Giuseppe Riva

Catholic University of the Sacred Heart | UNICATT · Humane Technology Lab.

Our experience of the body is not direct; rather, it is mediated by perceptual information, influenced by internal information, and recalibrated through stored implicit and explicit body representation (body memory). This paper presents an overview of the current investigations related to body memory by bringing together recent studies from neurops...

The persistence of the coronavirus-caused respiratory disease (COVID-19) and the related restrictions to mobility and social interactions are forcing a significant portion of students and workers to reorganize their daily activities to accommodate the needs of distance learning and agile work (smart working). What is the impact of these changes on...

Major technology companies are investing significant sums of money in the creation of the metaverse whose main feature will be the fusion between the virtual world and the physical world. To allow this possibility is one of the less obvious features of the metaverse: the metaverse works like our minds. This ability makes the metaverse a significant...

Big data (BD) is the hue and cry of modern science and society. The impact of such data-deluge is huge and far-reaching for both science and society. Moreover, given the effort required for collecting and analyzing this data, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has replaced the human mind in accomplishing the enormous task of deriving insight out of the i...

What distinguishes real-world communities from their online counterparts? Social and cognitive neuroscience research on social networks and collective intentionality will be used in the article to answer this question. Physical communities are born in places. And places engage "we-mode" neurobiological and cognitive processes as behavioral synchron...

Background and Objectives: Emotional eating (EE), or eating in response to negative emotions or stress, can be understood as a manifestation of difficulties regulating emotions among individuals with eating disorders. To date, many virtual reality treatments for eating disorders have focused on body image or exposure methods and have not exclusivel...

Background: Cognitive-motor dual-task (CMDT) is defined as the parallel processing of motor (eg, gait) and cognitive (eg, executive functions) activities and is an essential ability in daily life. Older adults living with frailty, chronic conditions (eg, neurodegenerative diseases), or multimorbidity pay high costs during CMDT. This can have serio...

Space can be used as a metaphor to describe semantic and perceptual similarity. Research has shown that similarity and spatial information can influence each other. On the one hand, similarity entails spatial closeness; on the other hand, proximity leads to similarity judgment. This spatial information can be stored in declarative memory and measur...

Our lives have drastically changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Information and communications technologies (ICTs) have replaced other media as the primary means of work, communication, expression, and entertainment throughout this time. As society's reliance on technology increases throughout and possibly after the pandemic, it is critical to ful...

Growing evidence has revealed the crucial role of motor simulation and spatial perspective-taking in action language. However, there is still a lack of understanding of how motor and spatial processes interact when there are multiple actors involved, and if embodied processes are consistent across different cultures. To address this gap, we examine...

Objective: The general objective of the current study was to investigate the efficacy of a novel self-help virtual therapeutic experience (specifically, the COVID Feel Good intervention) in lowering the psychological burden experienced during the COVID-19 lockdowns in four European countries. Methods: We focused on participants recruited from Ju...

We argue that AI still has not a clear "face" (i.e., many users that would interact with AI have no idea what to expect) and this is related to interpretability and trust issues with autonomous technologies. We present our research activity and the three approaches to the issue, namely marketing, team formation with expert AI users, and User Experi...

Mental health problems are very common among university students, and the situation worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. The closure of universities, the restrictions imposed, and the reduction of social activities led to considerable changes in students' lives, thus posing new mental health and emotional challenges. Within this context, promotin...

Mental health disorders pose a significant challenge to society. The Bayesian perspective on the mind offers unique insights and tools that may help address a variety of mental health conditions. Psychopathological dysfunctions are often connected to altered predictive and active inference processes, in which cognitive and physiological pathogenic...

Patients with Anorexia (AN) and Bulimia Nervosa (BN) show bodily-self experience alterations. Body experience results from a Multisensory Integration (MSI) process that blends information from different sensory domains and frames of reference into a unique percept. A systematic review was conducted to examine MSI in AN and BN to investigate whether...

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic. In this framework, digital self-help interventions have the potential to provide flexible and scalable solutions for delivering evidence-based treatments that do not necessitate face-to-face meetings. Objective: as part of a multicentric project, the purpose of the current randomized controlled trial was to eva...

Individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) usually report navigation and spatial memory impairments. Spatial navigation is an embodied process that requires the active involvement of both physical (e.g., motor commands and proprioception) and cognitive (e.g., decision-making and mental rotation) information. Immersive virtual reality (IVR) is...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11762.].

Introduction: Over the last decades, interactive technologies appeared a promising solution in the ecological evaluation of executive functioning. We have developed the EXecutive-functions Innovative Tool 360° (EXIT 360°), a new instrument that exploits 360° technologies to provide an ecologically valid assessment of executive functioning. Aim:...

The body is a very special object, as it corresponds to the physical component of the self and it is the medium through which we interact with the world. Our body awareness includes the mental representation of the body that happens to be our own, and traditionally has been defined in terms of body schema and body image. Starting from the distincti...

We will probably never go to the Moon, climb Mount Everest, or swim with dolphins. Virtual reality (VR), however, can allow us to do all these things using the simulative power of computers and smartphones. Specifically, what distinguishes VR from other media is the sense of presence: the feeling of “being there” inside the virtual experience produ...

The Bayesian-brain framework applied to placebo responses and other mind-body interactions suggests that the effects on the body result from the interaction between priors, such as expectations and learning, and likelihood, such as somatosensorial information. Significant research in this area focuses on the role of the priors, but the relevance of...

Machine Learning (ML) offers unique and powerful tools for mental health practitioners to improve evidence-based psychological interventions and diagnoses. Indeed, by detecting and analyzing different biosignals, it is possible to differentiate between typical and atypical functioning and to achieve a high level of personalization across all phases...

Breathing is critical, since it accompanies us throughout our lives. It is a natural and spontaneous action: in an hour, we take more than 800 normal breaths without even thinking about it. During the day, our breathing changes during different activities that we perform, for example when we talk or play sports, but also when we cry, scream, laugh,...

Purpose: This post hoc study aimed to assess the hypothesis that subjects with obesity could underestimate their body size. Methods: Data from a previous study with different aims were used to compare 22 female inpatients with obesity with 21 healthy-weight women in the size estimation accuracy of their shoulders, waist, and hips circumferences...

Despite advances in our understanding of the behavioral and molecular factors that underlie the onset and maintenance of Eating Disorders (EDs), it is still necessary to optimize treatment strategies and establish their efficacy. In this context, over the past 25 years, Virtual Reality (VR) has provided creative treatments for a variety of ED sympt...

Since Mark Zuckerberg's announcement about the development of new three-dimensional virtual worlds for social communication, a great debate has been raised about the promise of such a technology. The metaverse, a term formed by combining meta and universe, could open a new era in mental health, mainly in psychological disorders, where the creation...

BACKGROUND Cognitive-motor dual-task (CMDT) is defined as the parallel processing of motor (e.g., gait) and cognitive (e.g., executive functions) activity and is an essential ability in our daily life. Older adults living with frailty, chronic conditions (e.g., neurodegenerative diseases), or multimorbidity pay high costs during CMDT. This can have...

We support the idea of applying cultural evolution theory to the study of storytelling, and fiction in particular. However, we suggest that a more plausible link between real and imaginary worlds is the feeling of “presence” we can experience in both of them: we feel present when we are able to correctly and intuitively enact our embodied predictio...

Post-stroke, in addition to sensorimotor signs and symptoms, could lead to cognitive deficits. Theories of embodiment stress the role of sensorimotor system and multisensory integration in sustaining high-order cognitive domains. Despite conventional post-stroke cognitive rehabilitation being effective, innovative technologies could overcome some l...

Stroke and severe brain injury are the main causes of cognitive impairments resulting from brain damage that more frequently affects the parietal, frontal, midbrain, or brainstem structures. After discharge from hospital, patients must undergo a long rehabilitation program to restore their cognitive and motor functions. However, only 25% of them re...

Interoception—the perception of internal bodily signals—has recently emerged as an area of significant interest due to its potential implications in emotion and the prevalence of dysfunctional interoceptive processes across psychopathological conditions. Despite the importance of interoception in cognitive neuroscience and psychiatry, its experimen...

Parkinson’s disease (PD) manifestations can include visual hallucinations and illusions. Recent findings suggest that the coherent integration of bodily information within an egocentric representation could play a crucial role in these phenomena. Egocentric processing is a key aspect of spatial navigation and is supported by the striatum. Due to th...

