I study how we represent meaning, how context changes it, and what computational models can tell us about human cognition.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Psychology at UNED, Spain. My research combines cognitive psychology, computational linguistics, and quantitative methodology.
UNED · Behavioral Sciences Methodology
IMIENS · Academic Secretary
ORCID · 0000-0002-8375-0952
My research focuses on conceptual representation and the cognitive processes involved in language.
I earned my PhD in Clinical and Health Psychology at the Autonomous University of Madrid (2024) and am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences Methodology at UNED. My doctoral thesis, De vectores a conceptos: nuevas rutas en la representación computacional del lenguaje, laid the groundwork for much of my current research.
I work with semantic representations, vector subspaces, and language models. I study what these representations preserve about concepts and whether their properties correspond to human judgments and behavior.
An important part of this work is comparing models with simpler alternatives and examining the validity of the measures derived from them. Negative results and limits to generalization are informative, too.
Four complementary areas spanning cognitive models, language analysis, and applied methodology.
How can concepts and context-dependent changes be represented using subspaces and projections? I examine when these structures account for psychological data beyond simpler vector and probabilistic approaches. The developing programme compares quantum-inspired models with classical alternatives.
Research and code ↗I evaluate what language models can reveal about cognitive processes and individual differences. My focus is on construct validity, the stability of derived measures, and their generalization across texts and people.
See publications ↗I contribute to the working team of AGRUPA (PID2024-157794NB-I00), a project on social stereotypes and social categories in artworks. My work applies text processing and computational methods to the assessment of psychological constructs.
Research and software ↗I have collaborated with the Cardiology and Hemodynamics research group at Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro Majadahonda, contributing statistical analyses to clinical studies. This work is part of my interdisciplinary research experience.
Institutional research profile ↗Research outputs, methods, and software are documented on a separate page.
Research, methods and code ↗Selected work on semantic representation, language models, and methodology. Each title links to the published work.
Behavior Research Methods DOI: 10.3758/s13428-026-03117-7
Acción Psicológica DOI: 10.5944/AP.22.1.43347
Science Progress DOI: 10.1177/00368504241238773
Personality and Individual Differences DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2023.112514
Cognitive Systems Research DOI: 10.1016/j.cogsys.2023.101154
Research, teaching, academic administration, and computational tool development.
Research and teaching in the Faculty of Psychology, including data analysis, computing methods, and advanced R programming.
Academic Secretary of the Joint Research Institute of the National School of Public Health (UNED–Carlos III Health Institute), supporting its academic governance.
Institutional confirmation ↗Co-editing with Guillermo Jorge-Botana the special issue “From Psychology to AI: Conceptual, Empirical and Methodological Bridges”.
Principal coordinator of BIIAD, an item-bank project for Introductory Data Analysis, and a member of the teaching team continuing the Jamovi educational resources project.
Taught natural language processing, algorithms, simulation, data science, and quantum cognition.
Taught qualitative methods in the Interuniversity Master’s in Methodology of Behavioral and Health Sciences.
Collaboration with cardiology and hemodynamics researchers on statistical analyses and methodology for clinical studies.
Led a six-person team developing a social-media analytics platform using graphs and natural language processing. Secured private investment and received second prize at Santalucía Impulsa (2017).
Contributed to the analysis and validation work for the VPR/VPER risk assessment instruments of the Ministry of the Interior’s VioGén system at the Institute of Forensic and Security Sciences.
I teach Introduction to Data Analysis (Psychology degree), together with Computing Methods and Advanced R Programming on the UNED–UCM–UAM inter-university Master’s in Behavioral and Health Sciences Methodology. Courses and official guides ↗
Talks, conference presentations and interviews, with links to original sources.
Recorded lecture at UNED’s Machines and Minds series (in Spanish).
Watch talk ↗Conference contribution with Antonio López Rosell and collaborators at the Association for Psychological Science.
Conference programme ↗Interview with the founders of Wibber at the Santalucía Impulsa accelerator (in Spanish).
Read interview ↗A selection of original programme and media links.
All talks and contributions ↗For research collaborations, media interviews, talks and doctoral research enquiries, please use my institutional email.
a.martinez.m@psi.uned.es
Department of Behavioral Sciences Methodology · Faculty of Psychology, UNED
My UNED research profile also lists me as available for media enquiries.