Caroline Floccia

Dr Caroline Floccia

Job title: Associate Professor (Reader), School of Psychology (Faculty of Science and Technology)
Address: A213, Portland Square, Drake Circus,
Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA
Telephone: +441752584822
Email: caroline.floccia@plymouth.ac.uk

Qualifications & background

Education

1991/96: Doctorate in cognitive science (psychology)

« Speech perception and learning in neonates: a methodological study of the High Amplitude Sucking procedure.»

Under the supervision of Pr. Jacques Mehler, Laboratory for Cognitive Science and Psycholinguistics, CNRS-EHESS, Paris. Doctorate obtained 25th November 1996 with honours.

1990/91: DEA in cognitive science (equivalent to MSc)

University of Paris VI and EHESS (Paris)

PhD grants from the French Ministry of Research (Dec 1991 – Nov 1994)

1987/90: Civil engineer

Superior School for Civil Engineering, Paris

1984/87: Preparatory School in Maths and Physics

Employment HISTORY

October 2010 -

Reader in developmental psychology

School of Psychology, University of Plymouth

September 2006 – October 2010

Lecturer in developmental psychology

School of Psychology, University of Plymouth

September 2005-August 2006

Research Delegation at the CNRS

Laboratory Speech and Language, University of Provence

September 1997 - 2006

Permanent Lecturer in cognitive development

University of Franche-Comté, Laboratory of Psychology (EA3188)

Oct 1995/ Sept 1997:

Research and teaching associate

University of Geneva, Laboratory of Experimental Psycholinguistics, under the supervision of Pr. Ulrich Frauenfelder.

Dec 1994/ August 1995:

post-doctoral researcher (HCM)

ULB, Brussels, Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, under the supervision of Pr. José Morais

Teaching interests
Psycholinguistics, language development, cognitive development.

Research interests
My research interests have been focused on speech perception in adults, children and infants within a psycholinguistic perspective. The common feature of these research topics has been the study of linguistic representations used in online information processing. Recently, I have been particularly interested in accents and dialects processing and learning throughout development.

UoP Research group membership

Centre for Research in Brain, Cognition and Behaviour (CBCB)

Research degrees awarded to supervised students

Postgrad Supervision

Butler, J. (2006-2009). Development of awareness to accents and dialects. PhD supported by the EPSRC.

Durrant, S. (2009-) The effects of long-term dialect exposure on early language learning. PhD supported by a 3-years funding from the University of Plymouth.

Duffy, H. (2009-) Adaptation to accents and dialects in infancy and adulthood. PhD supported by a 3-years funding from the EPSRC.

Farag, R. (2009-). Semantic priming in monolingual and bilingual children. PhD supported by a 3-years funding from the Lybian government.

Girard, F. (2003-2008) Accent and dialect perception in adults and children. PhD supported by a 3-years funding from the Franche-Comté Region (2003-2006).

Turner, J. (2011-). Consonants and vowels in speech processing. PhD supported by a 3-years funding from the ESRC.

Grants & contracts

2010-2013 PI ESRC/ANR Bilateral grant, Representations of consonants and vowels in French and English from infancy to adulthood, £454,100 plus £167,058 for the French team.

2009-2010 PI – “Phonological representations in bidialectal listeners”. ESRC Small Grants, £79,578.

2008-2010 PI – “The effect of bilingualism and bidialectalism on word learning in 14- to 20-month-old children”. Nuffield Social Sciences Small Grant, £7,004.

2008-2009 CI - Alliance Project (British Council), “The processing of consonants and vowels in French- and English-speaking children and adults”, awarded to Dr. Jeremy Goslin, £3,640.

Publications

Journal Publications

Floccia, C., Nazzi, T., Austin, K., Arreckx, F., & Goslin, J. (2010). Perception of stress patterns in word learning tasks in British toddlers. Developmental Science.

Butler, J., Floccia, C., Goslin, J., & Panneton, R. (2010). Perception of regional accents in 5 to 7 months old British infants. Infancy.

Nazzi, T., Floccia, C., Moquet, B., & Butler, J. (2009). Bias for consonantal over vocalic information in 30-month-olds: Crosslinguistic evidence from French and English. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 102(4), 422-537.

Girard, F., Floccia, C., & Goslin, J. (2008). Perception and awareness of accents in young children. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 26(3), 409-433.

Floccia, C., Butler, J., Goslin, J., & Ellis, L. (2009). Regional and foreign accent processing in English: Can listeners adapt? Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 38(4), 379-412.

Floccia, C., Butler, J., Girard, F., & Goslin, J. (2009). Categorisation of Regional and Foreign Accent in 5 to 7-year-old British Children. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 33(4), 366-375.

Girard, F., Floccia, C., & Goslin, J. (2008). Perception and awareness of accents in young children. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 26(3), 409-433.

Goslin, J., & Floccia, C. (2007). Comparing French syllabification in preliterate children and adults. Applied Psycholinguistics, 28(2), 341-367.

Floccia, C., Goslin, J., Girard, F., & Konopczynski, G. (2006). Does a regional accent perturb speech processing? A lexical decision study in French listeners. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 32(5), 1276-1293.

Floccia, C., Kolinsky, R., Dodane, C., & Morais, J. (2003). Discriminating spoken words in French: The role of the syllable and the CV phonological skeleton. Language and Cognitive Processes, 18(3), 241-267.

