Laura Sparaci
Via Nomentana 56 - 00161 Rome - Italy
Profile
- embodiment;
- gestures;
- intersubjectivity;
- motor actions;
Laura Sparaci is currently Researcher at CNR’s Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies within the LaCAM Lab. She has spent two years as Research Fellow at the Dept. of Neuroscience of the University of Parma and one year as Research Assistant at the Children’s Hospital ‘Bambino Gesù’ in Rome. She has completed her degree in Philosophy cum laude at the University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’ in 2003, a MA in Philosophy of Cognitive Science with distinction at the University of Sussex in 2004 and a PhD in Cognitive Sciences at the University of Siena in 2007. She has also obtained a Graduate Certificate in Cognitive Sciences at the University of Central Florida were she spent one year as Fulbright Scholar.
Research
Laura’s research is mainly focused on intersubjective understanding – i.e. how do we make sense of actions performed by others. She has concentrated on the theoretical relevance of an embodied approach to social interaction, focusing, within this field, on what happens when social interaction is impaired as in autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). She is currently leading a three-year FIRB project entitled The Other Understanding in Movement (TOUM) aimed at evaluating the understanding of others’ intentions in ASD as specifically linked to motor actions and gestures.
Publications
Journal articles | |
| 2011 | |
Sparaci L. Approccio fenomenologico e scienze cognitive. In: Sistemi Intelligenti, vol. 1 (aprile) pp. 75 - 92. il Mulino, 2011.   | |
| 2010 | |
Sinigaglia C., Sparaci L. Emotions in action through the looking glass. In: Journal of Analytical Psychology, vol. 55 (1) pp. 3 - 29. Wiley, 2010.  | |
| 2009 | |
| Boria S., Fabbri-Destro M., Cattaneo L., Sparaci L., Sinigaglia C., Santelli E., Cossu G., Rizzolatti G. Intention Understanding and Autism. In: PLoS One, vol. 4 (5) pp. e5596 - e5596. Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2009. | |
| Sparaci L. Rappresentazioni orientate all'azione:il ruolo delle rappresentazioni deittiche in contesti sociali. In: Teorie e Modelli, vol. XIV (1) pp. 119 - 134. Pitagora Editrice Bologna, 2009. | |
| 2008 | |
| Sinigaglia C., Sparaci L. The mirror roots of social cognition. In: Acta Philosphica, vol. 17 (2) pp. 307 - 330. Fabrizio Serra Editore, 2008. | |
| Sparaci L. Embodying Gestures. The Social Orienting Model and the study of early gestures in autism. In: Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, vol. 7 (2) pp. 203 - 223. Springer, 2008. | |
| 2006 | |
| Sparaci L. Autismo, simulazione incarnata e neuroni specchio. In: Élites. L'ordine della diversità e del molteplice, vol. 4 pp. 67 - 78. Rubbettino Editore, 2006. | |
Contribution to Book/Monograph | |
| 2010 | |
| Sparaci L. Discourse and action: analyzing the possibility of a structural similarity. In: SILFS - New Essays in Logic and Philosophy of Science. pp. 493 - 504. M. D'Agostino G. Giorello F. Laudisa T. Pievani C. Sinigaglia (ed.). London: College Publications, 2010. | |
| 2009 | |
| Romano G., Sparaci L. Il problema dell'intersoggettività negli studi sull'autismo. In: Filosofia della medicina. Metodo, modelli, cura ed errori. pp. 661 - 689. P. Giarretta, A. Moretto, G.F. Gensini, M. Trabucchi (eds.). Bologna: Il Mulino, 2009. | |
Proceedings | |
| 2008 | |
| Sparaci L. Intersubjectivity Interrupted. Motivating and reviewing the literature on gesture behavior in autism through a phenomenological approach. In: IHSRC - International Human Science Research Conference (Rovereto, Italy, 13-16 June 2007). Proceedings, pp. 1 - 14. Unitn I, 2008. | |
Abstracts | |
| 2011 | |
| Sparaci L., Stefanini S., D'Elia L., Rizzolatti G., Vicari S. Intersubjectivity and Understanding Motor Intentions: Evidence From Autism and Williams Syndrome. In: IMFAR - International Meeting for Autism Research (San Diego, California, 12-14 May 2011). Abstract, pp. 91 - 91. International Society for Autism Research (INSAR), 2011. | |