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Fang Liu

Email:
f.liu@reading.ac.uk
Phone:
(0)118 378 8122
Job title:
Associate Professor

Responsibilities:

Associate Professor
Outreach and Widening Participation Lead

Areas of interest

Speech prosody in tone versus non-tonal languages, pitch processing in typical and atypical populations (amusia, autism), speech/music production and perception, and cognitive and neural bases of pitch processing.

Teaching

PY3MLB: Music, Language and the Brain

Research centres and groups

Centre for Autism
Language, Development and Ageing.

Academic qualifications

BA MA Linguistics, Peking University
MSc Statistics, PhD Linguistics, University of Chicago
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Websites/blogs

Publications

Honda, C. , Pruitt, T. , Greenspon, E. , Liu, F. ORCID: 0000-0002-7776-0222 , Pfordresher, P. (2023) The effect of musical training and language background on vocal imitation of pitch in speech and song. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance ISSN: 0096-1523
Jiang, J. , Liu, F. ORCID: 0000-0002-7776-0222 , Zhou, L. , Chen, L. , Jiang, C. (2023) Explicit processing of melodic structure in congenital amusia can be improved by redescription-associate learning. Neuropsychologia ISSN: 1873-3514
Leung, F. , Stojanovik, V. ORCID: 0000-0001-6791-9968 , Micai, M. , Jiang, C. , Liu, F. ORCID: 0000-0002-7776-0222 (2023) Emotion recognition in autism spectrum disorder across age groups: a cross-sectional investigation of various visual and auditory communicative domains. Autism Research , 16 (4). pp. 783-801. ISSN: 1939-3806 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2896
Ge, H. , Liu, F. ORCID: 0000-0002-7776-0222 , Yuen, H. , Chen, A. , Yip, V. (2023) Comprehension of prosodically and syntactically marked focus in Cantonese-speaking children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders , 53 (3). pp. 1255-1268. ISSN: 0162-3257 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05770-1

Loutrari, A. , Ansell, K. , Beaman, P. , Jiang, C. , Liu, F. ORCID: 0000-0002-7776-0222 (2022) Auditory imagery in congenital amusia. Musicae Scientiae ISSN: 2045-4147 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10298649221122870
Xiao, J. , Zhao, J. , Luo, Z. ORCID: 0000-0002-2082-3958 , Liu, F. ORCID: 0000-0002-7776-0222 , Greenwood, D. (2022) The impact of built environment on mental health: a COVID-19 lockdown perspective. Health & Place , 77 ISSN: 1353-8292 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2022.102889
Ong, J. and Liu, F. ORCID: 0000-0002-7776-0222 (2022) Frequent experience with face coverings for 10 months improves emotion perception among individuals with high autistic traits: a repeated cross-sectional study. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology ISSN: 1747-0218 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/17470218221135585
Ong, J. and Liu, F. ORCID: 0000-0002-7776-0222 (2022) Probabilistic learning of cue-outcome associations is not influenced by autistic traits. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders ISSN: 0162-3257 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05690-0
Li, W. , Ong, J. , Ponsot, E. , Hou, Q. , Jiang, C. , Liu, F. ORCID: 0000-0002-7776-0222 (2022) Mental representations of speech and musical pitch contours reveal a diversity of profiles in autism spectrum disorder. Autism ISSN: 1362-3613 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/13623613221111207
Loutrari, A. , Jiang, C. , Liu, F. ORCID: 0000-0002-7776-0222 (2022) Song imitation in congenital amusia: performance partially facilitated by melody familiarity but not by lyrics. Music Perception , 39 (4). pp. 341-360. ISSN: 0730-7829 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1525/mp.2022.39.4.341
Xu, J. , Zhou, L. , Liu, F. ORCID: 0000-0002-7776-0222 , Xue, C. , Jiang, J. , Jiang, C. (2022) The autistic brain can process local but not global emotion regularities in facial and musical sequences. Autism Research , 15 (2). pp. 222-240. ISSN: 1939-3806 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2635
Yik Nam Leung, F. , Sin, J. , Dawson, C. , Ong, J. , Zhao, C. , Veić, A. , Liu, F. ORCID: 0000-0002-7776-0222 (2022) Emotion recognition across visual and auditory modalities in autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Developmental Review , 63 ISSN: 0273-2297 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2021.101000

