1,720,990 research outputs found
Dealing with others: investigations on automatic and controlled processes in Social Cognitive Neuroscience.
Full text linkHuman beings are social animals. By living in society with other individuals, the number of social stimuli is due to be higher than when living alone. Thus, correctly and efficiently processing, and adapting to, those stimuli means increased fitness to the environment, and, as such, increased survivability and gene propagation. Ultimately, evolutionary success.
Social cognitive neuroscience addresses the processes that let individuals interpret their own behavior and others’: how and what individual think about conspecifics. Both processes that aim at making sense of the social environment and those that aim at adapting the behavior to the social environment are aimed at obtaining the best possible fitness to the environment. However, some processes occur automatically under certain conditions, out of the individual awareness, while others are generated and carried on intentionally. In this work, I explore automatic and controlled processes in action perception and emotion regulation, two cognitive functions that aim at making sense of the social environment and adapting the behaviour to it. I heavily draw from the methods of neuroscience by using tools such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, electromyography and electrocardiography that have only recently been introduced in social cognition studies. Finally, I discuss theoretically these results in light of possible implementations in educational videogames as the new medium that may be able to create the optimal learning environment
Tell it to a child! A brain stimulation study of the role of left inferior frontal gyrus in emotion regulation during storytelling
No full textIn everyday life we need to continuously regulate our emotional responses according to their social context. Strategies of emotion regulation allow individuals to control time, intensity, nature and expression of emotional responses to environmental stimuli. The left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) is involved in the cognitive control of the selection of semantic content. We hypothesized that it might also be involved in the regulation of emotional feelings and expressions. We applied continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) over LIFG or a control site before a newly-developed ecological regulation task that required participants to produce storytelling of pictures with negative or neutral valence to either a peer (unregulated condition) or a child (regulated condition). Linguistic, expressive, and physiological responses were analyzed in order to assess the effects of LIFG-cTBS on emotion regulation. Results showed that the emotion regulation context modulated the emotional content of narrative productions, but not the physiologic orienting response or the early expressive behavior to negative stimuli. Furthermore, LIFG-cTBS disrupted the text-level structuring of negative picture storytelling and the early cardiac and muscular response to negative pictures; however, it did not affect the contextual emotional regulation of storytelling. These results may suggest that LIFG is involved in the initial detection of the affective arousal of emotional stimuli
Universal Game Design for Learning: an innovative methodology to integrate into school and university curricula
Full text linkNovel educational technologies and methodologies that create enthusiasm among students and promote learner engagement are becoming instructional priorities across all disciplines of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). For example, Game-Based Learning has established itself as a methodology that addresses students engagement at different levels (student-centered learning, constructivist approach, shared social experience, systems thinking and so on). In this paper we show a generalized Game Design Methodology (GDM), which consists of four phases and includes the basic principles of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework. Each phase of the proposed Universal Game-Design for Learning (UGDL) method is designed to allow students and teaching staff to develop the game and assess its progress throughout the entire process.Le nuove tecnologie e metodologie didattiche che creano entusiasmo negli studenti e promuovono il loro impegno stanno diventando priorità didattiche nell’insegnamento di tutte le discipline STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). A questo proposito, l’apprendimento basato sui giochi si è recentemente affermato come una metodologia che stimola il coinvolgimento degli studenti a diversi livelli (apprendimento centrato sullo studente, approccio costruttivista, esperienza sociale condivisa, pensiero sistemico e così via). In questo articolo, discutiamo una generalizzazione della metodologia di progettazione dei giochi (GDM), composta da quattro fasi, attraverso l’inclusione dei principi di base dell’Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Ogni fase del metodo risultante e qui definito Universal Game-Design for Learning (UGDL) è progettata per consentire a studenti e docenti di sviluppare il gioco e valutarne i progressi durante l'intero processo
Unconscious processing of body actions primes subsequent action perception but not motor execution.
No full textPrevious studies have shown that viewing body actions primes not only the visual perception of congruent versus incongruent actions, but also their motor execution. Here, we used a masked-priming paradigm to explore whether visuoperceptual and visuomotor action priming may also occur when the prime is not consciously perceived. In 5 experiments, healthy individuals were presented with masked implied-action primes and were then prompted to perceive congruent or incongruent implied-action stimuli or to execute congruent or incongruent finger movements. Results showed that implied-action primes affected subsequent action perception also when they were not consciously perceived. Unconscious visuoperceptual action priming effects were independent from spatial compatibility and reflected genuine action representation. Conversely, masked implied-action primes affected motor preparation and execution processes only when they were consciously perceived. The results provide evidence of unconscious visuoperceptual but not visuomotor action priming effects, suggesting that unconscious processing of actions affects perceptual, but not motor representations
Degrees of Empathy. Humans’ Empathy Toward Humans, Animals, Robots and Objects
No full textThe aim of this paper is to present an experiment in which we compare the degree of empathy that a convenience sample of students expressed with humans, animals, robots and objects. The present study broadens the spectrum of the elements eliciting empathy that previous research has so far explored separately. Our research questions are: does the continuum represented by this set of elements elicit empathy? Is it possible to observe a linear decrease of empathy according to different features of the selected elements? More broadly, does empathy, as a construct, resist in front of the diversification of the element eliciting it? Results show that participants expressed empathy differently when exposed to three clusters of social actors being mistreated: they felt more sad, sorry, aroused and out of control for animals than for humans, but showed little to no empathy for objects. Interestingly, robots that looked more human-like evoked emotions similar to those evoked by humans, while robots that looked more animal-like evoked emotions half-way between those evoked by humans and objects. Implications are discussed
Conscious and unconscious representations of observed actions in the human motor system.
