Alessandro Antonietti

Catholic University of the Sacred Heart | UNICATT · Department of Psychology

Evidence shows that patients affected by Parkinson’s disease (PD) display the tendency toward making risky choices. This is due, at least in part, to the pathophysiological characteristics of the disease that affects neural areas underlying decision making (DM), in which a pivotal role is played by nonmotor corticostriatal circuits and dopamine. Ex...

Recent research has proposed a relationship between rigid political ideologies and underlying ‘cognitive styles’. However, there remain discrepancies in how both social and cognitive rigidity are defined and measured. Problem-solving, or the ability to generate novel ideas by exploring unusual reasoning paths and challenging rigid perspectives arou...

The quantity and quality of environmental stimuli and contexts are crucial for children’s development. Following the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), restrictive measures have been implemented, constraining children’s social lives and changing their daily routines. To date, there is a lack of research assessing the long-lasting impacts that these...

The anti-COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the United States provided a significant contribution to the control of the virus spread. Despite the recommendations by public health institutions , vaccine skepticism and hesitancy contributed to low vaccine uptake, thus possibly disrupting the management of preventable diseases associated with the COVID-...

Navigating the web represents a complex cognitive activity that requires effective integration of different stimuli and the correct functioning of numerous cognitive abilities (including attention, perception, and working memory). Despite the potential relevance of the topic, numerous limitations are present throughout the literature about the cogn...

The possibility of using rhythmic auditory interventions for addressing dyslexia-related difficulties has been empirically explored by several investigations, with encouraging results. Such findings inspired the design of a novel rhythm-based intervention, Rhythmic Reading Training (RRT), specifically designed for students with developmental dyslex...

Decision making (DM) has a pivotal role in supporting individual autonomy and well-being. It is considered a complex ability exploiting many cognitive functions, among which executive functions (EFs) are crucial. Few studies analyzed the role played by EFs in DM in healthy adults under ambiguity and risk, which are common conditions for most decisi...

Understanding predictors of parents’ willingness to vaccinate their children appears fundamental to promote vaccine acceptability, especially in a pandemic scenario. The present study aimed to investigate the role of conspiracy beliefs and absolutist thinking in parental attitude towards COVID‐19 vaccine, and the predictive role of parents’ individ...

While learning in Internet-based environments, students rely on metacognitive knowledge to organize, record, monitor, and review their learning path. In this experience, they may reveal either a "surface" or "deep" approach. In this study, 509 university students were administered the adapted versions of the ‘Metacognitive Knowledge regarding Inter...

(1) Background: Psychological well-being (PWB) is a multidimensional construct which is a key protective factor against chronic diseases in older adults. Numerous psychological and cognitive factors can influence older people’s PWB. However, while most studies have explored the effect of general cognition, only a few investigated the role of specif...

The present study aimed to investigate the association between learning skills and creative thinking and to assess their relations with self-efficacy. In doing so, we used an approach that aimed to go beyond the dichotomous comparison between students with Specific Learning Disability (SLD) vs. students without SLD, which could potentially reduce c...

Being hospitalized is a threatening and stressful experience for many children. From a psychological point of view, children may experience increased feelings of anxiety and fear that can negatively influence their behavioral, cognitive, and emotional outcomes. To mitigate such adverse effects on children’s mental health and well-being, interventio...

Recent research has investigated the relationship between rigid political ideologies and underlying cognitive functions, highlighting discrepancies on how different ‘cognitive styles’ are defined and measured in relation with different shapes of social rigidity. Cognitive rigidity is often operationalized using problem solving which translates into...

L’efficacia del processo decisionale può essere inficiata da alcune variabili di ordine psicologico, quali bias, pregiudizi, distorsioni cognitive e affettive. Per contrastare questi effetti la metacognizione può aiutare l’individuo nella presa di decisione. Il presente contributo fornisce una rassegna non sistematica relativa al costrutto della me...

Being hospitalized is a threatening and stressful experience for many children. From a psychological point of view, children may experience increased feelings of anxiety and fear that can negatively interfere with behavioral, cognitive, and emotional outcomes. To limit these impacts on children's well-being and mental health, interventions that cou...

Technology innovation has been leading to the development of an increasing number of applications that aim to support the rehabilitation of cognitive functions [...]

The role of executive functioning in creative thinking is under debate. Some authors suggested that increased inhibitory control, a component of executive functioning, is detrimental to creative solutions, whereas others argued that executive functions are central to creative problem-solving, thus questioning Guilford’s classical distinction betwee...

