Education

PhD, 2009-2013
Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen
Thesis on processing and anticipating language referring to objects
Advisors: Dr. Falk Huettig, Prof. Antje S. Meyer

MSc Cognitive Neuroscience, 2007-2009
Radboud University Nijmegen
Thesis on semantic expectancy in the comprehension of idiomatic expressions
Advisors: Dr. Marcel C. M. Bastiaansen, Prof. Ton Dijkstra

BA General Linguistics, minors in Cognitive and Biological Psychology, 2004-2007
University of Groningen
Thesis on processing orthographic neighbors in sentence context
Advisor: Dr. Laurie A. Stowe

Professional

Lecturer (asst. prof.), 2019-present
School of Psychology
University of Aberdeen

NWO Veni research fellow, 2016-2019
Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging
Radboud University Nijmegen
Host: Prof. Peter Hagoort

Postdoctoral researcher, 2014-2016
Department of Psychology and the Beckman Institute
University of Illinois
PI: Prof. Kara D. Federmeier

Postdoctoral researcher, 2013-2014
Max Planck Institute and
Radboud University Medical Centre Nijmegen
PI: Dr. Peter Praamstra

Honors, awards, funding

Veni grant (€250,000; 15% acceptance rate), the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), 2016

PhD degree awarded cum laude (highest distinction), 2013

Poster prize (1 out of 190), Architectures and Mechanisms for Language Processing, 2011

MSc degree cum laude, 2009

BA degree cum laude, 2007

Professional Service and Outreach

Reviewing: Journals

Bilingualism: Language and Cognition (2)
Brain and Cognition
Brain and Language (3)
Cognition (4)
Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience
Cognitive Processing
Cortex
Experimental Brain Research
Frontiers in Psychology (2)
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience (4)
Journal of Cognitive Psychology
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition (8)
Journal of Memory and Language
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research
Laboratory Phonology
Language, Cognition and Neuroscience (4)
Neuropsychologia (4)
PeerJ
PLoS ONE
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Psychophysiology
Psychological Science
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2)
Scientific Reports

Reviewing: Other

Architectures and Mechanisms for Language Processing (AMLaP) conference
Cognitive Science conference (3)
CUNY Conference on Human Sentence Processing (25)
Embodied and Situated Language Processing conference
National Science Foundation (NSF) funding agency
Springer Press books

Outreach

Blog contributor, Dutch outreach website “Het Talige Brein” (Language and the Brain), post “Should education be adapted to the student’s learning style?”, 2017
(link to blog)

Open House volunteer, engaged the general public in a brain game, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, 2015

Co-organizer of Questions & Answers initiative, a website that provides answers to scientific questions submitted by the general public, 2014
(www.mpi.nl/q-a/questions-and-answers)

Teaching

Guest lecturer, Predictive Language Comprehension, Neurobiology and Genetics of Language, Radboud University Nijmegen, 2019

Guest lecturer, Predictive Language Comprehension, Neurobiology and Genetics of Language, Radboud University Nijmegen, 2018

Guest lecturer, Measuring and Drawing Inferences from Event-Related Brain Potentials, Cognitive Psychophysiology, University of Illinois, 2016

Co-instructor, Workshop Mixed-effects Regression Modeling of EEG Data, Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, 2015

Instructor of record, Introduction to Data Analysis with R, International Max Planck Research School for Language Sciences, 2014

Guest lecturer, Expectations during Sentence Comprehension, Experimental Linguistics, University of Groningen, 2010

Other service

Donders Sessions committee. Organizing monthly sessions that bring together four research themes across campus ranging from Plasticity and Memory to Neural Computation and Neurotechnology, 2018 – present

Workshop organizer (with Ruth de Diego Balaguer and Peter Hagoort), Current Issues in Predictive Language Processing, Max Planck Institute, 2018

Doctoral examination board, Dr. Markus Ostarek, thesis “Envisioning language: An exploration of perceptual processes in language comprehension”, 2018

