Education
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PhD Psychology 2023-
University of Lancaster
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Thesis: "Talent and systemising: the effects of curiosity, interest and obsession on semantic implicit learning in autistic and neurotypical populations"
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Supervisors: Professor Gert Westermann, Dr Calum Hartley & Dr Francesca Branzi
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Postgraduate Research Representative (2024/2025)
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MSc Cognitive Science 2020-2021
Umeå University
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Thesis: "Fear metaphors and trait aggressiveness: attitudinal changes towards the anthropogenic climate change debate"
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Supervisors: Dr Lacey Okonski and Dr Adan L. Martinez-Cruz
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MPhil by research in Theoretical & Applied Linguistics (Psycholinguistics) 2018-2019
Girton College, University of Cambridge
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Thesis: "Syntax and Cognition: mapping arithmetic and language with Structural Priming and Eye Tracking"
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Supervisor: Professor John Williams
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BA Linguistics and a Middle Eastern Language (Arabic) with year abroad 2014-2018
University of Manchester
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Thesis: "OT-LFG: filtering PP ambiguities in PDE"
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Supervisors: Professor John Payne and Dr Tine Breban
Academic Work Experience​​​​​
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May-June 2025 Schools Conference 2025 Research Mentor, University of Lancaster
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April 2025 Experimental Psychology Society (EPS) Conference Assistant, University of Lancaster
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Sept 2024-June 2025 Graduate Teaching Assistant & Marker, University of Lancaster
o Developmental Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Research Methods
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Sept 2024-June 2025 Scholarship mentor, NWSSDTP (ESRC)
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June-July 2024 Research Assistant to Dr Biau (Summer Internship), Psychology Department, University of Liverpool
o Project: How does the hippocampus integrate audiovisual theta synchrony in speech to form new memories?
May-June 2024 Schools Conference 2024 Research Mentor, University of Lancaster
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Mar 2024 - Website manager & Content Developer of The Autism Research Lab, University of Lancaster
o Line manager to Science Communicator
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Dec 2020 -August 2021 Research Assistant to Dr Okonski and Dr Martinez-Cruz, Umeå University & SLU
o Project: Subjective cognitive responses to metaphorical framings
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Mar 2020 - Research Assistant to Dr Branzi, Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
o Project: Crosslinguistic influence in L2 semantic word processing
Publications​​​
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Gaele, C., Hartley, C., Walton, C., Westermann, G. (2025). Talent and autism: special interests are curiosity-driven semantic implicit learning. [Manuscript in preparation]
Okonski, L., Martinez-Cruz, A., Gaele, C. (2025). “Conservatives for energy freedom”: Subjective responses to ecological frames predict subsequent pro-environmental attitudes. [Manuscript in preparation]
Gaele, C. (2025). jsPsych plugin : Image-Word-Slider-Response (V1) [jsPsych module]. https://github.com/CGaele/jsPsychImageWordSliderResponse
Gaele, C., Okonski, L., & Martinez-Cruz, A. L. (2025). The climate battle in America: War metaphors alarm Republicans but Democrats more likely to act. Metaphor and the Social World, 15(1), 77–106. https://doi.org/10.1075/msw.24015.gae
Gaele, C. (2024, 19 November) Sorry what?! Imaging the hippocampus and neocortex to understand the formation of speech memories. The ESRC International Centre for Language and Communicative Development. https://shorturl.at/2vMN4
Branzi, F., Chang, Y.-N., Gaele, C., & Alexopoulou, T. (2021). The impact of L2 proficiency on cross-language influence during L2 word processing. Cambridge Open Engage. doi:10.33774/coe-2021-fv5gt-v2 This content is a preprint and has not been peer-reviewed.
Conferences & Talks​​​
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April 2023 “Autistic curiosity: talent, struggles and misconceptions” | Autism Acceptance Day, University of Lancaster
Nov 2021 “The impact of L2 proficiency during L2 word-processing” | Cambridge Language Sciences Annual Symposium 2021: Language and Inclusion
April 2018 “OT – LFG: filtering PP ambiguities in PDE” | ULAB 2018, Edinburgh
Grants & Awards​​​
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March 2025 Nominated for Dean's Award for Excellence in Doctoral Research in 1st Year, University of Lancaster
June-July 2024 Research Visit Grant Symposium, LuCiD (ESRC)
Sept 2023- PhD Scholarship, NWSSDTP (ESRC)
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July 2018- Dean’s Award for High Achievement, University of Manchester
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Sept 2014-July 2018 The Manchester Bursary, University of Manchester
Memberships​
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Professional British Neuroscience Association
Associate Fellow of Advance HE
Labs GMK Lab, University of Lancaster
Child Development Lab, University of Lancaster
Autism Lab, University of Lancaster
Language and Memory Lab, University of Liverpool