Psychology

Profile

BACKGROUND

A long-standing member of the department, Michael Fluck has a BSc in Psychology (Cardiff), a PhD in the psychology of language (Nottingham), and a Postgraduate Diploma in Information Systems (Portsmouth). He is an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, a Chartered Psychologist, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Currently Assessments Tutor for the department, he has previously been course leader for the MSc Psychological Research Methods, the PgCert Scientific Research Methods, and the BSc (Hons) Psychology, and has served on a number of departmental and university committees.

Teaching responsibilities

Michael currently teaches on all three years of the BSc (Hons) Psychology, where he is unit coordinator for three units: Year 1 Applications of Psychology, Year 2 Developmental Psychology, and Year 3 Issues in Language Development; he is also unit coordinator for the MSc Applied Psychology (Intellectual Disability) unit in Developmental Psychology. In addition, he supervises dissertations at both undergraduate and post-graduate level on a number of topics, but particularly related to the development of language, thought and communication. He has supervised several successfully completed PhDs, and he is currently director of studies for two ESRC funded PhD students and supervisor for a third student.

Research interests

Michael’s main research interests centre on cognitive development, language and communication, and particularly the role of social processes in these. Whilst his research has focussed on typical development, he has also been involved in collaborative research into Down syndrome and also language delay. His recent research has been concerned with number development in early childhood and the contribution of parent-child interaction processes to this, and he has a particular interest in the use of micro-developmental research methods to examine developmental change in this and other domains. Other research he is currently supervising concerns the development of spelling abilities, and the role of morphemic and etymological knowledge in children’s understanding of spelling. Building on his previous work on the interpersonal foundations of early cognitive development, and his interest in cultural learning, he is presently involved in qualitative research into the emergence of common knowledge and shared understanding during naturalistic interaction between adult novices and experts engaged in a shared activity.

PUBLICATIONS

Papers in peer refereed journals

Effect of explicit teaching about morphology and etymology on children’s spelling development. (2007). (With V. Devonshire)

Spelling development: Fine tuning strategy use and capitalising on the connections children make between words. (2007). Submitted, currently  under review  (With V. Devonshire)

Children’s performance on the ‘give x’ task: A microgenetic analysis of counting and grabbing behaviour. (2007). Infant & Child Development, 16 (1), 35-51. (With E. Chetland)

Does counting count for 3 year olds? Parental assumptions about pre-school children's understanding of counting and cardinality. (2005) Social Development, 14 (3), 496-513. (With M. Linnell & M. Holgate).

Modifications made in gesture during mothers’ interaction with their 20-month old infants: a case for ‘gesturese’. (2005) Developmental Science, 8 (4). (With M. O’Neil, K. Bard, & M. Linnell).

A scheme to promote social attention and functional language in young children with communication difficulties and autistic spectrum disorder. (2004) Educational Psychology in Practice, 20(4), 319-333. (With C. Smith & S. Goddard).

The effect of maternal support for counting and cardinal understanding in pre-school children. (2001) Social Development, 10 (2), 202-220. (With M. Linnell)

Counting skills and cardinal understanding in children with Down syndrome and typically developing children. (2001) Down Syndrome Research & Practice, 7(2), 68-78. (With J. Nye & S. Buckley).

(Re-) Constructing pre-linguistic interpersonal processes to promote language development in young children with deviant or delayed communication skills. (2000). British Journal of Educational Psychology, 70, 369-389. (With C. Smith)

Counting and cardinality in English nursery pupils. (1996). British Journal of Educational Psychology, 66, 501-517. (With L. Henderson)

Counting on the right number: Maternal support for the development of cardinality. (1995) Irish Journal of Psychology, 16 (2), 133-149.

The appreciative enquiry method: An approach to knowledge elicitation. (1991), Systemist, 13 (4), 154-165 (With F.Stowell & D.West)

The effect of language of testing on bi-lingual pre-adolescents' attitudes towards Welsh and varieties of English. Journal of Multilingual & Multicultural Development. (1983), 4, 149-161. (with S.Price and H.Giles).

The effects of televised presentation on number conservation in 5-year olds. (1979), British Journal of Psychology. 70, 507-509

Comprehension of relative clauses by children aged five to nine years. (1978), Language & Speech. 21, 190-201.

Young children's comprehension of complex sentences. (1977), Language & Speech 20, 48-66.

Books

SPEIC: Scheme to Promote Early Interactive Conversations.  Portsmouth: University of Portsmouth Press (2001). (With C.A.Smith)

International conference proceedings

Children’s ‘Give x’ performance: A microdevelopmental analysis. Society for Research in Child Development, Boston, USA (2007). (with Chetland, E.)

The effects of an interviewer’s non-verbal behaviours on children's suggestibility and anxiety.  Symposium paper presented at the 26th International Congress of Applied Psychology, 16-21 July, Athens, Greece. (2006). (with Almerigogna, J., Ost, J., & Akehurst, L.)

Children's performance on the 'give x' task: A microgenetic analysis of 'counting' and 'grabbing' behaviour. XIIth European Developmental Psychology conference, (2006). Santa Cruz, Tenerife. (with E. Chetland)

Changes in Children’s Representation of the Count Word Sequence and their Performance on the ‘Give x’ Task", (2005). Society for Research in Child Development biennial meeting, Atlanta, USA (with E. Chetland)

Two heads are better than one: A developmental investigation into how children with autism understand their mainstream peers and themselves. (2004). International conference on Language, Culture & Mind. Portsmouth (with C. Smith)

Counting development in children with Down syndrome. (2004). 8th World Down Syndrome Congress, 14-18 April, Singapore. (with J. Nye, & S. Buckley)

Children’s performance in count word sequence tasks: the effect of task presentation. (2004). British Psychological Society Developmental Section Annual Conference, University of Leeds. (with E. Chetland).

