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La Body-Specificity Hypothesis (BSH) suggerisce che la percezione dello spazio è influenzata dalla mano dominante: più precisamente, lo spazio associato alla mano dominante è considerato positivo, mentre quello relativo alla mano non dominante è concepito come negativo. Questa associazione dipende dal fatto che evidenze scientifiche hanno dimostrato che una maggiore fluidità nei movimenti è associata a una maggiore positività. Pertanto, un movimento compiuto con la mano dominante o nello spazio associato ad essa è concepito come più positivo rispetto a uno compiuto con la mano/spazio non dominante, più negativamente connotato. Il presente lavoro di tesi esamina la BSH nel contesto delle interazioni digitali, focalizzandosi in particolare sul gesto di scorrimento (swipe) sui dispositivi touchscreen (tablet). Gli Esperimenti I e II coinvolgono rispettivamente partecipanti destrimani (N=30) e mancini (N=30) nel formulare giudizi di valenza su immagini positive e negative mediante il gesto swipe. I destrimani mostrano risposte più veloci (p =.01) nella condizione congruente (swipe a destra per le immagini positive; swipe a sinistra per le immagini negative) rispetto a una incongruente (swipe a destra per le immagini negative e swipe a sinistra per le immagini positive) e un effetto di compatibilità stimolo-mano (p < .001), dove la mano sinistra è più rapida per gli stimoli negativi rispetto a quelli positivi. I mancini, invece, mostrano una preferenza per la condizione congruente (swipe a sinistra per le immagini positive; swipe a destra per le immagini negative) solo quando agiscono con la mano non dominante (p < .001) e un effetto di rinforzo della valenza (p = .01). L'Esperimento III esplora gli aspetti extracorporei e intracorporei della BSH, coinvolgendo un campione di 30 partecipanti destrimani e rivelando effetti sia di origine extracorporea (p = .003) sia di origine intracorporea (p < .001). L'Esperimento IV esamina gli effetti della posizione spaz, The Body-Specificity Hypothesis (BSH) suggests that the perception of space is influenced by the dominant hand: more precisely, the space associated with the dominant hand is considered positive, while that related to the non-dominant hand is conceived as negative. This association depends on scientific evidence demonstrating that greater fluency in movements is associated with increased positivity. Therefore, a movement performed with the dominant hand or in the space associated with it is considered more positive than one performed with the non-dominant hand/space, which is more negatively connoted. The present thesis examines the BSH in the context of digital interactions, focusing particularly on the swipe gesture on touchscreen devices (tablets). Experiments I and II involve right-handed (N=30) and left-handed participants (N=30) respectively, in making valence judgments on positive and negative images using the swipe gesture. Right-handers show faster responses (p=.01) in the congruent condition (swipe right for positive images; swipe left for negative images) compared to an incongruent condition (swipe right for negative images and swipe left for positive images) and a stimulus-hand compatibility effect (p < .001), where the left hand is faster for negative stimuli than positive ones. Left-handers, on the other hand, show a preference for the congruent condition (swipe left for positive images; swipe right for negative images) only when using the non-dominant hand (p < .001) and a valence reinforcement effect in the congruent condition (p = .01). Experiment III explores the extracorporeal and intracorporeal aspects of the BSH, involving a sample of 30 right-handed participants and revealing effects of both extracorporeal (p = .003) and intracorporeal (p < .001) origin. Experiment IV examines the effects of spatial location on valence evaluation, highlighting differences between right-handed (N=15) and left-handed participants (N=15). Specifically, right-hande

Despite the widespread prevalence of mental health problems, most psychological distress remains untreated. Internet-based psychological interventions can be an essential tool for increasing treatment availability and accessibility. The main objective of the MindBlooming project is to design and implement an innovative Internet-based multi-approach treatment for university students suffering from psychological or physical problems. The intervention will focus on symptoms of depression, anxiety, sleep problems, self-destructive thoughts, job-and study-related stress and burnout, and chronic pain. It will be based on different approaches, primarily psychoeducation, Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment (CBT), and third-wave CBT. At the end of the treatment, user satisfaction and usability will be assessed. In addition, two further aims will be evaluating the treatment efficacy through a randomized controlled trial and tuning a predictive model through Machine Learning techniques. The intervention consists of a 7-week treatment on two problematic areas according to each students’ personal needs, identified through an initial assessment. Besides the treatment assigned following the initial screening, participants will also be assigned to a different module to improve their relational skills. The treatment, which can be accessed through a mobile app, consists of psychoeducational videos followed by related exercises. We expect MindBlooming to be a remarkable tool for promoting the mental health of university students.

