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Federico Frau

@federicofrau.bsky.social
236 followers 406 following 107 posts

Jr Assistant Professor @ IUSS Pavia #NEPLab | PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience & Philosophy of Mind | Psycho/Neurolinguistics | Into brain, pragmatic skills, multimodality in meaning & mental imagery 🔍🧠🗣️ X: @federico_frau

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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Tweeting about a conference has never been so cool! Excited to be in Florence for my first #SIRS! If you're not too busy at Uffizi or dining on a fiorentina steak, come find my poster on Saturday and chat with me about brain connectivity, schizophrenia & pragmatics🧠 @sirsofficial.bsky.social
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
The François Bourgeois Foundation is sponsoring **3 travel grants** to support participants who want to attend and present their work. More info & contacts here: www.neplab.it/travel-grant...
neplab.it
Travel Grant_discourse – Nep Lab
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
The EFC project is sponsoring **6 travel grants** for PhD students (2 for students traveling from abroad and 4 for students traveling from Italy). Deadline: February 10! Info & application link: www.neplab.it/travel-grant...
neplab.it
Travel Grant_discourse – Nep Lab
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Don't miss the opportunity to attend the #DISCOURSE2026 Satellite Meeting in Pavia, March 30-31, sponsored by the #EducatingFutureCitizens (EFC) EU project. Info & registration: neplab.it/discourse_ho... (registration is open until full capacity is reached) #IUSSPavia #IMTLucca #NEPLab
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Reposted by Federico Frau
Valentina Bambini @valentinabambini.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
Can GPT replace human raters of metaphors? Our new work with @vmangiaterra.bsky.social @cbarattieri.bsky.social @al-azary.bsky.social Across 687 Italian & English metaphors, GPT shows strong validity & reliability, but stumbles when meaning becomes sensorimotor ➡️ arxiv.org/abs/2512.12444 #NEPLab
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
Thank you, Asya! 😊
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Delighted to share that I’m starting a new role as Jr Assistant Professor (RTDa) at IUSS within the #DIALOG project funded by @wellcometrust.bsky.social–as part of @valentinabambini.bsky.social's unit🎉 No better way to celebrate than with Italian pastries & the amazing support of the #NEPLab team🍰🤍
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
You can find the abstracts of my talks here: drive.google.com/file/d/1GY_H... (just type my name!) Plus, our cross-diagnostic study of pragmatic impairment has been published as a paper in Phil Trans Royal Society B. Check it out: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org
Ten years of using the APACS test: a multistudy cross-diagnostic analysis of pragmatic profiles and their relationship with Theory of Mind | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biologic...
Pragmatic impairments are largely documented, yet rarely considered in clinical practice, also owing to a poor characterization of pragmatic profiles across conditions, as well as some overlap with th...
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
I really had a great time at #XPRAG2025 in Cambridge, where I presented novel EEG data showing that we can prime figurative meaning in metaphors and modulate late effects in ERP response, as well as our cross-diagnostic study of pragmatic impairment in relation to theory of mind #NEPLab
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
Sure, thanks for your interest!
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
Check the full abstract here: 2025.neurolang.org/presentation... #SNL2025
2025.neurolang.org
Poster Presentation
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
So glad to have attended my first #SNL conference and presented a poster with @riccardoventurini.bsky.social, showing beta functional connectivity alterations linked to pragmatic impairment in schizophrenia. Great time here in Washington and inspiring talks at Gallaudet University 🧠 #NEPLab #SNL2025
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
Thanks, Radim! ☺️
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
Thank you, Asya!
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
Link to access the paper: tinyurl.com/mt43f7vk Proud to have this article as part of the themed issue on the relationship between pragmatics and theory of mind edited by @valentinabambini.bsky.social Serena Lecce & Mikhail Kissine! Full issue here: tinyurl.com/32vczrm3
royalsocietypublishing.org
Ten years of using the APACS test: a multistudy cross-diagnostic analysis of pragmatic profiles and their relationship with Theory of Mind | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Pragmatic impairments are largely documented, yet rarely considered in clinical practice, also owing to a poor characterization of pragmatic profiles across conditions, as well as some overlap with theory of mind (ToM) in the conceptualization of ...