Remediation of reading difficulties through music and auditory-based interventions in children with impairments in reading (such as developmental dyslexia) has been suggested in light of the putative neural and cognitive overlaps between the music and language domains. Several studies had explored the effect of music training on reading development...

Based on the transfer effects of music training on the phonological and reading abilities of children with dyslexia, a computerized rhythmic intervention—the Rhythmic Reading Training (RRT)—was developed, in which reading exercises are combined with a rhythmic synchronization task. This rehabilitation program was previously tested in multiple contr...

L'articolo ricostruisce il contributo alla psicologia di Carlo Cristini. In particolare si mettono in evidenza gli apporti allo studio dell'invecchiamento sano e patologico, alla formazione degli operatori e dei caregiver degli anziani e allo scambio inter-disciplinare. Viene sottolineato l'approccio volto a valorizzare le risorse dell'anziano e a...

È stato implementato un nuovo paradigma sperimentale per verificare l'ipotesi del coinvolgimento del sistema dei neuroni specchio in un compito di previsione dell'esito di un'azione motoria, ossia la traiettoria del pallone in un calcio di rigore. In particolare, è stato messo a punto un compito sperimentale manipolando una serie di filmati di calc...

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether there are associations between polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) blood levels, reading/writing performance and performance in neuropsychological tasks. Moderate to strong correlations were found between PUFA levels (specific omega-6/omega-3 ratios) and reading/writing abilities, and the fo...

The COVID-19 vaccine appears to be a crucial requirement to fight the pandemic. However, a part of the population possesses negative attitudes towards the vaccine. The spread of conspiracy theories and contradictory information about the pandemic have altered the population’s perception of risk. The risk-perception of the vaccine’s side effects may...

The present study aimed to test a model of relations to ascertain the determinants of distress caused by lockdown for COVID-19. It was hypothesized that the exposure to the COVID-19 increased distress directly and through the mediation of worry, health-related information seeking, and perception of the utility of the lockdown. It was also expected...

Introduction: It is well-acknowledged that cognitive and physical decline associated with aging can be prevented or reduced with the engagement in regular physical activity (PA). Dance activities combine cardiovascular, cognitive, and coordinative demands, providing a popular leisure PA among elderly. This study examined the correlations between q...

A 38 studenti con DSA e 38 studenti senza problemi di apprendimento di 8-18 anni sono state applicate la Scala di autostima, la Scala di autoefficacia scolastica percepita e la Positivity Scale e sono state raccolte informazioni sulla loro situazione scolastica. Gli studenti con DSA mostrano inferiori livelli di autostima ma le differenze tra i due...

In the classical "jacket-calculator" dilemma it is postulated decision is regulated by a mental topical accounting process which orients people to consider a discount price when purchasing items. We proposed an adapted version of the classical "jacket-calculator" task re-framing the choice in a medical context. Our results supported the view that s...

The COVID-19 outbreak necessitated a reorganization of the rehabilitation practices for Learning Disorders (LDs). During the lockdown phase, telerehabilitation offered the possibility to continue training interventions while enabling social distancing. Given such an advantage of telerehabilitation methods for LDs, clinical research is still needed...

Neurofunctional models of developmental dyslexia (DD) point out disruption of the left-lateralized reading network. In individuals with DD, the left temporo-parietal (TP) regions are underactivated during reading tasks and a dysfunctional activation of the contralateral regions is reported. After a successful reading intervention, left TP lateraliz...

In Parkinson’s Disease (PD) impairments in decision making can occur, in particular because of the tendency towards risky and rewarding options. The Iowa Gambling Task has been widely used to investigate decision processes involving these options. The task assesses the ability to manage risk and to learn from feedback. The present paper aims at cri...

The current study proposed the adaptation of the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS) to the religious domain as an instrument to measure both individuals' religious identity formation processes (when a variable-centered approach is adopted) and religious identity statuses (when a person-centered approach is adopted). The scale...

Current advances in technology allowed teachers to make use of the potential advantages of multimedia learning in their education practices. Literature suggests that learning is improved by multimodal presentation of information (e.g., audio-visual modality) through a reinforcing processing effect. As a result, students understand and remember info...

The COVID-19 outbreak and the restrictions that have been enforced by the health authorities are having a profound psychological impact on the population. Many people, including the students, faced forced modifications to their daily lives and this prompted the need for scalable strategies to promote resilience. We designed an online community inte...

