1,720,989 research outputs found
The Body Image Virtual Reality Assessment (BIVRA): Measuring the body representation through virtual reality
Full text linkOur physical and psychological well-being is significantly in-fluenced by how we perceive our body, in addition to our thoughts and emotions associated with it. Dysfunctional body perceptions and attitudes play a key role in the devel-opment and maintenance of severe conditions such as eat-ing disorders in both males and females. Given its relevance, some attempts have been made to improve body image as-sessment methods in terms of perceptual accuracy and body satisfaction taking advantage of technological advances such as virtual reality. However, existing applications have mainly focused on women and clinical conditions. In this study, we presented the Body Image Virtual Reality Assessment (BIVRA), a virtual reality figure rating scale to assess body image in both male and female subjects. We tested BIVRA's ability to measure perceptual accuracy and compared its re-sults with a standardized body satisfaction questionnaire. Additionally, we investigated gender differences. BIVRA was found to be effective in assessing body image. We observed that a perceptually based task successfully captured both low and high levels of body representations, shedding light on the significant gender differences. The association between BIVRA and the body satisfaction questionnaires was moder-ated by gender, with a stronger association for women. While further validation of BIVRA is needed to fully exploit its po-tential, our results suggest that the integration of virtual real-ity into the assessment of body image and related disorders may significantly enhance our understanding of individuals struggling with body image issues and has the potential to advance current methods and techniques
VR-MEM: Harnessing Virtual Reality for Autobiographical Memory Enhancement in High School Settings
No full textGiven the prevalence of risky behaviors during adolescence, it is imperative to employ innovative methods to prevent psychopathological experiences. Recognizing the challenges and opportunities within high school environments, the need for cutting-edge prevention strategies becomes paramount. Harnessing innovative approaches, such as virtual reality (VR), can prove instrumental in navigating the complexities of adolescent development and promoting mental well-being. In this context, the VR-MEM project explores the potential impact of VR technology on adolescents' autobiographical memories, examining its efficacy as a preventive tool in the dynamic landscape of high school environments
Click, Buy, Repeat: Understanding the Psychological and Behavioral Mechanisms of Online Shopping Behavior
No full textIn recent yeras, online shopping has surged in popularity, driven by advances in digital technology and the widespread availability of the internet. This growth has been further accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, which introduced social distancing measures and lockdowns, compelling consumers to rely heavily on e-commerce platforms for their purchases
Gender differences in bodily experience: Insights from virtual reality body illusion
Full text linkVirtual Reality has significantly improved the understanding of body experience, through techniques such as Body Illusion. Body Illusion allows individuals to perceive an artificial body as their own, changing body perceptual and affective components. Prior research has predominantly focused on female participants, leaving the impact of Body Illusion on males less understood. This study seeks to fill this gap by examining the nuanced bodily experiences of men in comparison to women. 40 participants (20 females and 20 males) were proposed with visuo-tactile synchronous and asynchronous Body Illusion to explore changes in body satisfaction and body size estimation across three critical areas: shoulders, hips, and waist. Results revealed significant initial disparities, with females displaying greater body dissatisfaction and a tendency to overestimate body size. After Body Illusion, females adjusted the hips perceived body size closer to that of the virtual body and reported increased body satisfaction independent of the condition. Conversely, males showed changes only in waist size estimation only after synchronous stimulation without significant shifts in body satisfaction. These results suggest a higher sensitivity of women to embodied experiences, potentially due to societal influences and a greater inclination towards self-objectification. These insights pave the way for creating more refined and effective interventions for body image issues, highlighting the importance of incorporating gender-specific considerations in VR-based prevention and therapeutical programs
The multisensory mind: a systematic review of multisensory integration processing in Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa
Full text linkIndividuals with Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa present alterations in the way they experience their bodies. Body experience results from a multisensory integration process in which information from different sensory domains and spatial reference frames is combined into a coherent percept. Given the critical role of the body in the onset and maintenance of both Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa, we conducted a systematic review to examine multisensory integration abilities of individuals affected by these two conditions and investigate whether they exhibit impairments in crossmodal integration. We searched for studies evaluating crossmodal integration in individuals with a current diagnosis of Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa as compared to healthy individuals from both behavioral and neurobiological perspectives. A search of PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Sciences databases was performed to extract relevant articles. Of the 2348 studies retrieved, 911 were unique articles. After the screening, 13 articles were included. Studies revealed multisensory integration abnormalities in patients affected by Anorexia Nervosa; only one included individuals with Bulimia Nervosa and observed less severe impairments compared to healthy controls. Overall, results seemed to support the presence of multisensory deficits in Anorexia Nervosa, especially when integrating interoceptive and exteroceptive information. We proposed the Predictive Coding framework for understanding our findings and suggested future lines of investigation.Diagnoses of Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa have increased dramatically in recent years, taking on the characteristics of a mental health emergency. More research is therefore needed to better understand these conditions, especially given their complex and multifaceted nature. Patients affected by these conditions report significant alterations in body-self experience. Body experience results from a cross-modal integration process in which information from different sensory modalities and spatial frames is combined. Therefore, we systematically reviewed studies that focused on multisensory integration in patients affected by Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa, as it may play a key role in the onset and maintenance of these pathologies. Studies in this review found multisensory integration difficulties in patients with Anorexia Nervosa, but not enough studies were retrieved to draw conclusions regarding Bulimia Nervosa. We discussed findings trying to link behavioral, neuropsychological, and neuroscientific evidence in light of the predictive coding framework to provide a different perspective on patients' distorted body experiences. This may lead to new insights to refine our understanding of these complex and poorly understood disorders
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Autobiographical Memory in Feeding and Eating Disorders: A Systematic Review
No full textIntroduction: Prominent eating disorders (EDs) theories identify a critical relationship between body and self. One of the ways to study this relationship is through autobiographical memories (AMs). The present review aimed to evaluate the studies that investigated AM in patients with EDs. Methods: A search of PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus databases was performed to identify relevant articles. Of the 57,113 studies found, 25,016 were not duplicated. After screening, 27 articles were included. Results: The studies had some methodological flaws: none of the articles was a randomized control trial and the sample sizes were small. Nevertheless, important evidence emerged because all studies showed that patients with EDs have impaired AM function. This is because the way patients with EDs remember and define themselves is through an allocentric perspective associated with the gazes of others whose role has an impact on AM, body shape, and self. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review to examine AM in patients with EDs. Future research is needed in EDs to expand knowledge about the relationship between the body and the self
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