{"id":36733,"date":"2022-07-01T08:00:25","date_gmt":"2022-07-01T12:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/psychology\/?post_type=cu-people&p=36733"},"modified":"2025-10-30T15:20:27","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T19:20:27","slug":"david-sidhu","status":"publish","type":"cu-people","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/psychology\/people\/david-sidhu\/","title":{"rendered":"David Sidhu"},"content":{"rendered":"

Biography<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was born in Toronto and completed my undergraduate degree at York University. I then moved to Calgary to do my graduate work at the University of Calgary. After that I held a SSHRC-funded postdoctoral position in London at University College London. I joined the psychology department at Carleton University in 2022.<\/p>\n

Research Interests<\/strong><\/p>\n

Broadly speaking I am interested in language and cognition, in particular how we process words and represent meaning. I have always been fascinated by connections across modalities: how a sound can seem \u201cbright\u201d, how an image can convey something abstract. This led me to my research focus on the multimodality of language. For example, some words \u201csound small\u201d, or \u201cfeel smooth\u201d as you say them. How do these multimodal properties affect language processing? Relatedly, some words imitate the things that they refer to (e.g., onomatopoeia like \u201csplash\u201d or \u201cmeow\u201d). Are these kinds of words processed differently? What does this mean for the development and evolution of language? I have also had a long interest in the fields of embodied cognition and conceptual metaphor theory.<\/p>\n

Research Topics<\/strong><\/p>\n

language processing; sound symbolism; iconicity; embodied cognition<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Key Representative Publications<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sidhu, D. M., Vigliocco, G., & Pexman, P. (2022). Higher order factors in sound symbolism. Journal of Memory and Language. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jml.2022.104323<\/a><\/p>\n

Sidhu, D. M., Westbury, C., Hollis, G., & Pexman, P. M. (2021). Sound symbolism shapes the English language: The maluma\/takete effect in English nouns. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.\u00a0https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3758\/s13423-021-01883-3<\/a><\/p>\n

Sidhu, D. M., Vigliocco, G., & Pexman, P. M. (2019). Effects of iconicity in lexical decision. Language and Cognition. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/langcog.2019.36<\/a><\/p>\n

Sidhu, D. M., & Pexman, P. M. (2019). The sound symbolism of names. Current Directions in Psychological Science. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0963721419850134<\/a><\/p>\n

Muraki, E., Sidhu, D. M., & Pexman, P. M. (2019). Mapping semantic space: Property norms and semantic richness. Cognitive Processing.\u00a0https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10339-019-00933-y<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Recent Publications<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sidhu, D. M., Wingate, T. G., Bourdage, J. S., & Pexman, P. M. (2025). Would you hire Liam over Kirk? Name sound symbolism and hiring. Acta Psychologica. doi: 10.1016\/j.actpsy.2025.104978<\/p>\n

Sidhu, D. M. & Peetz, J. (2024). Sounds of the future and past. British Journal of Psychology. doi: 10.1111\/bjop.12753<\/p>\n

Sidhu, D. M. (2024). Sound symbolism in the lexicon: A review of iconic-systematicity. Language and Linguistics Compass.\u00a0https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/lnc3.70006<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Popular Science Articles<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wordle \u2013 the best word to start the game. The Conversation. https:\/\/theconversation.com\/wordle-the-best-word-to-start-the-game-according-to-a-language-researcher-175114<\/a><\/p>\n

Judge me by my name do you? The symbolism behind Baby Yoda\u2019s name. The Conversation. https:\/\/theconversation.com\/judge-me-by-my-name-do-you-the-symbolism-behind-baby-yodas-name-151642<\/a><\/p>\n

What\u2019s in a name? How the sound of names can bias hiring decisions. The Conversation. https:\/\/theconversation.com\/whats-in-a-name-how-the-sound-of-names-can-bias-hiring-decisions-263607<\/a><\/p>\n

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