People

Melodie Bellegarda

PhD students

I am a PhD candidate in Experimental Psychology (expected completion: Spring 2027) at the University of Granada, funded by an FPU Fellowship, under the supervision of Prof. Pedro Macizo and Prof. Ana Belén García Gámez. My research examines how multisensory input (environmental sounds and pictures) shapes vocabulary acquisition in adult foreign language learners, using behavioral and EEG/ERP methods (see Bellegarda, García-Gámez & Macizo, 2026a, 2026b). I have been a member of the Memory & Language Research Group at the Mind, Brain & Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC) since 2019, when I completed my MA in Cognitive Neuroscience. My Master’s thesis investigated cognitive control in bilingual populations (see Bellegarda & Macizo, 2021).

During my research trajectory, I have completed research stays at the Université Libre de Bruxelles under the supervision of Prof. Fabienne Chétail at the Laboratoire Cognition Langage et Développement, and at the University of Lille, under the supervision of Prof. Angèle Brunellière at SCAlab. These stays were supported by Erasmus+ and FPU Mobility funding, respectively. In Brussels, I worked on a project about fast-mapping implicit word learning strategies in adult learners. In Lille, I contributed to the REaDY-SPOK project (Adapting linguistic representations during social interactions: A dynamic view of spoken human communication), focusing on phonological adaptations during social interaction (see Bellegarda, Boddaert, Knudsen, DuFour & Brunellière, 2025). I have presented my work at international conferences, including ESCOP, ISP, HILS, SNL, and SEPEX. Outside the lab, you might find me hiking in the mountains or doing yoga in the park. When I’m not out and about, I’m probably buried in a book (and writing the occasional review), learning a new language, or deep in whatever craft project has overtaken my apartment that month.

«Kolik jazyků znáš, tolikrát jsi člověkem» (Czech proverb)

You live a new life for every new language you speak (rough translation)

Publications

Conference Presentations

Poster presentations

2026. Bellegarda, M., Boddaert, G., Dufour, S., Knutsen, D., & Brunellière, A. How social interaction shapes the perception of a vowel contrast: A mismatch negativity (MMN) study Society for the Neurobiology of Language 2026 (SNL). Sep. 29 – Oct. 2. Geneva (Switzerland).
2026. Iniesta, A., Casado, A., López-Rojas, C., Bellegarda, M., Gómez, J.P., Akcesme, S., Postacchini, A., Macizo, P., Marful, S., Bajo, T., & Paolieri, D. Empowering Multilingual Societies. VIII Research Symposium at CIMCYC. 11 – 12 Jun. Granada (Spain).
2024. Bellegarda, M., García-Gámez, A.B., & Macizo, P. Effects of a multimodal auditory environment on vocabulary acquisition. 14th SEPEX Conference. 23 – 25 Oct. Almería (Spain).
2024. Bellegarda, M., García-Gámez, A.B., & Macizo, P. A multimodal exploration of auditory effects on foreign language vocabulary acquisition: An EEG study. Highlights in the Language Sciences (HILS). 8 – 11 Jul. Nijmegen (Netherlands).
2024. Brunellière, A., Bellegarda, M., Boddaert, G., Dufour, S., & Knutsen, D. To what extent is a new phonemic contrast perceived after a social interaction? Examining the nature of phonological adaptations within a native language. Highlights in the Language Sciences (HILS). 8 – 11 Jul. Nijmegen (Netherlands).
2023. Bellegarda, M., Boddaert, G., Dufour, S., Knutsen, D., & Brunellière, A. Can social interaction give rise to the perception and production of a new phonemic contrast? A behavioral and EEG study in a French regional variety. XVI International Symposium of Psycholinguistics (ISP). 31 May – 2 Jun. Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain).
2023. Bajo, T., Bellegarda, M., García-Gámez, A., López-Rojas, C., Macizo, P., Marful, A., Paolieri, D., Reyes, M., & Rivera, M. Building a multilingual brain: Research in acquisition of a second language and its cognitive implications. VI Research Symposium at CIMCYC. 11 – 12 May. Granada (Spain).
2022. Bellegarda, M., & Macizo, P. The impact of non-linguistic environmental sounds on novel word learning. 22nd conference of the European Society for Cognitive Psychology (ESCOP). 19 Aug. – 1 Sep. Lille (France).
2022. Bajo, T., Bellegarda, M., Iniesta, A., López-Rojas, C., Marful, A., Paolieri, D., Reyes, M., & Rivera, M. Divulgando desde la evidencia científica. V Research Symposium at CIMCYC. 19 – 20 May. Granada (Spain).
2022. Bellegarda, M., & Macizo, P. Exploring cognitive control and bilingualism through behavioral and electrophysiological methods. 13th APPE-SEPEX Conference. 5 – 7 May. Faro (Portugal).
2021. Bellegarda, M., Iniesta A., López-Rojas, C., Reyes, M., & Rivera, M. ¿Cómo conviven varios idiomas en el cerebro? Transfiriendo la investigación desde el laboratorio a la sociedad. IV Research Symposium at CIMCYC. 20 – 21 May. Granada (Spain).

Oral presentations

2021. Bellegarda, M., & Macizo, P. Do everyday sounds facilitate vocabulary learning? 1st Interuniversity Symposium (University of Granada and University of Malaga) for Psychology Doctoral Students. 5 – 6 Jun. Granada (Spain).
2020. Bellegarda, M., & Macizo, P. New word learning with musical paradigms. Psychology Doctoral Program Talks. 28 Oct. Granada (Spain).