Function Words and Their Relationship with Academic Success: A Replication and Extension of Pennebaker Et Al. (2014)

Barcelona, Spain · May 2026

Posters · Language in Mind: Speech, Reading & Communication

Sofia Atoche Diaz
Virginia Tech
Ishita Ponnada
Virginia Tech
Louis Hickman
Virginia Tech

Abstract

Plan to conduct a pre-registered replication and extension of Pennebaker et al. (2014) by testing whether language in undergraduate admissions essays predicts future academic success. Using archival admissions data, we will examine categorical-dynamic language, agentic and communal language, and language features as predictors of undergraduate student GPA, retention, and graduation.

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Function Words and Their Relationship with Academic Success: A Replication and Extension of Pennebaker Et Al. (2014)

Abstract

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