Williams, T. ORCID: 0000-0003-0072-3316 , Loucas, T. , Sin, J. , Jeremic, M. , Aslett, G. , Knight, M. , Fincham Majumdar, S. , Liu, F. ORCID: 0000-0002-7776-0222 (2021) A randomised controlled feasibility trial of music-assisted language telehealth intervention for minimally verbal autistic children - the MAP study protocoL. Pilot and feasibility studies , 7 ISSN: 2055-5784 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40814-021-00918-9
Wang, L. , Beaman, C. , Jiang, C. , Liu, F. ORCID: 0000-0002-7776-0222 (2021) Perception and production of statement-question intonation in autism spectrum disorder: a developmental investigation. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders ISSN: 0162-3257 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05220-4
Wang, L. , Pfordresher, P. , Jiang, C. , Liu, F. ORCID: 0000-0002-7776-0222 (2021) Individuals with autism spectrum disorder are impaired in absolute but not relative pitch and duration matching in speech and song imitation. Autism Research ISSN: 1939-3806 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2569
Liu, F. ORCID: 0000-0002-7776-0222 , Yin, Y. , Chan, A. , Yip, V. , Wong, P. (2021) Individuals with congenital amusia do not show context-dependent perception of tonal categories. Brain and Language , 215 ISSN: 0093-934x | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bandl.2021.104908

Ong, J. , Wong, P. , Liu, F. ORCID: 0000-0002-7776-0222 (2020) Musicians show enhanced perception, but not production, of native lexical tones. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America , 148 (3443). ISSN: 0001-4966 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1121/10.0002776
Sun, L. , Thompson, W. , Liu, F. , Zhou, L. , Jiang, C. (2020) The human brain processes hierarchical structures of meter and harmony differently: evidence from musicians and nonmusicians. Psychophysiology , 57 (9). ISSN: 0048-5772 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/psyp.13598
Bacon, A. , Beaman, C. , Liu, F. (2020) An exploratory study of imagining sounds and “hearing” music in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders , 50 pp. 1123-1132. ISSN: 0162-3257 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04346-w

Zhang, W. , Liu, F. , Zhou, L. , Wang, W. , Jiang, H. , Jiang, C. (2019) The effects of timbre on neural responses to musical emotion. Music Perception , 37 (2). pp. 134-146. ISSN: 0730-7829 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1525/mp.2019.37.2.134
Zhou, L. , Liu, F. , Jiang, J. , Jiang, C. (2019) Impaired emotional processing of chords in congenital amusia: electrophysiological and behavioral evidence. Brain and Cognition , 135 ISSN: 0278-2626 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2019.06.001
Zhou, L. , Liu, F. , Jiang, J. , Jiang, H. , Jiang, C. (2019) Abnormal neural responses to harmonic syntactic structures in congenital amusia. Psychophysiology , 56 (9). ISSN: 1469-8986 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/psyp.13394
Jiang, J. , Liu, F. , Zhou, L. , Jiang, C. (2019) The neural basis for understanding imitation-induced musical meaning: the role of the human mirror system. Behavioural Brain Research , 359 pp. 362-369. ISSN: 0166-4328 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2018.11.020

Sun, L. , Liu, F. , Zhou, L. , Jiang, C. (2018) Musical training modulates the early but not the late stage of rhythmic syntactic processing. Psychophysiology , 55 (2). ISSN: 0048-5772 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/psyp.12983

Jiang, C. , Liu, F. , Wong, P. (2017) Sensitivity to musical emotion is influenced by tonal structure in congenital amusia. Scientific Reports , 7 ISSN: 2045-2322 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-08005-x
Zhou, L. , Liu, F. , Jing, X. , Jiang, C. (2017) Neural differences between the processing of musical meaning conveyed by direction of pitch change and natural music in congenital amusia. Neuropsychologia , 96 pp. 29-38. ISSN: 0028-3932 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.12.024
Liu, F. , Jiang, C. , Francart, T. , Chan, A. , Wong, P. (2017) Perceptual learning of pitch direction in congenital amusia: evidence from Chinese speakers. Music Perception , 34 (3). pp. 335-351. ISSN: 0730-7829 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1525/mp.2017.34.3.335

Maggu, A. , Liu, F. , Antoniou, M. , Wong, P. (2016) Neural correlates of indicators of sound change in Cantonese: evidence from cortical and subcortical processes. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience , 10 ISSN: 1662-5161 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2016.00652
Jiang, C. , Liu, F. , Thompson, W. (2016) Impaired explicit processing of musical syntax and tonality in a group of Mandarin-speaking congenital amusics. Music Perception , 33 (4). pp. 401-413. ISSN: 0730-7829 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1525/MP.2016.33.4.401
Liu, F. , Chan, A. , Ciocca, V. , Roquet, C. , Peretz, I. , Wong, P. (2016) Pitch perception and production in congenital amusia: evidence from Cantonese speakers. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America , 140 (1). pp. 563-575. ISSN: 0001-4966 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4955182

