Papers by Federica Biassoni
Journal of Intelligence, Oct 30, 2023
This paper proposes an integration of embodied and phenomenological perspectives to understand th... more This paper proposes an integration of embodied and phenomenological perspectives to understand the restorative capacity of natural environments. It emphasizes the role of embodied simulation mechanisms in evoking positive affects and cognitive functioning. Perceptual symbols play a crucial role in generating the restorative potential in environments, highlighting the significance of the encounter between the embodied individual and the environment. This study reviews Stress Reduction Theory (SRT) and Attention Restoration Theory (ART), finding commonalities in perceptual fluency and connectedness to nature. It also explores a potential model based on physiognomic perception, where the environment's pervasive qualities elicit an affective response. Restorativeness arises from a direct encounter between the environment's phenomenal structure and the embodied perceptual processes of individuals. Overall, this integrative approach sheds light on the intrinsic affective value of environmental elements and their influence on human well-being.
Sustainability, Dec 5, 2023
Knowing the reasons for mobility choices, how users evaluate the characteristics of public transp... more Knowing the reasons for mobility choices, how users evaluate the characteristics of public transport and how satisfied they are with the travel experience is essential to promote the use of LTP (Local Public Transport), especially in rural or suburban areas where the use of private car is often prevalent. The present study aimed to investigate the mobility experience and the reasons for use and non-use of the LPT in a suburban area by the people travelling to a large Hospital Centre in a Province of the North-east of Italy. An anonymous questionnaire was completed by people from different categories travelling to the hospital (students, employees, clients), user and non-users of the LPT. The results showed that insufficient hourly coverage and accessibility of the service are the primary reasons for opting not to use LPT and together with reliability and comfort, these factors contribute to user satisfaction with their travel experience. Perceived sustainability of LPT contributes t...
Accident Analysis & Prevention, Sep 1, 2023
WIT Transactions on the Built Environment, Jun 9, 2017
In Tanzania, in 2014, 3,760 people were killed on the roads, and 14,530 were injured. The possibl... more In Tanzania, in 2014, 3,760 people were killed on the roads, and 14,530 were injured. The possible reasons are to be investigated around the fatalistic beliefs common in Africa, and the lack of effective road safety education in schools. The present study was conducted in a Secondary School in Tanzania in 2016. In January 212 students received a two-hour training held by a traffic psychologist and the training effectiveness was assessed through Static Hazard Perception Test (SHPT), that was submitted before the training and twice after the training, in February and in November (follow up). Aim of the training was to open a 'window of thought' on simple concepts such as road risk and danger, starting from the idea that reflecting on these concepts would help students to improve their awareness of the dangers that can be found on the road. Pre-post repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) yielded a principal effect of the training on hazard perception (F (1,210)=27.519, p<.001). Data collected in the follow up show that the level of hazards perception at eight months after the training was lower than immediately after the training (repeated measures ANOVA: F (1,210)=11,700, p<.005) but higher than before the training (repeated measures ANOVA: F (1,210) =85,685, p<.001). Although there are some limits, the results suggest that a traffic psychology training about road safety, based on students' reflection about their experience as road users, may help to better recognize hazards on the road and to maintain such ability forward. Such results have implications for more effective road safety education in Africa.
Il presente contributo prende in esame le strategie verbali e vocali non verbali per accogliere l... more Il presente contributo prende in esame le strategie verbali e vocali non verbali per accogliere le emozioni espresse dall'interlocutore, nello specifico collera e tristezza, ed esprimere empatia
European Journal of Mental Health, 2022
Introduction: The present study investigates the lockdown experience in Italy during the COVID-19... more Introduction: The present study investigates the lockdown experience in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic within a positive psychology framework, focusing on the protective role of the positive anticipatory states: optimism and hope. Aims: The aims were to verify if and how optimism and hope influenced people's psychological wellbeing and their risk perception of the situation, addressing how individuals portrayed the present and how they imagined the future after the lockdown. Method: Based on the differences between the two constructs, as from the literature, the hypothesis is that individuals with higher levels of optimism would report positive but hazy future scenarios and lower levels of risk perception about the future. Therefore 1,471 participants received an online survey, which was administered as a set of questionnaires investigating three areas: demographic information, psychological wellbeing, and risk of contagion perception. Results: The results showed that positive anticipatory states are positively associated with psychological wellbeing. Moreover, the results highlighted the relationship between optimism and risk perception regarding future scenarios. Conclusions: The presented predictive model demonstrated that positive anticipatory states, sex, and age had a central role in determining the psychological wellbeing during the first wave of the pandemic events in Italy. Practical implications are discussed.
