iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

#XPRAG2026 kicking off in Genoa, old harbour. Wonderful venue, along the water. First invited keynote by Julia Udden, on the identification of a functional brain network for pragmatics. Xpragit2026.weebly.com @abstractionerc.bsky.social talk tomorrow

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

@lauraocchipinti.bsky.social presenting "Beyond Concreteness: the Role of Semantic Specificity in Predicting Lexical Complexity in Italian" at CLiC-it 2026 in Palermo, Italy. Another piece of the rich @abstractionerc.bsky.social mosaic @ailc-nlp.bsky.social

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Tommaso Lamarra @tomlamarra.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Really happy to have participated in the #AISC2026 Conference in the fascinating city of Turin 🌇 and to have had the chance to present @abstractionerc.bsky.social's results on the role of specificity on language processing. It was a great opportunity to share our findings and exchange ideas! 🗣️💡

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Go @tomlamarra.bsky.social Presenting his phd project at the national conference SLI2026 in Bologna. @abstractionerc.bsky.social

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

#ClicIT2026 the annual conference of AILC @ailc-nlp.bsky.social is kicking off at Palazzo dei Normanni in Palermo, Sicily (Italy). 104 papers, 15 research communications, 338 participants from 16 countries. @abstractionerc.bsky.social: 🙋‍♀️ Long life to computational linguistics in Italy!! #nlp #ai

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

#SLI2026 in Bologna kicking off, and tis morning 2 @abstractionerc.bsky.social members are helping at the registration desk :-) eventi.unibo.it/sli-2026 Two intense days on the role of data in language sciences.

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

6/6 Four conferences, four research communities, several perspectives on one overarching question: 💭 How do we abstract, organize & communicate meaning through language? A busy month — and a great snapshot of the interdisciplinary spirit of ERC ABSTRACTION (2021-STG-101039777). 🚀 #ABSTRACTION #ERC

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

4/6 📍 PALERMO | 14–16 September CLiC-it 2026 — Italian Conference on Computational Linguistics Laura Occhipinti & I will present our work on language-mediated abstraction and text complexity. clic2026.unipa.it

clic2026.unipa.it

CLiC-it 2026 – Palermo – Italy, 14-16 September, 2026

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

5/6 📍 GENOA | 24–25 September XPRAG.it 2026 — Experimental Pragmatics in Italy I’ll present our work on metaphor and lexical specificity — bringing another piece of the ABSTRACTION puzzle to the experimental pragmatics community. lnkd.in/g8d9uKUg

xprag.it

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

3/6 📍 BOLOGNA | 10–12 September SLI 2026 — Società di Linguistica Italiana Three contributions by Paola Vernillo, Tommaso Lamarra & Laura Occhipinti, exploring language-mediated abstraction in metaphor comprehension, language processing & perceived text complexity. lnkd.in/guP58DNd

lnkd.in

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

2/6 📍 TURIN | 9–11 September AISC 2026 — Italian Association for Cognitive Science Tommaso Lamarra will present our work on language-mediated abstraction in language processing. www.aisc2026.com

aisc2026.com

AISC2026

Natural and Artificial Intelligence: between Skills and Biases

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

🍂 A busy September ahead for the ERC ABSTRACTION group — and a great way to get back into full research mode after the summer! Our work will be presented at 4 conferences across Italy, spanning cognitive science, linguistics, computational linguistics & experimental pragmatics. 🧵👇

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Hardest moment of my talk: pronouncing "The elelemphant in the room". So I am happy I didn't stuttered! Try to say it! From #ESLP that's all :-) @abstractionerc.bsky.social

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Dermot Lynott @dermotlynott.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

And here is @tomlamarra.bsky.social presenting his work on looking at difference between concreteness and specificity in a range of language processing contexts #ESLP2026

A man speaking in front of a big screen presenting scientific work

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

@caterinavillani.bsky.social presenting at #ESLP2026 also our study on the development of language-mediated abstraction in children and #LLMs And this includes work in collab with @gpucce.bsky.social and Andrea Esuli ESLP2026.SCIENCESCONF.ORG @abstractionerc.bsky.social

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Tommaso Lamarra @tomlamarra.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

@caterinavillani.bsky.social presenting @abstractionerc.bsky.social's study on categorization and abstraction in humans and LLMs at the #ESLP2026 conference, based on exemplar generation and typicality evaluation. The findings offer new insights into how conceptual knowledge is built 🧠🤖📚