User experience (UX) research in the Human-Technology Interaction (HTI) field makes use mainly of explicit (self-reported) measures to evaluate the UX of a technical product. Unfortunately, explicit measures present some limitations. For this reason, UX research could benefit from the inclusion of implicit measures (IMs) in the UX evaluation. In the social-psychological literature, the application of IMs evaluating implicit attitudes is a topic of active research; however, less knowledge is present in HTI. To this aim, we present a scoping review of the application of IMs evaluating implicit attitudes in the UX field. We used the Joanna Briggs Institute framework for scoping reviews. A database search was undertaken using IEEE Xplore, Web of Science, ACM digital library, and Science Direct databases. Three research questions have been identified. Of the 8943 identified records, only 12 articles matched the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Results suggest that a combined use of implicit and explicit measures provide a more comprehensive understanding of users’ evaluation of UX yet revealing participant’s divergences in attitudes toward technology especially in studies with robots or chatbots. More research is needed to disentangle this discrepancy and single out the specific factors that could influence this relationship. Taken together, IMs evaluating implicit attitudes should be strongly considered within a more integrated approach to evaluating UX.

Experimental studies based on the body specificity hypothesis revealed associations between affective valence and hand dominance (i.e., dominant hand—positive; non-dominant hand-— negative), or lateral movements of the hands (i.e., dominant hand toward the ipsilateral space—positive; dominant hand toward the controlateral space—negative). Interestingly these associations have never been investigated in a response time paradigm with a swipe gesture. In two experiments we presented on a touchscreen device 16 images (previously valenced in a manipulation check experiment) to 24 right-handers (Exp. 1) and 24 left-handers participants (Exp.2), asking them to make valence judgments in both a congruent (swipe toward dominant space to positive images, vice versa for negative images) and incongruent (the opposite) task. Results highlighted that both right-handers and left-handers were faster (p<0.001) in the congruent condition in respect to the incongruent condition; this effect was only present in evaluations made with the dominant hand, supporting the idea that space valence associations (i.e., faster response time to positive or negative images) depend on the congruency between spatial position/direction of swipe and hand dominance.

Experimental studies based on the body specificity hypothesis revealed associations between affective valence and hand dominance (i.e., dominant hand—positive; non-dominant hand—negative), or lateral movements of the hands (i.e., dominant hand toward the ipsilateral space—positive; dominant hand toward the controlateral space—negative). Interestingly , these associations have never been investigated in a response time paradigm with a swipe gesture. In two experiments we presented on a touchscreen device 16 images (previously valenced in a manipulation check experiment) to 24 right-handers (Exp. 1) and 24 lefthanders participants (Exp.2), asking them to make valence judgments in both a congruent (swipe toward dominant space to positive images, vice versa for negative images) and incongruent (the opposite) task. Results highlighted that both right-handers and left handers were faster (p<0.001) in the congruent condition in respect to the incongruent condition; this effect was only present in evaluations made with the dominant hand, supporting the idea that space-valence associations (i.e., faster response time to positive or negative images) depend on the congruency between spatial position/direction of swipe and hand dominance.