Frontiers in Psychology, May 31, 2021
We examined the relationship between sleep and the affective components of subjective well-being ... more We examined the relationship between sleep and the affective components of subjective well-being as well as psychological well-being, and between sleep and academic performance, of full-time undergraduate students in a residential college at the National University of Singapore. The aspects of sleep considered were self-reported sleep duration, sleep efficiency, frequency of sleep disturbances, daytime dysfunction, sleep latency and overall sleep quality, as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Academic performance was measured using self-reported cumulative average point scores, typically known as grade point average in other institutions. Psychological wellbeing and the affective components of subjective well-being were assessed using the Flourishing Scale and the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience, respectively. With the exception of sleep latency, our univariate analysis revealed significant associations between the abovementioned facets of sleep, and the affective components of subjective well-being. The analysis also revealed significant associations between the above sleep variables and psychological well-being, except sleep latency and frequency of sleep disturbances. Only daytime dysfunction was found to be significantly correlated with academic performance in our univariate analysis. In addition, our multivariate analysis shows that psychological well-being, affect balance and academic performance each has a direct effect on overall sleep quality. The relationship between overall sleep quality and psychological well-being is U-shaped, while that between overall sleep quality and affect balance is linear and moderated by psychological well-being. The relationship between overall sleep quality and academic performance is either U-shaped or an inverted-U, depending on the level of psychological well-being, which moderates the relationship. These nonlinear relationships indicate that individuals with the highest levels of psychological well-being are not the best sleepers (in terms of overall sleep quality), neither are the highest academic achievers necessarily the best sleepers.
Neuropsychology
Objective: Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with impairment in producing emotions conveyed ... more Objective: Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with impairment in producing emotions conveyed by voice which could depend on motor limitations of the vocal apparatus and/or alterations in emotional processing. This study explores the relationship between the standard deviation of fundamental frequency (F0SD) of emotional speech and the volume of specific gray matter regions. Method: Fifteen PD patients and 15 healthy controls (HC) were asked to produce different emotions vocally elicited by reading short stories. For each vocal track, the F0SD was calculated as index of variability. All subjects underwent a structural magnetic resonance imaging and a voxel-based morphometry analysis. An ad hoc mask of brain regions implicated in emotional prosody was constructed to test the relationship between F0SD and the level of brain atrophy. Results: PD patients showed lower F0SD values than HC in the expression of anger. Neuroimaging results showed brain atrophy in PD patients in a widespread bilateral network, including frontal areas, left cingulate cortex, parietal areas as well as occipital cortices. In the PD group, a positive correlation was observed between F0SD values of anger and volumes of the bilateral supramarginal gyrus, left thalamus, right inferior frontal gyrus, and amygdala. Conclusions: The lower F0SD values observed in PD patients in anger production are consistent with their lower ability to express anger effectively through voice compared to HC. Our data demonstrated the involvement of right-lateralized areas, such as the inferior frontal gyrus and amygdala, which are typically involved in emotional prosody. Disturbances in emotion processing might contribute to speech production deficits in PD, probably in addition to the motor impairment of the articulatory system. Key Points Question: Among acoustic parameters, does fundamental frequency variability correlate with the volume of brain regions involved in emotional prosody? Findings: Patients with Parkinson's disease showed a reduction of fundamental frequency variability in the expression of anger. This parameter is associated with the volume of predominantly right-lateralized areas such as the amygdala and the inferior frontal gyrus, which are typically implicated in the production of emotions by voice. Importance: Deficit in emotional prosody might reduce the ability to express emotions vocally in addition to the motor impairment affecting the vocal apparatus. Next Steps: Future studies should consider more acoustic parameters and explore their association with indices of gray and white matter structural integrity.
Abstract. The most recent research about both human-human conversational interaction and human-co... more Abstract. The most recent research about both human-human conversational interaction and human-computer agents conversational interaction is marked by a multimodal perspective. On the one hand this approach underlines the co-occurrence and synergy between different languages and channels, on the other hand it highlights the need for joined and coordinated action between various subjects (attuning and mutual tuning in). In a similar way recent research on human computer interaction points out the need to consider the vocal interaction in a multicomponential perspective, both as a multilayer phenomenon in itself and as one component in wider interactive patterns. As the communicative action is seen with its features of comprehensiveness and multicomponentiality, so the vocal act needs to be seen as a complex event. Research on models aimed at new interfaces analysis, outline the way beyond the distinction traceable in the majority of studies, where conversational action is split up in...
Il contributo approfondisce gli strumenti per la valutazione dell'idoneit\ue0 alla guida con ... more Il contributo approfondisce gli strumenti per la valutazione dell'idoneit\ue0 alla guida con particolare focus sul Vienna Test System
Journal of Applied Gerontology, Feb 28, 2021
This study examines the relationship between age, cognitive reserve (CR), and driving-related cog... more This study examines the relationship between age, cognitive reserve (CR), and driving-related cognitive abilities in a sample of oldest old drivers undergoing evaluation of fitness to drive. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate the associations between age, CR, and performances to a standardized set of cognitive tests assessing fitness to drive. Education and work complexity were used as proxy measures of CR. The results showed both measures of CR, but not age, were significantly associated with higher general intelligence. Education also predicted higher decision speed, and decision speed partly mediated the effect of education on general intelligence. These findings suggest that over age of 80 years old, CR was a better predictor of driving-related cognitive abilities than age. Education was associated with better performance across different cognitive domains including processing speed.
