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Professor Samuelson's research examines processes of cognitive development with a focus on early word and category learning and incorporates neural network and dynamic neural field models. 

Larissa K. Samuelson is a Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of East Anglia. Prof. Samuelson received a BS with honors from Indiana University in 1993 and a joint Ph.D. in Psychology and Cognitive Science from Indiana University in 2000. From 2000-2015 she was in the Psychology Department at the University of Iowa in the United States. She is the recipient of the J.R. Kantor Graduate Award, and in 2010, she received the American Psychological Association Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology in the area of developmental psychology. In 2024 she recieved a distinguished alumni award from the Indiana University Department of Brain and Psychological Sciences. Her research examines processes of cognitive development with a focus on early word and category learning and incorporates computer models to understand how children process information and learn words. She has authored over numerous journal articles. She has received funding from the National Institutes of Health in the United States, The Leverhulme Trust, and the European Research Council. Her current research focus is on how to ensure all toddlers can reach their early language potential.

Indicative Publications

Spencer, J.P., Buss, A., McCraw, A.R., Johns, E. & Samuelson, L.K. (2025). Integrating attention, working memory, and word learning in a dynamic field theory of executive function development: Moving beyond the ‘component’ view of executive function. Developmental Review, 75.

Bhat, A. A., Samuelson, L. K., & Spencer, J. P. (2023). Formal theories clarify the complex: Generalizing a neural process account of the interaction of visual exploration and word learning in infancy. Child Development, 94, 1491–1510.

Perry, L.K., Kucker, S.C., Horst, J.S. & Samuelson, L.K., (2023) Late bloomer or language disorder? Differences in toddler vocabulary composition associated with long-term language outcomes. Developmental Science

Bakopoulou, M., Lorenz, M., Forbes, S., Tremlin, R., Bates, J., & Samuelson, L.K. (2023). Vocabulary and automatic attention: The relation between novel words and gaze dynamics in noun generalization. Developmental Science.

Bhat. A.A., Spencer, J.P., & Samuelson, L.K. (2022). Word-Object Learning via Visual Exploration in Space: A Neural Process Model of Cross-Situational Word Learning. Psychological Review, 129(4), 640-695

Samuelson, L.K., (2021). Towards a Precision Science of Word Learning: Understanding Individual Vocabulary Pathways. Child Development Perspectives, 15 (2) 117-124.

Prof Samuelson is an expert on early word learning and language development. She also studies categorisation, perceptual development and exectutive function.

Director of Research, School of Psychology, Fall 2018-Spring 2025

People Culture and Environment Champion, UOA4, Fall 2024 - present