Doctoral examination board, Dr. Cornelia Moers, thesis “The neighbors will tell you what to expect: Effects of aging and predictability on language processing”, 2017

Doctoral examination board, Dr. Ashley G. Lewis, thesis “Explorations of beta-band neural oscillations during language comprehension: Sentence processing and beyond”, 2017

Speaker at career event, International Max Planck Research School for Language Sciences, 2017

Assessment panel member, PhD fellowship applications International Max Planck Research School for Language Sciences, 2017

Journal club initiator and co-organizer, Psychology of Language, MPI, 2012-2014

Lunch talk series co-organizer, Max Planck Institute, 2011-2012

Workshop co-organizer, Relations in Relativity: New Perspectives on Language and Thought, Max Planck Institute, 2012
(www.mpi.nl/events/relations-in-relativity)

Membership of professional organizations

Association for Psychological Science
Cognitive Neuroscience Society
Psychonomic Society
Society for the Neurobiology of Language
Society for Psychophysiological Research

Presentations

Invited talks

University of Amsterdam, Center for Language and Communication. Grammar and Cognition talk, 2017

University of Chicago, Psychology Department. Cognitive Brown Bag, 2016

Erasmus University Rotterdam, Psychology Department. Brain & Cognition talk, 2013

Conference talks

Rommers, J., Dell, G. S., & Benjamin, A. S. (2018). Predictable words leave production-like traces in memory. Talk presented at Architectures and Mechanisms for Language Processing (AMLaP), Sept 6-8, Berlin, Germany.

Rasenberg, M., Rommers, J., & Van Bergen, G. (2018). Expectation management in online dialogue comprehension: An ERP investigation of Dutch inderdaad ‘indeed’ and eigenlijk ‘actually’. Talk presented at Architectures and Mechanisms for Language Processing (AMLaP), Sept 6-8, Berlin, Germany.

Shao, Z., & Rommers, J. (2015). Can context aid lexical selection during speaking? Talk presented at the International Symposium of Psycholinguistics, July 1-4, Valencia, Spain.

Rommers, J., Meyer, A. S., Piai, V., & Huettig, F. (2013). Constraining the involvement of language production in comprehension: A comparison of object naming and object viewing in sentence context. Talk presented at Architectures and Mechanisms for Language Processing (AMLaP), Sept 2-4, Marseille, France.

Rommers, J., Meyer, A. S., Praamstra, P., & Huettig, F. (2013). Anticipating references to objects during sentence comprehension. Talk presented at the Experimental Psychology Society (EPS), July 3-5, Bangor, Wales.

Rommers, J., Meyer, A. S., & Huettig, F. (2012). Predicting upcoming meaning involves specific contents and domain-general mechanisms. Talk presented at Architectures and Mechanisms for Language Processing (AMLaP), Sept 6-8, Riva del Garda, Italy.

Rommers, J., Meyer, A. S., Praamstra, P., & Huettig, F. (2012). Object shape representations in the contents of predictions for upcoming words. Talk presented at Psycholinguistics in Flanders (PiF), June 6-7, Berg en Dal, The Netherlands.

Rommers, J., Meyer, A. S., Praamstra, P., & Huettig, F. (2012). The content of predictions: Involvement of object shape representations in the anticipation of upcoming words. Talk presented at Tagung experimentell arbeitender Psychologen (TeaP), symposium “The role of prediction during language processing”, April 4-6, Mannheim, Germany.

Rommers, J., Bastiaansen, M. C. M., & Dijkstra, T. (2011). Context-dependent semantic processing: Electrophysiological evidence from idiom comprehension. Talk presented at the European Society for Cognitive Psychology (ESCoP), symposium “Processing frequent multi-word expressions” (F. Vespignani & C. Cacciari), Sept 29-Oct 2, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.

Bastiaansen, M. C. M., & Rommers, J. (2009). Are literal word meanings activated during idiom comprehension? Talk presented at the NVP Winter Conference, Dec 18-19, Egmond aan Zee, The Netherlands.