Procedia Manufacturing, 2015
Although the use of plastic in packaging has largely increased, consumer research consistently in... more Although the use of plastic in packaging has largely increased, consumer research consistently indicates that consumers attach a high quality perception to glass packaged products. The goal of this study was to examine individuals' recognition and affective judgments of 30 food packages after visual and haptic exploration. We included packages of three food products that are more often packaged in glass (wine, honey, chocolate cream) and three products that are usually plastic packaged (yogurt, milk, juice). For each product, five packages were used: a glass package; a transparent plastic package with a shape similar to the glass package; a transparent plastic package with a shape different from the glass package; a non-transparent plastic package; a plastic package with a very unusual shape. 30 participants were randomly assigned to three conditions: visual, haptic, and visual + haptic exploration. The visual group watched the packages while their eye-movements were recorded, whereas participants of the other two groups were video-recorded and haptic Exploration Procedures were coded. All participants were asked to name each package and to rate how much they liked it. Moreover, they blind tasted 20 products and were asked to judge liking and quality. Participants were unaware that, for each food category, they were tasting the exact same product repeatedly. The results show that pleasantness judgments were higher for glass packages than for plastic packages. Similarly, participants reported to like the products they believed to come from glass packages more than products contained in plastic packages. Unusual shapes required longer visual and haptic exploration, were overall rated as less pleasant and containing the lowest quality products. The implications for packaging material, shape and design are discussed.
Transportation Research Part F-traffic Psychology and Behaviour, Jul 1, 2018
In pedestrian crossing situations, children are less able to make safe crossing decisions compare... more In pedestrian crossing situations, children are less able to make safe crossing decisions compared to adults. The aim of the present study was to analyze and compare the ocular behaviour of children and adults in the pedestrian crossing situations using the eye tracking. The study involved 22 children ranging in age from 5 years to 6 years 2 months and 22 adults. Children and adults participated in a brief eye tracking session designed to explore field of view in road crossing scenarios. They were presented with four pictures of pedestrian crossing and instructed to observe the pictures as if they were on the sidewalk getting ready to cross the road. The eye movements of the subjects looking at the pictures on the screen were collected through the eye tracker. The results showed that adults used a far more intense exploration of the useful visual field of view. They looked at all the different areas of the field of view more frequently and for a longer time. Another interesting point is that the children gazed at areas and elements that are irrelevant to a safe crossing but prove salient for various reasons. Implications for road safety training are discussed.
Europe’s Journal of Psychology, Nov 27, 2020
Although research has so far consistently revealed that using suppression to regulate emotions ha... more Although research has so far consistently revealed that using suppression to regulate emotions has adverse personal and social effects, it has been argued that suppression may be less detrimental within non-close relationships. In the present work, we examined the effects of experimentally induced suppression on expressive behavior, emotional experience, and social outcomes within task-oriented interactions between individuals randomly assigned to high/low vs. equal power positions. Eighty-eight participants were randomly paired with a partner of the same gender (forty-four dyads). After being randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions created to manipulate suppression use and power, each dyad was asked to complete two problem-solving tasks. The results showed that the participants who were assigned to the subordinate (low-power) role and who used suppression to regulate their emotions reported more negative emotional experience than did individuals assigned to equal-power roles, as well as more inauthenticity and diminished feelings of rapport compared to subordinates who freely expressed their feelings. Moreover, we found that the use of suppression also influenced participants assigned to the manager (high-power) role, as they exhibited less positive behavior, reported less positive experience and lower feelings of rapport when interacting with a partner asked to suppress. When individuals were assigned to equal power roles, the participants instructed to use suppression reported lower levels of positive emotions than did their partners as well as higher feelings of inauthenticity compared to uninstructed participants. Overall, these findings seem to suggest that suppression may impair task-oriented interactions between high/low power individuals more than interactions between individuals sharing equal power.
Procedia Manufacturing, 2015
The influence of safe-driving training on risk perception is not widely investigated actually. Ai... more The influence of safe-driving training on risk perception is not widely investigated actually. Aim of the present work is to examine if an increase in self-confidence and perception of ability, resulting from a safe-driving training, is associated to an increase in risk perception and awareness. 228 subjects took part in an eight-hours safe-driving training including four driving exercises, simulating risk situations in everyday driving contexts, such as someone suddenly crossing the road or driving on slippery road surface. Before and after the training, all the subjects were submitted a questionnaire to test the risk perception in everyday driving environment (RIPAQ, Risk Perception in Action Questionnaire). Repeated measures ANOVA showed a significant increase in the estimate of risk incidental to some situations, like "using your mobile while driving", "not fastening the lifebelt" or "driving at a speed of 60km/h in the city center", but not to other ones, as "avoiding slowing down next to a cross road". Data are discussed in the light of the dual process theory about risk perception: the emotional component seems to be more aroused by the safe-driving experience than the analytic one.
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Papers by Federica Biassoni