Developmental Changes in the Accessibility of the Count Word Sequence and the Emergence of Cardinality: a Micro-developmental Study. (2003). British Psychological Society Developmental Section Annual Conference, Coventry University (with E. Chetland)

Counting and cardinality in children with Down syndrome: A longitudinal study. (2003). Down Syndrome UK Research Forum, 27-28 October, The Down Syndrome Educational Trust, Sarah Duffen Centre, Portsmouth, UK. (with J. Nye, & S. Buckley)

Parental support for counting in children with Down syndrome. (2003). 3rd Seattle Club Conference on Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 11-12 December, Edinburgh. (with J. Nye, & S. Buckley)

Counting and cardinality in children with Down syndrome: A longitudinal study. (2002). International conference on Mathematical Difficulties: Psychology, Neuroscience and Interventions. Oxford University. (with J. Nye).

Longitudinal number development in children with Down syndrome. (2002). Inaugural Conference of International Association of Intellectual Disabilities - Europe, University College Dublin, Ireland. (with J. Nye, & S. Buckley).

Applying developmental theories to foster social interaction and pragmatic language in young children with significant communication difficulties (2001) British Psychological Society Developmental & Education Sections Annual Conference, Worcester. (with C.Smith)

Spontaneous use of counting as a strategy by 4- to 5-year olds: the effect of adult prompting and feedback. (2001) British Psychological Society Developmental & Education Sections Annual Conference, Worcester. (with K. Capelin)

Development of counting in children with Down syndrome: A longitudinal study. (2000) 3rd International Conference on Language and Cognition in Down Syndrome, Portsmouth, UK. (With J. Nye & S. Buckley).

Children with Down syndrome counting with their parents. (2000) 7th World Down Syndrome Congress, Sydney, Australia. (With J. Nye & S. Buckley).

Counting and cardinality in children with Down syndrome and typically developing children.(1999) Fourth European Down Syndrome Conference, Malta. (With J. Nye & S. Buckley).

Counting fact and counting fiction: parental assumptions about 3-year olds’ understanding of cardinality and their implications. (1998). British Psychological Society Developmental Section Annual Conference, Lancaster University, September (with M.Maltby and M. Holgate).

Numerical development in children with Down Syndrome. (1998) British Psychological Society Annual Conference, Brighton. (With J. Nye & S. Buckley).

Social factors in the development of number. (1997) 27th Annual Symposium of the Jean Piaget Society, Santa Monica, California.  
 Counting ability in children with Down syndrome. (1997). 6th World Congress on Down Syndrome, 23-26 October, Madrid, Spain. (With J. Nye & S. Buckley).

Spontaneous production of number language by children with Down syndrome and their parents. (1997) 2nd International Conference on Language & Cognitive Development in Down Syndrome. Sarah Duffen Centre, University of Portsmouth. (With J. Nye & S. Buckley).

Development of numerical skills in Down Syndrome. (1996) Associazione Italiana Persone Down, International Conference on Down Syndrome, Rome. (With J. Nye, J. Clibbens, & S.Buckley).

Cardinal knowledge: A procedurally egocentric but conceptually social construct? (1996) British Psychological Society Developmental Section Annual Conference, University of Oxford. (With M. Maltby).

Cardinal errors? Parental assumptions about pre-school children's understanding of counting. (1996) British Psychological Society Annual Conference, Brighton. (With M. Maltby)

The development of procedural and conceptual knowledge of counting. (1995) British Psychological Society London Conference, Institute of Education, University of London. (With L.Henderson)

Maternal support for the development of cardinality (1994) British Psychological Society Developmental Section Annual Conference, University of Portsmouth. (With M. Maltby)

Entry into meaning: the effectiveness of game formats as intervention with language-delayed children. (1994) British Psychological Society Developmental Section Annual Conference, University of Portsmouth. (With C.Smith)

Learning to converse: Intervention using a developmental perspective. (1993). British Psychological Society London Conference. (With C.Smith)

The dyadic construction of number in 2-3 year olds. (1993) British Psychological Society Developmental Section Annual Conference, University of Birmingham.

Knowledge acquisition as a learning system. (1990) Operational Research Society Conference, University College Bangor (BangOR 32). (With D.West and F.Stowell)

The role of conflict experience when training children in communication skills. (1989) British Psychological Society London Conference. (With D.Brooks)

A study of self-directed speech in five and six year olds. (1981) British Psychological Society London Conference.

Monologue in children's play: 'Private speech' revisited. (1980). Child Language Conference. Manchester University.

PhD's supervised   (* director of studies)
 
 *E. Chetland (awarded 2007). Developmental changes in children's representation of the count word sequence

*B. Ramruttin (awarded 2004). A Longitudinal Study of the Early Attentional, Social, and Pre-Linguistic Communication Capacities of Young Infants with Down Syndrome.

*J.Nye (awarded 2003). The Development of Number in Children with Downs Syndrome.

*M.Maltby (awarded 1998). The Role of Parent-Child Interaction in the Development of Number Concepts.

*C.Smith (awarded 1995). The Use of Social Game Formats to Promote the Development of Language in Three to Five Year Olds with Communication Disorders.

D.Gibbard (awarded 1992). An Evaluation of Parental-Based Intervention with Language-Delayed Children.

D.West (awarded 1991). Towards a Subjective Knowledge Elicitation Methodology for the Development of Expert Systems.