Rommers, J., Bastiaansen, M. C. M., & Dijkstra, T. (2009). Literal word meaning activation during idiom comprehension. Talk presented at the TABUdag, June 11, Groningen, The Netherlands.

Conference posters

Rommers, J., Hagoort, P., & Federmeier, K. D. (2019). Lingering word expectations in recognition memory. Poster presented at the Society for the Neurobiology of Language (SNL), Aug 20-22, Helsinki, Finland.

Giglio, L., Hagoort, P., Federmeier, K. D., & Rommers, J. (2019). Memory benefits of expectation violations. Poster presented at the Society for the Neurobiology of Language (SNL), Aug 20-22, Helsinki, Finland.

Fleur, D., Flecken, M., Rommers, J., & Nieuwland, M. S. (2019). Definitely saw it coming? An ERP study on the role of article gender and definiteness in predictive processing. Poster presented at the Society for the Neurobiology of Language (SNL), Aug 20-22, Helsinki, Finland.

Rommers, J., Dell, G. S., & Benjamin, A. S. (2018). Predictable words leave production-like traces in memory. Poster presented at the International Workshop on Language Production (IWLP), July 2-4, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Van Bergen, G., Rasenberg, M., & Rommers, J. (2018). Expectation management in online discourse comprehension: An ERP investigation of Dutch inderdaad ‘indeed’ and eigenlijk ‘actually’. Poster presented at the CUNY Conference on Human Sentence Processing, March 15-17, Davis, USA.

Van Bergen, G., Rasenberg, M., & Rommers, J. (2017). On-line expectation management during discourse comprehension. Poster presented at the Society for the Neurobiology of Language (SNL), Nov 8-10, Baltimore, USA.

Piai, V., Rommers, J., & Knight, R. T. (2017). Evidence for a causal link between left temporo-parietal alpha-beta desynchronisation and context-driven word production. Poster presented at the Society for the Neurobiology of Language (SNL), Nov 8-10, Baltimore, USA.

Rommers, J., & Federmeier, K. D. (2017). Lingering predictions: A pseudo-repetition effect for previously expected but not presented words. Poster presented at the Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR), Oct 11-15, Vienna, Austria.

Piai, V., Rommers, J., & Knight, R. T. (2017). Evidence for a causal link between left temporal lobe alpha-beta desynchronisation and word retrieval. Poster presented at the International Conference for Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON), Aug 5-8, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Rommers, J., & Federmeier, K. D. (2017). Lingering predictions: A pseudo-repetition effect for previously expected but not presented words. Poster presented at the International Conference for Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON), Aug 5-8, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Rommers, J., & Federmeier, K. D. (2016). Downstream repetition effects reveal impoverished representations for predictable words. Poster presented at the Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR), Sept 21-25, Minneapolis, USA.

Shao, Z., & Rommers, J. (2016). How does context aid lexical access? Poster presented at Architectures and Mechanisms for Language Processing (AMLaP), Sept 1-3, Bilbao, Spain.

Rommers, J., & Federmeier, K. D. (2016). Downstream repetition effects reveal a lack of episodic traces for predictable words. Poster presented at the CUNY Conference on Human Sentence processing, March 3-5, Gainesville, USA.

Rommers, J., Hubbard, R. J., & Federmeier, K. D. (2016). Effects of sentential constraint and expectancy on subsequent memory in older adults. Poster presented at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, Apr 2-5, New York, USA.

Rommers, J., Dickson, D. S., Norton, J. J. S., Wlotko, E. W., & Federmeier, K. D. (2015). Frontal theta and disconfirmed predictions in language. Poster presented at the Psychonomic Society, Nov 19-22, Chicago, USA.

Rommers, J., Meyer, A. S., & Praamstra, P. (2015). Tracking double-object naming using the N2pc. Poster presented at the Psychonomic Society, Nov 19-22, Chicago, USA.