Marcello Cesa-Bianchi ha svolto un ruolo importante nel favorire gli studi sperimentali degli psicologi italiani sulla funzione delle immagini visive all'interno del processo di pensiero creativo durante i diversi stati di vigilanza (veglia vigile, veglia rilassata, rêverie, addormentamento e sonno REM). Egli era partitodalla constatazione che la r...

Nonostante la diffusione di numerosi interventi di educazione finanziaria, aventi l'obiettivo di rendere i cittadini capaci di compiere scelte finanziarie consapevoli e adeguate, l'alfabetizzazione finanziaria in Italia risulta ancora carente rispetto a quella di altri paesi (Klapper et al., 2015). Gli autori del presente lavoro, sulla base della l...

Evidence reported in the literature suggests that the mirror system not only plays a role in recognizing motor action but also fosters a better understanding of other people because it helps an individual assume another’s perspective. This led to the idea, supported by research findings, that people with higher empathy scores should show higher act...

The present study examined whether cinematographic editing density affects viewers’ perception of time. As a second aim, based on embodied models that conceive time perception as strictly connected to the movement, we tested the hypothesis that the editing density of moving images also affects viewers’ eye movements and that these later mediate the...

A large number of studies, including single case and case series studies, have shown that patients with different types of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are characterized by the emergence of artistic abilities. This led to the hypothesis of enhanced creative thinking skills as a function of these pathological conditions. However, in the last years,...

An experiment on a nonclinical sample to investigate influences of virtual reality (VR) on dissociation, mindfulness, and self-efficacy is reported. The participants were immersed for 20 minutes with a VR system in a large virtual apartment and have been charged to look around and find a set of objects previously observed on pictures. Questionnaire...

Current advances in technology allowed teachers to make use of the potential advantages of multimedia learning in their education practices. Literature suggests that learning is improved by multimodal presentation of information (e.g., audio-visual modality) through a reinforcing processing effect. As a result, students understand and remember info...

Most studies investigating the emerging adults' (objective and subjective) financial well-being specifically focused on the main predictors of this construct, whereas only few studies tested the financial well-being as antecedent of possible outcomes during emerging adulthood. The current paper aims (1) to test the impact that the emerging adults'...

In the first part of the chapter, recent literature is critically discussed to examine the relationships between creativity and metacognition–intended as metacognitive knowledge, metacognitive awareness, and metacognitive control. In the second part, we report an experimental study on primary school children. Participants were engaged in a creative...

We explored the association between cognitive reserve (CR) and Parkinson' s disease (PD) related cognitive deterioration. Forty PD patients and 12 matchedhealthy controls (HC) were enrolled. The PD group was balanced for the presence/absence of cognitive impairment All participants underwent MOCA. CR was measured by the Brief Intelligence Test, an...

Crucial arguments in the debate about the use of transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) as an intervention for children with neurodevelopmental disorders include, besides safety and efficacy issues, neuroethical concerns as well. No agreement has been reached yet in the clinical community about the ethical aspects of stimulating, although not in...

In times of uncertainty, people often seek out information to help alleviate fear, possibly leaving them vulnerable to false information. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we attended to a viral spread of incorrect and misleading information that compromised collective actions and public health measures to contain the spread of the disease. We investig...

Advances in research on cognitive enhancement revealed the potential and effectiveness of techniques in modulating human abilities. The possibility of enhancing various aspects of cognition through the use of psychotropic drugs and neurostimulation techniques has fueled a debate on the ethical implications of cognitive enhancement. The aim of the p...

Two training programmes aimed at increasing the creative skills coherent with the WCR model are described. The first programme is addressed to kindergarten children and to children attending the first years of the primary school. It is based on a set of short stories whose protagonists are common objects which can be found at home. The second progr...

The training programme—addressed to children aged 4–8 years—consists of an interactive story in which it must be discovered why a volcano is extinct. Some tutors accompany children in search of the secret of the volcano. During such a search children meet characters who personify psychological features which obstacle creativity. Children have to ov...

The theoretical model at the basis of the training programmes which are described in the book is explained. The model tries to synthesise the main theoretical positions about creative thinking in order to define a coherent framework to be applied in education. Three general mental operations seem to rely on the basis of creativity: widening (W), co...

The training programme is designed to be implemented in primary and secondary schools (a distinct version is available for each school level). Each version includes two different kinds of training: the metacognitive approach and the symbolic-imaginative approach. Both approaches have the same narrative plot, but they present two different styles: m...