Floccia, C., Goslin, J., Schneider, R., & Thommen, E. (2003). Conceptual and linguistic development in the child aged from 1 to 6 years. Developmental Science, 6(2).

Floccia, C., Nazzi, T. & Bertoncini, J. (2000) Unfamiliar voice discrimination for short stimuli in newborns. Developmental Science, 3(3), 333-343.

Nazzi, T., Floccia, C. & Bertoncini, J. (1998) Discrimination of pitch contours by neonates. Infant Behavior and Development, 21, 779-784.

Floccia, C., Christophe, A. & Bertoncini, J. (1997) High-Amplitude Sucking and newborns: The quest for underlying mechanisms. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 64, 175-198.

Bertoncini, J., Floccia, C., Nazzi, T. & Mehler, J. (1995) Morae and -syllables: Rhythmical basis of speech representations in neonates. Language and Speech, 38, pp. 311-329.

Reports & invited lectures

Butler, J., Floccia, C., & Metz, J. (2008). How much does a 5 month old Plymothian infant know about the South West accent? Poster presented at the XI International Congress For The Study Of Child Language, Edinburgh.

Butler, J., & Floccia, C. (2008). 5 and 7 month old Plymothian infants’ perceptual abilities in discrimination of accent in speech. Poster presented at the New Directions in Word Learning workshop, University of York.

Butler, J., Metz, J, & Floccia, C. (2008). The effects of accent related variation on speech perception in 5 and 7 month olds. Poster presented at the ISIS XVIth International Conference on Infant Studies, Vancouver, Canada.

Floccia, C., Butler, J., & Metz, J. (2007). Regional and foreign accent categorisation in British children from 5 to 7 Years. Talk presented at the Child Language Seminar, University of Reading, 18-20 July.

Nazzi, T., Floccia, C., & Butler, J. (2007). A cross-linguistic investigation of the consonantal/vocalic asymmetry in early word learning. Invited Symposium at the British Psychological Society, Developmental Section conference, Plymouth, 29-31 August.

Butler, J. & Floccia, C. (2007). The Effects of Accent Related Variation on Speech Perception in 5 Month Olds. Poster presented at the British Psychological Society, Developmental Section conference, Plymouth, 29-31 August.

Metz, J., & Floccia, C. (2007). Early accent acquisition: What do children learn from a variable input? Poster presented at the British Psychological Society, Developmental Section conference, Plymouth, 29-31 August.

Floccia, C., Goslin, J. & Girard, F. (2006). Time-course of adaptation to regional and foreign accents. Communication presented at the 14^th Manchester Phonology Meeting, Manchester.

Kaiser, S., Wehrle, T., Floccia, C. & Goslin, J. (2005). Motivational factors in collaboration: Achievement, affiliation and power. Poster presented at the XIIIth Conference of the International Society for Research on Emotions, Bari, Italy, July 11-15.

Kaiser, S., Wehrle, T., Floccia, C., & Goslin, J. (2005). SpaceMiners: The role of motivational factors in computer supported collaboration. Paper at the 9th Congress of the Swiss Society of Psychology, September 29-30, Geneva, Switzerland.

Floccia, C. (2005). From meaning to sound. Or is it sound to meaning? Third Invited conference for Conceptual and Linguistic Development in the Child Aged from 1 to 6, or DECOLAGE 3, University of Reims, June 2005.

Girard, F, Goslin, J. & Floccia, C. (2005). Influence des accents dans l’acquisition d’une langue. Proceedings of the Société Française de Psychologie, 178-179.

Saadi, M., Girard, F., Goslin, J., & Floccia, C. (2005). Etude de la latéralisation hémisphérique pour le traitement des variations liées aux accents régionaux. Proceedings of the Société Française de Psychologie, 215-216

Girard, F., Goslin, J., & Floccia, C. (2005). Influence of regional accents in speech perception. Proceedings of Context ‘05, Paris.

Girard, F., Floccia, C., Goslin, J. & Konopczynski, G. (2005). Coping with an unfamiliar regional accent: a lexical decision study in French listeners. Proceedings of ISCA Workshop: PSP2005, Plasticity in Speech Perception, 119.

Girard, F., Goslin, J., & Floccia, C. (2004). Un accent regional gène-t-il la comprehension? Proceedings of the workshop MIDL, Paris.

Floccia, C., Goslin, J. & Girard, F. (2004). Processing inter-speaker variability : the case of regional accents. Proceedings of the JEL2004, University of Nantes, 65-69.

Floccia, C. (2003). La construction du sens chez l’enfant : l’acquisition des premiers mots. In L. Rossier (Ed.) Sous le signe de la perception: Sémiotique et perception. Bern: Peter Lang, Collection Tausch, vol.15, 15-32.

Conferences organised

2006 - Member of the organisation board for the BPS Conference 2007.

2003 - Member of the organisation board for the Conference "Emotion and Reasoning", Besançon, University of Franche-Comté.

2001 - Chairperson of the 2^nd Bisontine Conference for Conceptual and Linguistic Development in the Child Aged from 1 to 6, or DECOLAGE 2001, Besançon. Selected papers were published in a special section of Developmental Science (April 2003, vol 6,2).