No full textAction observation activates the observer's motor system. These motor resonance responses are automatic and triggered even when the action is only implied in static snapshots. However, it is largely unknown whether an action needs to be consciously perceived to trigger motor resonance. In this study, we used single-pulse TMS to study the facilitation of corticospinal excitability (a measure of motor resonance) during supraliminal and subliminal presentations of implied action images. We used a forward and backward dynamic masking procedure that successfully prevented the conscious perception of prime stimuli depicting a still hand or an implied abduction movement of the index or little finger. The prime was followed by the supraliminal presentation of a still or implied action probe hand. Our results revealed a muscle-specific increase of motor facilitation following observation of the probe hand actions that were consciously perceived as compared with observation of a still hand. Crucially, unconscious perception of prime hand actions presented before probe still hands did not increase motor facilitation as compared with observation of a still hand, suggesting that motor resonance requires perceptual awareness. However, the presentation of a masked prime depicting an action that was incongruent with the probe hand action suppressed motor resonance to the probe action such that comparable motor facilitation was recorded during observation of implied action and still hand probes. This suppression of motor resonance may reflect the processing of action conflicts in areas upstream of the motor cortex and may subserve a basic mechanism for dealing with the multiple and possibly incongruent actions of other individuals. © 2014 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
What do humans feel with mistreated humans, animals, robots, and objects? Exploring the role of cognitive empathy
Full text linkThe aim of this paper is to present a study in which we compare the degree of empathy that a convenience sample of university students expressed with humans, animals, robots and objects. The present study broadens the spectrum of elements eliciting empathy that has been previously explored while at the same time comparing different facets of empathy. Here we used video clips of mistreated humans, animals, robots, and objects to elicit empathic reactions and to measure attributed emotions. The use of such a broad spectrum of elements allowed us to infer the role of different features of the selected elements, specifically experience (how much the element is able to understand the events of the environment) and degree of anthropo-/zoomorphization. The results show that participants expressed empathy differently with the various social actors being mistreated. A comparison between the present results and previous results on vicarious feelings shows that congruence between self and other experience was not always held, and it was modulated by familiarity with robotic artefacts of daily usage
Un punto di rinforzo : un approccio ludico di Design della Comunicazione per rafforzare i legami sociali
No full textLAUREA MAGISTRALENei periodi di isolamento e lontananza sociale, le comunità sentono il bisogno di abbracciare la tendenza prettamente umana di riunirsi intorno a una storia, per viverla insieme e immergersi in uno spazio mentale collettivo, pur essendo lontani fisicamente. Questa tesi esamina le basi della Psicologia Sociale e dei Game Studies in un’ottica di Design della Comunicazione. Dopo aver esaminato la natura dei gruppi in psicologia, la tesi esplora in che modo il gioco può aiutare un gruppo di amici a restaurare e mantenere solido il proprio rapporto durante una condizione di isolamento o lontananza. La ricerca nei Game Studies mostra che il gioco è uno strumento comunicativo incredibilmente valido per esprimere, individuare e supplire a un ampio raggio di bisogni sociali, psicologici e culturali. Il gioco può essere visto come una matrice di apprendimento, un sistema per insegnare ai giocatori pattern e processi mentali in modi efficaci e appaganti: ciò che il gioco può e deve insegnare, tuttavia, non è (solo) di natura logica/meccanica, ma anche e soprattutto più profondo, con ripercussioni utili nella società.
La componente di ricerca teorica sfocia in un contributo progettuale: i Doni del Re Solo è un sistema ludico digitale collaborativo, deduttivo, di risoluzione di mistero. La fase di validazione dell’efficacia, successiva al suo sviluppo, ha mostrato come esso sia uno strumento utile ai giocatori per migliorare qualitativamente il tempo passato insieme, organizzando momenti di gioco collettivo dove si lascia spazio agli altri per parlare, e dove tutti possono dare un concreto contributo alla riuscita della sessione grazie al proprio punto di vista. Il sistema ha reso possibile ai giocatori campione di costruire riflessioni strategiche per il bene del gruppo piuttosto che per il beneficio del singolo, trovando un momento di comunità e di rafforzamento di identità, benché da remoto.In times of social distance, communities come together digitally, out of need to embrace the purely human tendency to bond around a story, to live together and immerse themselves in a collective mental space, despite being remote. This thesis examines the basics of Social Psychology and Game Studies from a Communication Design perspective. After examining the nature of groups in psychology, the thesis explores how play can help a group of friends restore and maintain their relationship during isolation or distance. Research in Game Studies shows that play is a valid communication tool for expressing, identifying and supplying a range of social, psychological and cultural needs. The can be seen as a game matrix, a system for teaching players mental patterns and processes in effective and rewarding ways: what the game must teach, however, is not (only) logical/mechanical in nature, but also and especially deep in meaning, with useful repercussions in society.
The theoretical research led to a designed artifact: I Doni del Re Solo is a cooperative, deductive, digital play system for solving mystery. The effectiveness validation phase, subsequent to its development, has shown how this game is a useful tool for players to improve the quality of the time spent together, organizing moments of collective play where space is left for others to talk, and where everyone can provide their point of view for an effective contribution to the outcome of the game. The system made it possible for players to build strategic decisions for the good of the group rather than for the benefit of the individual, finding a moment of community and identity strengthening, despite being remote
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
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