSE University-St Petersburg Student Represents the University at International Summer School on Statistics in Potsdam
Yana Nikonova, research assistant at the Centre for Language and Brain at HSE University-St Petersburg, presented her research to international experts in the sphere of psycholinguistics and cognitive psychology during the Summer School at the University of Potsdam.
The Summer School at the University of Potsdam is considered one of the leading global platforms for studying statistical methods in the humanitarian sciences. The programme was devoted to modern data analysis with the focus on mixed linear models and Bayesian methods of processing information (the model of testing the level of confidence in the validity of a proposition) in linguistics and psychology. Among the participants were more than 120 scientists, including Yana Nikonova, research assistant at the Centre for Language and Brain at HSE University-St Petersburg.
Yana Nikonova
Research Assistant at the Centre for Language and Brain at HSE University-St Petersburg
It is one of the best world schools in statistics. Initially, I applied for the course 'Foundational Methods in Frequentist Statistics', but following the results of the selection, they offered me an advanced track, and I agreed. The competition was high: each track accepted only 30 people.
The programme included lectures and practical seminars in four tracks. The theoretical part consisted of classes in mathematics and data analysis; during the workshops, the participants were learning the programming language Julia and modern statistical methods. The studies finished with the presentation of research projects. 'I studied the perceptive diapason (the number of symbols perceived in one gaze fixation) of native Russian speakers. For instance, on the example of the English language, I demonstrated that it accounts for three symbols on the left of the point of gaze fixation and 14-15 symbols on the right.
At seminars, we were figuring out how to speed up the data analysis and apply its advanced features using the examples of our own projects. I liked the classes, which taught us to customise the settings correctly in complex mathematical models. Besides, a true discovery was the work with the new programming language Julia, which is perfect for research. It processes large amounts of data and complicated calculations much faster', shared Yana.
According to Yana, the main advantage of the school was an opportunity to study modern statistical methods for cognitive research and meet international experts.
'I got new knowledge and practical recommendations, and also met professionals from the sphere of programming and modern psychology. I will definitely come here again—next time for the track on Bayesian statistics', added the researcher.
According to Svetlana Alexeeva, director of the Centre for Language and Brain at HSE University-St Petersburg, participation in the Summer School gives young scientists a unique opportunity to gain useful but difficult skills directly from experts, not just books.
Svetlana Alexeeva
Director of the Centre for Language and Brain at HSE University-St Petersburg
Yana takes part in the projects of the Centre for Language and Brain related to the low-level processing of words while reading (how letters form a word, which font is better, and so on). Her research is based on carrying out a psycholinguistic experiment, as a result of which we get a certain measure (for instance, reading rate). Statistical methods of analysis are applied to prove the validity of various hypotheses, for instance, that the reading rate when using a certain font is in fact higher than when using the other. Participation in international events allows us to get correct conclusions and later get published in leading research journals.
On October 6-8, 2025, HSE University-St Petersburg will host the autumn school 'Statistics in Psycho- and Neurolinguistics'. The event is aimed at developing professional competencies in the sphere of modern statistical methods and their use in cognitive, humanitarian, and linguistic research. Forward your questions regarding the participation to the organising committee: clb-spb@hse.ru.