Denison Scientific Association: Practical Visualization and Interpretation of Generalized Linear Mixed-Effects Models in Linguistic Research

Name: Artist Talk with Vail Visiting Artist Dona McAdams
Start: 2026-10-22T19:30:00-04:00
End: 2026-10-22T21:00:00-04:00
Location: Denison University

November 5, 2025 4:30pm - 5:30pm

Zhe Wang demonstrates how to visualize and interpret interaction effects in GLMMs using a study of Puerto Rican Spanish pronunciation.

Notice: this information is for a past event.

Location:	Olin Hall - 114 Lecture Hall
Ticket Info:	Free

Generalized linear mixed-effects model (GLMM) is a flexible statistical tool that helps us understand patterns when data points are not fully independent. In collaboration with Dr. Mary Beaton (Modern Languages), this project applies a GLMM to explore how social and linguistic factors interact in the pronunciation of word-final “r” in Lorain Puerto Rican Spanish.

Rather than focusing on the specific results, this talk highlights how to visualize and interpret interaction effects in a GLMM. By plotting predicted probabilities across generations, genders, and linguistic contexts, we can see how multiple influences overlap and shift, making the model’s structure and meaning accessible even without a statistical background.