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
New paper out on Philos Trans R Soc B 🚨 We conducted the first large-scale cross-diagnostic analysis of pragmatic impairment in 7 clinical groups, highlighting profiles of communicative weaknesses and their association with theory of mind skills @royalsocietypublishing.org #NEPLab 🧠
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
@nadinedijkstra.bsky.social @imagingneuroucl.bsky.social @valentinabambini.bsky.social
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
Next Monday, the #IUSSLinguisticsSeminar will host Dr. Nadine Dijkstra, who will introduce us to the neural correlates of mental imagery, with a focus on the mechanisms allowing us to discern a mental image from a real visual percept. 🗓️June 16, 11-12.30am CEST Zoom link: tinyurl.com/keap95ks #NEPLab
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
Today, we double our IUSS Linguistics Seminars, with two talks covering topics from metaphor and emotional experience, to communication and connection in development (ft Jeannette Littlemore & Merideth Gattis) 🤩 ➡️ 3-7pm, CEST Zoom link: iusspavia.zoom.us/my/br.salade... #NEPLab
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
Next week (12.05), the IUSS Linguistics Seminars series will host Mikhail Kissine, don't miss it! Info to attend either in person or online below ⬇️
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Reposted by Federico Frau
Valentina Bambini @valentinabambini.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
The Laboratory of Neurolinguistics and Experimental Pragmatics meets the father of Experimental Pragmatics! @irastamon.bsky.social thanks for the visit! #NEPLab
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
Save the date! #IUSSLinguisticsSeminar Tomorrow, Prof. Francesco Vespignani (@UniPadova) will present the application of power spectrum analysis to study the neural response to phrases and sentences 🗓️February 18, 9-10.30 am CET 📍@IussPavia Zoom: tinyurl.com/yc2vsnx6 #NEPLab
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
More on future scientific events organized at the #NEPLab here: www.neplab.it/events
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
Don't miss the first #IUSSLinguisticsSeminar of the 2025 series: EEG source connectivity in neuropsychiatric disorders: the case of schizophrenia, w/ Prof. Giorgio Di Lorenzo (@unitorvergata) 🗓️February 10, 3.30-5.00 pm CET 📍@IussPavia Zoom link: tinyurl.com/3ncx7b7f #NEPLab
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
Tomorrow (online on Teams), 10 am - 12 pm CET More info here: prin.unica.it/meimi/metaphor-compre…
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
I can't wait to discuss one of my favorite topics with the team of the PRIN Project "Metaphor & Epistemic Injustice in Mental Illness" (@fraervas @sophia_79 & Francesca Ferri). I'll bring a neuropragmatic perspective & our works on metaphor comprehension in schizophrenia #NEPLab
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 10/10/2024
In a nutshell, we investigated whether bodily experience contributes to the semantic representation of verbs and how it participates in verb access across different tasks, loading on semantic and episodic processes in Italian as compared to English 2/3
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 10/10/2024
I'm so happy to share our new paper published on #JML, which is the product of an amazing collaboration with @PennyPexman and @ejmuraki (with @VBambini and @lucabischetti #NEPLab) 🎊🎉 Here is the link to read the full paper: authors.elsevier.com/a/1jvXQ_,1j5AB… 1/3
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 06/10/2024
#ESLP2024 brought some great talks and remarkable keynote speakers (but also a lot of mental imagery!), so glad I had the opportunity to be there and present our work to the amazing embodied language community! @bll_berlin #embodiment #NEPLab
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 02/10/2024
The German delegation of the #NEPLab is ready for #ESLP2024 conference starting tomorrow (but still getting used to German sunny weather 🌧️)
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 28/09/2024
I couldn't be more grateful to the #XPRAGit2024 committee for awarding me the Young Researcher Award for the best presentation, dedicated to the memory of Bruno Bara. Having started my journey in experimental pragmatics from his works, this award really means a lot to me! #NEPLab
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 25/09/2024
Just arrived in Venice and already feeling the #XPRAGit2024 vibes!🤩 If you want to know everything about imagery and metaphors in the brain, don't miss my poster (poster session 1) and talk (oral session 4B)🧠💪🏻 (w/ @VBambini @PaoloCanal1 @chiara_pompei5 @mb_bressler)
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 11/09/2024
Summer is over and we are back to look at some waves in the brain 🧠🤓 Today, we launched the new EEG study on metaphor processing for the "PROMENADE" #ERC grant coordinated by @VBambini #NEPLab @IussPavia #neuropragmatics
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 14/06/2024
I'm also grateful to the people working at the #NEPLab, who contributed to the studies I had the pleasure to conduct for my thesis. Such an amazing crew! 💪💪 And thanks to the committee (@annaborghi8 @gerardosalvato and Simona Luzzi) for the nice discussion during the defense!