Liu, F. , Jiang, C. , Wang, B. , Xu, Y. , Patel, A. (2015) A music perception disorder (congenital amusia) influences speech comprehension. Neuropsychologia , 66 pp. 111-118. ISSN: 0028-3932 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.11.001
Liu, F. , Maggu, A. , Lau, J. , Wong, P. (2015) Brainstem encoding of speech and musical stimuli in congenital amusia: evidence from Cantonese speakers. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience , 8 ISSN: 1662-5161 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2014.01029
Lu, X. , Ho, H. , Liu, F. , Wu, D. , Thompson, W. (2015) Intonation processing deficits of emotional words among Mandarin Chinese speakers with congenital amusia: an ERP study. Frontiers in Psychology , 6 ISSN: 1664-1078 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00385
Jiang, J. , Liu, F. , Wan, X. , Jiang, C. (2015) Perception of melodic contour and intonation in autism spectrum disorder: evidence from mandarin speakers. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders , 45 (7). pp. 2067-2075. ISSN: 0162-3257 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2370-4
Xu, Y. , Lee, A. , Prom-on, S. , Liu, F. (2015) Explaining the PENTA model: a reply to Arvaniti and Ladd. Phonology , 32 (3). pp. 505-535. ISSN: 0952-6757 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0952675715000299

Liu, F. , Xu, Y. , Prom-on, S. , Yu, A. (2013) Morpheme-like prosodic functions: evidence from acoustic analysis and computational modeling. Journal of Speech Sciences , 3 (1). pp. 85-140. ISSN: 2236-9740
Liu, F. , Jiang, C. , Pfordresher, P. , Mantell, J. , Xu, Y. , Yang, Y. , Stewart, L. (2013) Individuals with congenital amusia imitate pitches more accurately in singing than in speaking: implications for music and language processing. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics , 75 (8). pp. 1783-1798. ISSN: 1943-3921 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.3758/s13414-013-0506-1

Williamson, V. , Liu, F. , Peryer, G. , Grierson, M. , Stewart, L. (2012) Perception and action de-coupling in congenital amusia: Sensitivity to task demands. Neuropsychologia , 50 (1). pp. 172-180. ISSN: 0028-3932 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2011.11.015
Liu, F. , Jiang, C. , Thompson, W. , Xu, Y. , Yang, Y. , Stewart, L. , eds. (2012) The mechanism of speech processing in congenital amusia: evidence from Mandarin speakers. In: Rodriguez-Fornells, A. , (eds.) PLoS ONE , 7 (2). ISSN: 1932-6203 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0030374
Liu, F. , Xu, Y. , Patel, A. , Francart, T. , Jiang, C. (2012) Differential recognition of pitch patterns in discrete and gliding stimuli in congenital amusia: evidence from Mandarin speakers. Brain and Cognition , 79 (3). pp. 209-215. ISSN: 0278-2626 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2012.03.008
Prom-on, S. , Liu, F. , Xu, Y. (2012) Post-low bouncing in Mandarin Chinese: acoustic analysis and computational modeling. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America , 132 (1). ISSN: 0001-4966 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4725762

Liu, F. , Patel, A. , Fourcin, A. , Stewart, L. (2010) Intonation processing in congenital amusia: discrimination, identification and imitation. Brain , 133 (6). pp. 1682-1693. ISSN: 0006-8950 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/brain/awq089

Xu, Y. and Liu, F. (2007) Determining the temporal interval of segments with the help of F0 contours. Journal of Phonetics , 35 (3). pp. 398-420. ISSN: 0095-4470 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wocn.2006.06.002

Xu, Y. and Liu, F. (2006) Tonal alignment, syllable structure and coarticulation: toward an integrated model. Italian Journal of Linguistics , 18 pp. 125-159. ISSN: 1120-2726

Fulop, S. , Ladefoged, P. , Liu, F. , Vossen, R. (2005) Yeyi clicks: acoustic description and analysis. Phonetica , 60 (4). pp. 231-260. ISSN: 0031-8388 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000076375
Liu, F. and Xu, Y. (2005) Parallel encoding of focus and interrogative meaning in Mandarin intonation. Phonetica , 62 (2-4). pp. 70-87. ISSN: 0031-8388 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000090090