Background. Individuals under quarantine, such as the one caused by SARS-CoV-2, experience severe distress. The present research aimed to test a model of relations to ascertain the determinants of distress. Worry, perceived utility of the lockdown, and health-related information seeking were mediators in the relationships between COVID-19 exposure,...

This study investigates whether laypersons can distinguish between creative and non‐creative artifacts, identify when creativity emerges, and be aware of the merit to be attributed to those who conceive a creative idea. Study 1 analyzed a creative and a non‐creative version of two advertisements. In the creative version, there was an ideational pro...

L'aumento delle prospettive di vita invita a una riflessione sul tema dell'invecchiamento evidenziando l'importanza della presa in carico dell'anziano per promuoverne il benessere. In tale contesto la flessibilità cognitiva assume un ruolo fondamentale per i numerosi benefici che produce negli an-ziani. In questa prospettiva è stato condotto uno st...

The design and implementation of a serious game (SG) concerning inhibition skills in children are presented. The SG consists of a set of activities, each eliciting the tendency to respond in an immediate and inappropriate (wrong) way. The SG is based on the Dual Pathway model of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) proposed by Sonuga-Bar...

The involvement of the prefrontal cortex in intertemporal choices has been long recognized. Using neurostimulation techniques, recent studies have indicated that the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) influences performance on intertemporal choice tasks. The present pilot study is aimed to explore further the DLPFC's role in intertemporal...

Developmental dyslexia is a very common learning disorder causing an impairment in reading ability. Although the core deficit underlying dyslexia is still under debate, significant agreement is reached in the literature that dyslexia is related to a specific deficit in the phonological representation of speech sounds. Many studies also reported an...

The COVID-19 outbreak and the restrictions that have been enforced by the health authorities are having a profound psychological impact on the population. Many people, including the students, faced forced modifications to their daily lives and this prompted the need for scalable strategies to promote resilience. We designed an online community inte...

Purpose This paper aims to present the application and critical reflection on the effects of a intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD): the Soundbeam Imitation Intervention (SII). The intervention is based on the imitation of meaningless body gestures supported by a musical feedback. The rationale underlying SII is that mirror...

The design of a computer-supported serious game concerning inhibition skills in children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is reported. The game consists of a series of activities, each eliciting the tendency to respond in an immediate, inadequate way. The game is based on the Dual Pathway Model of ADHD proposed by Sonuga-Barke....

Objective Divergent thinking (DT) has attracted research interest because of its potential role in early diagnosis and rehabilitation programs for patients affected by neurodegenerative diseases. Recently, DT has received even more attention because of its proven relationship with cognitive reserve (CR) and the possibility of a standardized assessm...

The study of the psychological aspects related to migratory phenomena moves between highlighting the critical aspects that accompany migrations and identifying possible positive aspects. Apart from this polarization, it is important to focus on core psychological constructs through which to read the psychological dynamics regarding those who migrat...

Cite: Caprì, T., Fabio, R.A., Towey, G.E., & Antonietti, A. (2019). Current theory. In Caprì, T., Fabio, R.A., Towey, G.E., & Antonietti, A. (Eds). Psychology Research Progress. New York: Nova Science Publisher. ISBN: 978-1-53615-441-2

The latest guidelines recommend early identification of children with motor impairments using a standardized norm-referenced test. Motor coordination difficulties in developmental age have been studied extensively over recent years, with experimental literature on developmental coordination disorder (DCD) suggesting that motor proficiency assessmen...

This book examines the evidence-based interventions that can be used to promote creative thinking skills for children and adolescents in schools. It begins by explaining the theoretical basis of these training programmes, before presenting a coherent framework for the application of creativity theory in education. The authors describe and analyse p...

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a childhood-onset neurobehavioral disorder, which is characterized by motor and sound tics. Current studies have identified some specific factors that lead to tic reduction, such as relaxation, concentration, musical activities, and the execution of voluntary and finalistic movements. Patients with TS show a higher level o...

Moral domain theory posits that moral knowledge is organized in separate domains related to moral and socio-conventional rules, with the latter being reliant on a statement made by authority. Domains may be contingent on different neuropsychological processing that may vary with age. Behavioral indices were measured in three age groups, to detect d...

Purpose: It is well-acknowledged that mental and physical decline associated with aging can be prevented and/or reduced with regular physical activity (PA). Dancing combines cardiovascular, cognitive and coordinative demands, providing a popular leisure PA among elderly. This study examined the impact of multi-year (at least 10 years) amateur ballr...