Hubbard, R. J., Rommers, J., Jacobs, C. L., & Federmeier, K. D. (2015). Electrophysiological predictors of successful memory during encoding of sentential information vary based on constraint and predictability. Poster presented at the Society for the Neurobiology of Language (SNL), Oct 15-17, Chicago, USA.

Rommers, J., Dickson, D. S., Norton, J. J. S., Wlotko, E. W., & Federmeier, K. D. (2015). Frontal theta and disconfirmed predictions. Poster presented at the Society for the Neurobiology of Language (SNL), Oct 15-17, Chicago, USA.

Rommers, J., Meyer, A. S., & Praamstra, P. (2015). Tracking double-object naming using the N2pc. Poster presented at the Society for the Neurobiology of Language (SNL), Oct 15-17, Chicago, USA.

Hubbard, R. J., Rommers, J., Jacobs, C. L., & Federmeier, K. D. (2015). Effects of expectedness and sentential constraint on memory for words: Behavioral and electrophysiological evidence. Poster presented at the Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR), Sept 30-Oct 4, Seattle, USA.

Rommers, J., Dickson, D. S., Norton, J. J. S., Wlotko, E. W., & Federmeier, K. D. (2015). Frontal theta and disconfirmed predictions in the language domain. Poster presented at the Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR), Sept 30-Oct 4, Seattle, USA.

Piai, V., Roelofs, A., Rommers, J., & Maris, E. (2015). Beta oscillations reflect memory and motor aspects of spoken word production. Poster presented at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS), March 28-31, San Francisco, USA.

Piai, V., Roelofs, A., Rommers, J., & Maris, E. (2014). Planning for word production, but not predicting, engages the language production cortical network. Poster presented at the Psychonomic Society, November 20-23, Long Beach, USA.

Rommers, J., & Huettig, F. (2014). Limits to cross-modal semantic and object shape priming in sentence context. Poster presented at Architectures and Mechanisms for Language Processing (AMLaP), Sept 3-6, Edinburgh, UK.

Rommers, J., & Huettig, F. (2014). Limits to cross-modal semantic and object shape priming in sentence context. Poster presented at the Society for the Neurobiology of Language (SNL), Aug 27-29, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Piai, V., Roelofs, A., Rommers, J., & Maris, E. (2014). Beta-band desynchronisation in the language production network during spoken word planning. Poster presented at the International Workshop on Language Production, July 16-18, Geneva, Switzerland.

Rommers, J., Meyer, A. S., & Huettig, F. (2011). The timing of the on-line activation of visual shape information during sentence processing. Poster presented at Architectures and Mechanisms for Language Processing (AMLaP), Sept 1-3, Paris, France.
*Won the student poster prize.

Rommers, J., Huettig, F., & Meyer, A. S. (2011). Task-dependency in the activation of visual representations during language processing. Poster presented at the Tagung experimentell arbeitender Psychologen (TeaP), March 14-16, Halle (Saale), Germany.

Rommers, J., Huettig, F., & Meyer, A. S. (2010). Task-dependency in the activation of visual representations during language processing. Poster presented at The Embodied Mind: Perspectives and Limitations, Oct 27-28, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Rommers, J., Huettig, F., & Meyer, A. S. (2010). Task-dependent activation of visual representations during language processing. Poster presented at Architectures and Mechanisms for Language Processing (AMLaP), Sept 6-8, York, UK.

Stowe, L. A., Rommers, J., Loerts, H., Timmerman, J., Temmink, E. (2010). Word frequency and misspelling: Effects of presentation speed. Poster presented at the International Conference on Cognitive Science, June 22-26, Tomsk, Russia.

Rommers, J., Bastiaansen, M. C. M., & Dijkstra, T. (2009). Is a lamp always a lamp? Interpreting words in idioms. Poster presented at the Endo-Neuro-Psycho Meeting (ENP), June 5, Doorwerth, The Netherlands.

Stowe, L. A., Rommers, J., Loerts, H., & Hoeks, J. C. J. (2008). Processing misspelled words in sentence context: An ERP study. Poster presented at the Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM), June 18, Melbourne, Australia.