Flow is a precious mental status for achieving high sports performance. It is defined as an emotional state with high valence and high arousal levels. However, a viable detection system that could provide information about it in real-time is not yet recognized. The prospective work presented here aims to the creation of an online flow detection fra...

Previous studies show that the lack of information about cancer-related topics (e.g., diagnosis, treatments) and the impact of treatment toxicity on patients’ life, may undermine cancer patients’ psychological well-being. Psycho-educational interventions are therefore implemented to support the oncological population. This systematic review aims to...

Oncological treatments are responsible for many of the physical changes (aesthetic and functional) associated with cancer. Because of this, cancer patients are at high risk of developing mental health problems. The aim of this study is to propose an innovative Virtual Reality (VR) training that uses a somatic technique (i.e., embodiment) to create...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.833136.].

Traditional neuropsychological evaluations are usually carried out using psychometric paper and pencil tests. Nevertheless, there is a continuous discussion concerning their efficacy to capture lifelike abilities. The introduction of new technologies, such as Virtual Reality (VR) and 360° spherical photos and videos, has improved the ecological val...

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) researchers and communication scholars have developed a broad range of theories and instruments to evaluate the concept of user engagement. However, so far, the proposed instruments are not able to fully capture the processual nature of engaging experiences with technological devices, while focusing instead on state...

Aging may be associated with conditions characterized by motor and cognitive alterations, which could have a detrimental impact on daily life. Although motors and cognitive aspects have always been treated as separate entities, recent literature highlights their relationship, stressing a strong association between locomotion and executive functions...

Annual Review of CyberTherapy and Telemedicine (ARCTT – ISSN: 1554-8716) is one of the official journals of the International Association of CyberPsychology, Training, and Rehabilitation (iACToR). The journal is published annually (once per year) by the Interactive Media Institute (IMI) - a 501c3 non profit organization, dedicated to incorporating...

Annual Review of CyberTherapy and Telemedicine (ARCTT – ISSN: 1554-8716) is one of the official journals of the International Association of CyberPsychology, Training, and Rehabilitation (iACToR). The journal is published annually (once per year) by the Interactive Media Institute (IMI) - a 501c3 non profit organization, dedicated to incorporating...

The metaverse can be imagined as the immersive sequel to today's text-and-picture-based Internet where users stare at a screen, ignoring physical reality. Instead, by taking advantage of advanced technologies including artificial intelligence, AR, VR, and ever-increasing connectivity (like 5G networks), the metaverse promises online experiences tha...

We present here a unifying framework for affective phenomena: the Human Affectome. By synthesizing a large body of literature, we have converged on definitions that disambiguate the commonly used terms—affect, feeling, emotion, and mood. Based on this definitional foundation, and under the premise that affective states reflect allostatic concerns,...

Background Healthcare workers represent one of the most affected categories by the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health. Excessive stress and anxiety are critical factors that could compromise work performance. Besides, high levels of stress and anxiety may have long-term physical and psychological consequences. Recent studies...

One important feature of a neuropsychological test is its ecological validity, which defines how much patients’ test scores are linked to real-life functioning. However, many of the currently available neuropsychological tools show low to moderate levels of ecological validity. Virtual reality (VR) emerged as a possible solution that might enhance...

The main goal of the SexTreatverse project is to develop a treatment that does not require physical interaction with the therapist and has specific benefits beyond those of Internet-based counseling. The project team is working with avatar-based therapy, a treatment that has not yet been explored for sexual disorders. They have developed an interve...

Cognitive frailty is defined as a clinical condition characterized by both physical frailty and cognitive impairment, without reaching the criteria for dementia. The major goal of rehabilitation intervention is to assist patients in performing ordinary personal duties without the assistance of another person, or at the very least to remove the need...

Online dating apps facilitate the initiation of romantic relationships by helping users connect with new partners and meet them in subsequent face-to-face appointments. However, switching from online to face-to-face dating can induce expectancy violation and diminish attraction. Drawing on expectancy violation theory, we hypothesized that seeing ju...

The paper, based on an experiment in which human subjects are paired with either another human or an anthropomorphic robot, when playing an iterated prisoner’s dilemma, investigates whether (and how) the level of mental state attributed to an anthropomorphic robot by subjects depends on the the “earnestness” of the robot, i.e. the correspondence of...