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Tommaso Lamarra @tomlamarra.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Our PI @mariannabolog.bsky.social as keynote speaker of #ESLP2026 conference presenting the @abstractionerc.bsky.social research and findings on how lexical specificity shapes the study of conceptual knowledge and language use in both the human mind and LLMs 🧠🗣️🤖

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Go @tomlamarra.bsky.social ! Presenting his Phd project at #ESLP: experimental evidence on the processing of words varying in concreteness and specificity in isolated words, constructed dialogues and real conversations. @abstractionerc.bsky.social ESLP2026.SCIENCESCONF.ORG

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AbstractionERC @abstractionerc.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

@caterinavillani.bsky.social presenting a collaborative project in which we explore the content of conceptual categories at different levels of granularity, by humans and #LLMs ESLP2026.SCIENCESCONF.ORG #ABSTRACTION #ESLP

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Late lunch for an @abstractionerc.bsky.social delegation at ESLP2026.SCIENCESCONF.ORG in Lancaster today :-) And the conference starts tomorrow! @tomlamarra.bsky.social @grambelli.bsky.social @caterinavillani.bsky.social

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AbstractionERC @abstractionerc.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

🇧🇷 ABSTRACTION goes to Rio! 🧠🌎 @lauraocchipinti.bsky.social is presenting our research at #CogSci2026, exploring how word concreteness and specificity (two dimensions of Abstraction) differently shape children’s perceptions of clarity and informativeness in written texts. ☀️ #CognitiveScience

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Happy summer holidays! From @abstractionerc.bsky.social

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Our @abstractionerc.bsky.social paper on the lexical profiles of Trump and Harris in the final Presodential debate sparked a 1000 people debate on Reddit. www.reddit.com/r/science/s/... Join the discussions!

reddit.com

From the science community on Reddit: Study finds Trump and Harris used distinct rhetoric in 2024—but shared more similarities than expected

Explore this post and more from the science community

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Day 1 of #SALC10 is wrapping up in Umeå. @abstractionerc.bsky.social presentation done. Great talks, inspiring discussions, and plenty of exciting science. So far, all good news from Umeå. Looking forward to Day 2!

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Tommaso Lamarra @tomlamarra.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

OurPI, @mariannabolog.bsky.social, presented at @raammetaphor.bsky.social specialised seminar preliminary findings on how word specificity influences the comprehensibility of predicative metaphors. The talk sparked engaging discussions and insightful feedback 🗣️🎤

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Tommaso Lamarra @tomlamarra.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Thrilled to participate in my first @raammetaphor.bsky.social Conference! 🎤 An amazing community, inspiring conversations, and plenty of insightful discussions. 💡 Grateful for the experience and looking forward to the next one!

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

@tomlamarra.bsky.social presenting at RaAM specialized seminar his insight on how specificity (beyond concreteness) may impact conceptual metaphor comprehension. @abstractionerc.bsky.social

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Tommaso Lamarra @tomlamarra.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

A great first day at @raammetaphor.bsky.social!✨🚀 Interesting talks, excellent organization, and great to connect with both new and familiar faces! 😎 @valentinabambini.bsky.social @mariannabolog.bsky.social @abstractionerc.bsky.social @al-azary.bsky.social @kristinadespot.bsky.social

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

@tomlamarra.bsky.social discussing his #phd thesis on Language-mediated abstraction. Conceptual concreteness and categorical specificity in language processing. It is happening now at the University of Bologna

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Two papers from @abstractionerc.bsky.social accepted at #ESLP2026 in Lancaster 🎉 One on whether AI categorises the world like humans. The other on how children and LLMs learn to climb lexical hierarchies (electric bicycle→ bicycle→ vehicle). Takeaway? Abstraction is hard. For humans and AI alike.

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Paola Vernillo presenting experimental @abstractionerc.bsky.social data on the perception of metaphor quality when the specificity of the metaphorical terms is manipulated. At Messina, "Forms of embodiment 2026"

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Shaun Gallagher opens Day 2 of "Forms of embodiment" with a talk on Robodiment: building an artificial enactive body. At Messina University. @abstractionerc.bsky.social is here.

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AbstractionERC @abstractionerc.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

@mariannabolog.bsky.social PI of Abstraction_ERC presents Abstraction scientific results putting them in relation with forms of embodiment. A theory of embodiment must take in account the grounding of concrete/abstract as well as general/specific concepts.

