Michael Figuccio
Assistant Professor, Psychology | Farmingdale State College
Farmingdale, NY, UNITED STATES
Dr. Figuccio's teaching interests include child development, atypical development, physiological psychology, and introductory psychology.
Biography
Dr. Michael Figuccio is a tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Farmingdale State College. Mike earned his PhD in Psychology from Boston University’s Brain, Behavior, and Cognition program.
Mike completed graduate training in the Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience at Boston Children’s Hospital, where he utilized functional magnetic resonance and diffusion-weighted imaging. His research explores brain and behavioral predictors of reading development in typically developing and children at-risk of developmental dyslexia. Mike has presented his research at domestic and international conferences, and was awarded the Nelson Butters Award by the Massachusetts Neuropsychological Society.
Mike’s teaching interests include child development, atypical development, physiological psychology, and introductory psychology.
Areas of Expertise (3)
Child Development
Developmental Dyslexia
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Industry Expertise (2)
Research
Education/Learning
Accomplishments (7)
Nelson Butters Award (professional)
Presented by Massachusetts Neuropsychological Society for best poster.
Teaching Fellow of the Year (professional)
Presented by Boston University's Psychological and Brain Sciences Department for best Teaching Fellow.
SUNY Online Effective Practice Award (professional)
SUNY Online Effective Practice Award State University of New York
Open SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador
Open SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador State University of New York
Unrestricted Travel Grant
Unrestricted Travel Grant Psi Chi
Online Teaching Innovation Fellowship (professional)
Online Teaching Innovation Fellowship Farmingdale State College
Individual Development Award (professional)
Individual Development Award New York State/ United University Professions
Education (4)
Boston University: BS, Human Physiology 2011
Boston University: BA, Psychology 2011
Boston University: MA, Psychology 2012
Boston University: PhD, Psychology 2016
Affiliations (5)
- Cognitive Neuroscience Society
- Society for the Scientific Study of Reading
- Association for Psychological Science (APS)
- Psi Chi
- National Academy of Neuropsychology
Languages (1)
- English
Event Appearances (7)
What makes someone a good reader?
Eleanor Fapohunda Colloquium Series Farmingdale State College
White matter connectivity of the corpus callosum assessed in preschoolers predicts reading fluency in school-age children.
Society for Research in Child Development 2017 Biennial Meeting Austin, TX
Brain and behavioral longitudinal studies of reading: a search for protective factors
23rd Society for the Scientific Study of Reading Meeting Porto, Portugal
Infant white matter microstructure predicts preschool pre-reading skills in children with and without a familial risk of developmental dyslexia.
23rd Society for the Scientific Study of Reading Meeting Porto, Portugal
Behavior rating inventory of executive function – preschool version (BRIEF-P) scores are associated with pre-reading skills in preschoolers
National Academy of Neuropsychology 2019 Annual Meeting San Diego
White matter microstructure in infancy predicts language and pre-literacy abilities in preschool. I
26th Society for the Scientific Study of Reading Meeting Toronto
Preschooler flanker task performance is associated with BRIEF-P scores
American Academy of Pediatric Neuropsychology 2018 Annual Meeting Las Vegas
Style
Availability
- Keynote
- Moderator
- Panelist
- Workshop Leader
Research Focus (1)
Research Associate, Boston Children’s Hospital
Conduct dyslexia and autism research with children and infants Perform structural and functional brain analyses Execute statistical analyses Run behavioral and functional neuroimaging sessions
Research Grants (2)
Summer Research Award
Farmingdale State College $5,000
Summer Research Award
Swimming and Water Safety Grant
Autism Speaks $4,000
Swimming and Water Safety Grant
Published Articles (6)
Predicting developmental dyslexia: a brief review of genetics, language, and the brain.
Journal of Childhood & Developmental Disorders.
M. J. Figuccio
Learning to read is an essential life skill, yet many children struggle and may even fail to learn to read. Developmental dyslexia (DD) is a specific learning disorder characterized by deficits in reading and reading-related tasks. Even though early intervention is crucial for successful remediation, many children do not receive a diagnosis until second grade or later. Research has shown high heritability of DD. Additionally, a link has been established between early language abilities and the development of reading skills. Moreover, individuals with DD display differences in neural structures implicated in reading even prior to learning to read compared to their typically developing peers. The aim of this review is to identify genetic, language, and brain predictors of reading.