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 14/06/2024
Yesterday I (finally) defended my PhD thesis on #multimodality in #language – focusing on #metaphors, #sensorimotor experience, and #imagery – grounded (pun intended 😜) in #Neuropragmatics! 🎉 Super happy to work on this nice topic and super grateful to my supervisor @VBambini
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 27/05/2024
And tomorrow (11.00-12.30, CEST), Prof. Steven Bethard will discuss how machine learning techniques can be applied to building clinical language processing models In-person venue: Palazzo del Broletto, room 1.17 Zoom Link: iusspavia.zoom.us/j/81947250839
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 27/05/2024
Are you curious to know how metaphors help us learn scientific concepts? Don't miss the next IUSS Linguistics seminar with Prof. @Vicky_T_Lai at @IussPavia (11.00-12.30 CEST, info below ⬇️) In-person venue: Palazzo del Broletto, Sala del Camino) Zoom Link: iusspavia.zoom.us/j/81947250839
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 20/05/2024
Save the dates for the next round of IUSS Linguistics Seminars! Among our speakers, @Vicky_T_Lai, Steven Bethard, @annaborghi8, @JanCasalicchio, and many others. ➡️All seminars can be attended online via Zoom: iusspavia.zoom.us/j/81947250839
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 20/05/2024
Don't miss today's IUSS #LinguisticsSeminar with Prof. Nicola Grandi (@Unibo), who will present data on the written Italian of young university students at the interface of #sociolinguistics and linguistic #typology 📍@IussPavia, Sala del Camino Zoom link: iusspavia.zoom.us/j/81947250839
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 09/04/2024
We found that #socialcognition and #executivefunctions are associated with different weights to pragmatic performance in schizophrenia (the strongest link was with social cognition, although with great between-study variation)
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 08/04/2024
Link to OSF repository --> osf.io/qa7fz
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 08/04/2024
Thanks to @BarlatiStefano for mentioning our meta-analysis (out soon in Brain&Language) on the relationship between pragmatics, executive functions, and social cognition in #schizophrenia, with implications for treatment. Stay tuned for the full paper! #discourse2024
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 19/02/2024
Today don't miss our first 2024 Linguistics Seminar at @IussPavia: Prof. Robyn Carston (UCL) will discuss the role of words in the interface syntax-pragmatics interface from the perspective of theoretical pragmatics 💻Zoom link: iusspavia.zoom.us/my/br.saladelcami… ⌚️11 am CET
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 01/10/2023
First day in London with classic British weather, couldn't imagine anything better to start my visiting period at #UCL 🤩🇬🇧 #pragmatics
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 20/09/2023
#XPRAG2023 has finally started (with a super keynote speaker, Prof. Thomas Holtgraves)! Great to be here in Paris with all the #XPRAG community 🤩🇨🇵
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 19/09/2023
Glad to have brought a piece of "embodiment meets neuropragmatics" at #IndiPRAG2023 Workshop! #XPRAG2023 #neuropragmatics
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 18/09/2023
The #XPRAG week started with a great talk by Kirsten Abbot-Smith here at #IndiPRAG2023 Workshop on environmental, cognitive, and socio-cognitive factors influencing pragmatic skills and social interaction in typical and atypical children #XPRAG2023 #pragmatics @chiara_pompei5
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 27/07/2023
First subject tested with our new #EEG experiment at the NEP Lab!!🧠 Doing some serious #neuropragmatic stuff here this summer 😎☀️
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 12/07/2023
Today #IPrA2023 gifted us with a terrific talk by the great Stephen Levinson, from the "dark matter" to the "dark energy" of #pragmatics. Such a great honour! 🤩
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Federico Frau @federicofrau.bsky.social · 12/07/2023
@VBambini @ChCerami @AleDodich @MartaBosia Our results suggest the need for more complex data-driven theoretical models to describe the interaction among these domains in schizophrenia. Here is our proposal: the "Pragmatic Sprouts" model! 🌱 #XPRAG (2/2)
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