The major technology companies are investing significant sums of money in the creation of the metaverse whose main feature will be the fusion between the virtual world and the physical one. To allow this possibility is one of the less obvious features of the metaverse: the metaverse works like our minds. This ability makes the metaverse a significa...

What makes physical and digital communities different? In this paper, I will attempt to answer this question using recent research findings from social and cognitive neuroscience related to social networks and collective intentionality. Physical communities are born in places. And places activate different “we-mode” neurobiological and cognitive pr...

Introduction Executive dysfunctions constitute a significant public health problem: their high impact on everyday life makes it a priority to identify early strategies for evaluating and rehabilitating these disorders in a real-life context. The ecological limitation of traditional neuropsychological tests and several difficulties in administering...

Remote photoplethysmography is a low-cost technique to measure physiological parameters such as the heartrate by analysing videos of a person. There has been growing attention in this technique due to the increased possibilities and demand for running psychological experiments in online platforms. Many progresses have been made due to technological...

The COVID-19 pandemic has severe consequences for physical as well as mental well-being. In times of restricted social contact, online self-help programs offer a low-threshold first aid to cope with the psychological burden. This current study evaluates the online self-help protocol “COVID Feel Good” in a German sample. The multicentric study was d...

Previous studies show that the lack of information about cancer-related topics (e.g., diagnosis, treatments) and the impact of treatments’ toxicity on patients’ life, may undermine cancer patients’ psychological well-being. Psycho-educational interventions are therefore implemented to support the oncological population. This systematic review aims...

This commentary suggests that the physical substrate of integrated information is dependent on the reference frame used to observe it. Furthermore, it uses a thought experiment – can a neuroscientist, locked in a closed room and connected through Zoom with his grandmother to demonstrate that the consciousness of his grannie is NOT in the PC? – to u...

Big data (BD) is the hue and cry of modern science and society. The impact of such data deluge is huge and far reaching for both science and society. Moreover, given the effort required for collecting and analyzing these data, artificial intelligence (AI) has replaced the human mind in accomplishing the enormous task of deriving insight out of the...

The new humanoid robots not only perform ta­sks, but also can activate interactions and so­cial relationships with other robots and with humans. In this view, the diffusion of humanoid robots with a physical structure reminiscent of the human body, endowed with decision-ma­king abilities, and capable of externalizing and generating emotions, is ope...

Recently, there has been an increasing interest in using 360° virtual-reality video for an ecologically valid assessment of executive functioning in the neurologic population. In this framework, we have developed the EXecutive-functions Innovative Tool (EXIT 360°), an original 360°-based instrument for a multicomponent, ecologically valid evaluatio...

Recently, computer-mediated communication has incorporated animated characters (ACs) as interface technologies. These digital entities are animated by mimicry and can be used either to deliver pre-recorded messages or to live communicate with others. The interlocutors can choose the physical appearance of the character and decide to use a character...

Over the last years, Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) emerged as an alternative data collection strategy to repeatedly assess people in real-life, thus improving the ecological validity and reliability of data. As a matter of fact, the increasing field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and the growing availability of smartpho...

Emotion regulation has emerged as one of the most researched topics in clinical psychology over the last years. But what does differentiate emotion regulation from other important constructs? Furthermore, what do digital technologies can add to the understanding and delivery of clinical interventions? Considering that alongside other regulatory pro...

Eating disorders and obesity have many characteristics in common. In both, weight-related problems play a central role. There is growing interest in identifying their common risk factors, and research shows that unhealthy weight-control behaviors are common antecedents to both obesity and eating disorders. There are currently interventions availabl...

p class="Abstract"> Developing automatic methods to measure psychological stress in everyday life has become an important research challenge. Here, we describe the design and implementation of a personalized mobile system for the detection of psychological stress episodes based on Heart-Rate Variability (HRV) indices. The system’s architecture cons...

The Metaverse can be defined as a hybrid (digital/physical) environment offering places for rich user interaction. In this view, the main feature of the Metaverse is a twofold link between the virtual and physical worlds: (a) behavior in the physical world influences the experience in the virtual one and, (b) behavior in the virtual world influence...