Identifying brain and behavioral predictors of language and reading development in typically developing and at-risk children
ProQuest
M. J. Figuccio
Even though learning to read is an essential skill in a young child’s life, a significant percentage of children struggle and ultimately are diagnosed with developmental dyslexia (DD). Despite ample research indicating early intervention is the gold standard of care, many children do not receive a diagnosis of DD until second or third grade. The aim of this dissertation is to identify brain and behavioral predictors of DD such that diagnosis may be made at a time when intervention is most effective.
Investigating the neural correlates of voice versus speech-sound directed information in pre-school children
PloS one
M. J. Figuccio
Studies in sleeping newborns and infants propose that the superior temporal sulcus is involved in speech processing soon after birth. Speech processing also implicitly requires the analysis of the human voice, which conveys both linguistic and extralinguistic information. However, due to technical and practical challenges when neuroimaging young children, evidence of neural correlates of speech and/or voiceprocessing in toddlers and young children remains scarce. In the current study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 20 typically developing preschool children (average age 55.8 y; range 5.2–6.8 y) to investigate brain activation during judgments about vocal identity versus the initial speech sound of spoken object words. FMRI results reveal common brain regions responsible for voice-specific and speech-sound specific processing of spoken object words including bilateral primary and secondary language areas of the brain. Contrasting voice-specific with speech-sound specific processing predominantly activates the anterior part of the right-hemispheric superior temporal sulcus. Furthermore, the right STS is functionally correlated with left-hemispheric temporal and righthemispheric prefrontal regions. This finding underlines the importance of the right superior temporal sulcus as a temporal voice area and indicates that this brain region is specialized, and functions similarly to adults by the age of five. We thus extend previous knowledge of voice-specific regions and their functional connections to the young brain which may further our understanding of the neuronal mechanism of speech-specific processing in children with developmental disorders, such as autism or specific language impairments.
Does the use of simulation significantly impact students’ perceptions of their air traffic control knowledge skill?
Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering
Lindenfeld, M., Radigan, J., & Figuccio, M.
Does the use of simulation significantly impact students’ perceptions of their air traffic control knowledge skill?
Behavior rating inventory of executive function – preschool version (BRIEF-P) scores are associated with pre-reading skills in preschoolers.
Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology
Figuccio, M., Falconi, A., & Priefer, R.
Behavior rating inventory of executive function – preschool version (BRIEF-P) scores are associated with pre-reading skills in preschoolers.
Preschooler flanker task performance is associated with BRIEF-P scores.
Journal of Pediatric Neuropsychology
Figuccio, M., Falconi, A., & Priefer, R
Preschooler flanker task performance is associated with BRIEF-P scores.
Courses (4)
Introduction to Psychology
This course is designed to present basic psychological concepts and to introduce students to the scientific study of behavior. Core topics include methods of psychological research, the biological bases of behavior, principles of learning, memory and cognition, personality, and psychopathology. Other selected topics to be covered would include the following: motivation and emotion, life-span development, social psychology, health psychology, sensation and perception, intelligence, human sexuality, statistics, and altered states of consciousness.
Child Development
In this course the student will explore human development from preconception through the end of childhood. Course material will include historical and modern concepts of attitudes towards children, theories and models of child development, research methods in the study of children, genetics, prenatal development and influence, pregnancy, and birth. Within each age range the emphasis will be on factors influencing the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development of the child. Developmental disorders, both physical and psychological, will also be explored
Statistics for Psychology
This course will introduce students to the basic descriptive and inferential statistics used in the behavioral and social sciences. Topics will include the organization of data, measures of central tendency and variability, correlation and regression, hypothesis testing, and various parametric and nonparametric tests of significance including t-tests, ANOVA, and chi-square analysis. Students will learn the interconnections between theory, research methods, and statistical techniques in order to use statistics to analyze experimental data and reach objective conclusions regarding research questions in the social sciences. The course will also provide an introduction to using statistical software for data summarization, presentation and analysis.
Atypical Development
In this course students will explore developmental deviations that result in disorders of childhood focusing on neurodevelopmental disorders (intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and specific learning disorder) and psychopathology (anxiety, mood, and conduct disorders). Developmental theories will be utilized to analyze disorders at the genetic, brain, behavioral, and cognitive levels. Emphasis will be placed on examining neurobiological and environmental factors contributing to disorders of childhood. The final portion of the course will focus on how atypical development may contribute to our understanding of typical development
Social