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AbstractionERC @abstractionerc.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Forms of embodiment. Valentina Cuccio opens the conference at Messina University. 18-20 May 2026. @mariannabolog.bsky.social and Paola Vernillo representating Abstraction_ERC

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

@lauraocchipinti.bsky.social presents our study on text complexity elaborate on 5 levels, and its relation with lexical concreteness and specificity. At PiF2026, Pavia.

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Paola Vernillo presenting @abstractionerc.bsky.social work at PiF2026: "Specificity, concreteness, and frequency in metaphor evaluation. Behavioral evidence from Italian predicate metaphors

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

@tomlamarra.bsky.social presents @abstractionerc.bsky.social results at PiF2026 on the role of concreteness and specificity on language processing, considering Word processing in isolation, in simulated dialogues and in naturalistic conversations.

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Dinner with Louisa Bogaerts and Simona Amenta (and 80 more people that are not in the picture) at PiF2026 in Pavia, Italy sites.google.com/view/pifpavi...

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Con Maria Montefinese ed Eleonora Catricalà a PiF, Pavia, talking about semantic norms @mariamontefinese.bsky.social

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Feels like an Escher drawing, but it is the ceiling of the Aula Magna in @unipv.bsky.social Great venue for Psycholinguistics in Flanders 2026 sites.google.com/view/pifpavia

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Poster session at Psycholinguistics in Flanders at Pavia. @lauraocchipinti.bsky.social presents @abstractionerc.bsky.social results on how lexical concreteness and specificity affect children's text evaluation. 🤩 sites.google.com/view/pifpavia

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Tommaso Lamarra @tomlamarra.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Ready for Psycholinguistics in Flanders Conference PiF (2026) at @University of Pavia! 🗣️⛪ Looking forward to meaningful discussions and new connections! @abstractionerc.bsky.social @mariannabolog.bsky.social @paover.bsky.social @lauraocchipinti.bsky.social

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Yesterday in Reggio Emilia: invited talk on visual abstraction @abstractionerc.bsky.social at University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (study day on visual & multimodal metaphor, MANIS/CIRM). Great discussions and wonderful colleagues, thanks to the organizers! Group pic by Annamaria 👇

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AbstractionERC @abstractionerc.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Our paper "Cognitive Efficiency and Perceived Text Quality in Children: how Concreteness and Specificity shape Clarity and Informativeness" has been accepted at #CogSci 2026 in Rio de Janeiro! cognitivesciencesociety.org/cogsci-2026/

cognitivesciencesociety.org

CogSci 2026 - Cognitive Science Society

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

#wordladders player feels philosophical, ending their abstraction ladder with the inevitable truth "everything is a thing" 😍 Download Word Ladders and play now: Android 👉 shorturl.at/kqAOS Apple 👉 shorturl.at/buIS2

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

📢 Diego Frassinelli’s seminar for @abstractionerc.bsky.social is now online. An excellent opportunity to revisit the talk FROM BANANAS TO JUSTICE: MODELLING ABSTRACTNESS ACROSS TEXT AND IMAGES. 🔗 Watch the seminar here: site.unibo.it/abstraction/...

site.unibo.it

RECORDED SEMINARS

These are the seminars organized by the ABSTRACTION group.

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Join us at today's seminar on abstractness, figurative meaning and multimodality with Diego Frassinelli. 📣 13 February 2026, 10:30 (Rome time, UTC+1) 📍 Bologna (in presenza) or 💻 Microsoft Teams (link: shorturl.at/dBI5L) 👉 Seminar will be recorded and shared later ✨

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

📣 Abstraction seminars are back! 🗓️ 13 February 2026, 10:30 (Rome time, UTC+1) 📍 Bologna (in presenza) or 💻 Microsoft Teams (link: shorturl.at/dBI5L) 🎆 Join us for another seminar, details in the figure! 👉 Save the date & spread the word! ✨ @abstractionerc.bsky.social

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

#WordLadder of the day. Peeking into the backend of the Word Ladder mobile app 👀 This is an example of the power of linguistic compositionality 😅 (Note that #LLMs tend play Word Ladders exactly like this user, we found). But where do we draw the line between a legit hyponym and a non-legit one?

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MariannaBolog @mariannabolog.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

#WordLadder 🎮 of the day. 👀 Is it legit to list "metal" a subtype of "rock" music? 🎶 Or are rock and metal music co-hyponyms, on the same level but different styles? 🤔

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