Objectives: Attention Restoration Theory (ART) suggests that walking or being in natural settings, as opposed to urban environments, benefits cognitive skills because it is less demanding on attentional resources. However, it is unclear whether the same occurs when the person is performing a complex task such as driving, although it is proven that driving through different road environments is associated with different levels of fatigue and may engage attention differently. The present study investigated whether exposure to rural vs. urban road environments while driving would affect attentional capacity in young people after the drive, in line with the classic ART paradigms. Methods: We asked 38 young participants to complete the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) before and after being exposed to a rural or urban road in a virtual reality environment while driving in a full vehicle immersive driving simulator. Changes in SART performance based on environmental exposure where explored in terms of target sensitivity, accuracy, reaction times, and inverse efficiency. We analyzed potential road type effects on driving speed and accuracy. Possible effects of driving on attention were tested by comparing the sample performance to that of a control group of 15 participants who did not drive and sat on the passenger seat instead. Results: Exposure to rural or urban road environments in the driving sample was not associated with any significant changes in attentional performance. The two exposure groups did not differ significantly in terms of driving behavior. Comparisons between the driving sample and the control group controlling for age indicated that participants who drove were more accurate but slower at the SART than those who were passengers. Conclusion: The present study does not support the hypothesis that a short drive in a natural setting may promote attention restoration as compared to an urban setting. Methodological considerations as well as recomme

Chronic diseases represent one of the main causes of death worldwide. The integration of digital solutions in clinical interventions is broadly diffused today; however, evidence on their efficacy in addressing psychological comorbidities of chronic diseases is sparse. This systematic review analyzes and synthesizes the evidence about the efficacy of digital interventions on psychological comorbidities outcomes of specific chronic diseases. According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic search of PubMed, PsycInfo, Scopus and Web of Science databases was conducted. Only Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) were considered and either depression or anxiety had to be assessed to match the selection criteria. Of the 7636 identified records, 17 matched the inclusion criteria: 9 digital interventions on diabetes, 4 on cardiovascular diseases, 3 on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and one on stroke. Of the 17 studies reviewed, 14 found digital interventions to be effective. Quantitative synthesis highlighted a moderate and significant overall effect of interventions on depression, while the effect on anxiety was small and non-significant. Design elements making digital interventions effective for psychological comorbidities of chronic diseases were singled out: (a) implementing a communication loop with patients and (b) providing disease-specific digital contents. This focus on "how" to design technologies can facilitate the translation of evidence into practice.

Background: The inclusion of biomarkers in clinical studies is becoming widespread; nevertheless, evidence in psychotherapy research is still relatively sparse. For this reason, in this narrative review, the state of the art of biomarkers correlates of psychotherapy is presented with the aim to identify them and investigate their role as predictors and pre to post outcomes across different psychosocial interventions and mental disorders, with a particular attention to suicidal outcomes. Method: Searches on several databases were performed to identify relevant articles on specific biomarkers. We focused on meta-analyses and systematic reviews in order to appraise the most robust results. Results: Studies have showed that some peripheral inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein (CRP), Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and Interleukin 10 (IL-10) can be considered as valid markers of different psychosocial interventions across various mental disorders; notably, although subjects with major depression were involved in most of included studies, no mention of suicidal outcomes were made in any of the included meta-analysis or systematic review. Discussion: Results highlight the need for more consensus concerning a more precise translation of evidence into practice, and the understanding of long-term mechanism underpinning beneficial psychotherapeutic effects. Looking forward, inclusion of suicidal outcomes is desirable to ameliorate prevention as well as treatment.

Chronic diseases represent one of the main causes of death worldwide. The integration of digital solutions in clinical interventions is broadly diffused today; however, evidence on their efficacy in addressing psychological comorbidities of chronic diseases is sparse. This systematic review analyzes and synthesizes the evidence about the efficacy of digital interventions on psychological comorbidities outcomes of specific chronic diseases. According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic search of PubMed, PsycInfo, Scopus and Web of Science databases was conducted. Only Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) were considered and either depression or anxiety had to be assessed to match the selection criteria. Of the 7636 identified records, 17 matched the inclusion criteria: 9 digital interventions on diabetes, 4 on cardiovascular diseases, 3 on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and one on stroke. Of the 17 studies reviewed, 14 found digital interventions to be effective. Quantitative synthesis highlighted a moderate and significant overall effect of interventions on depression, while the effect on anxiety was small and non-significant. Design elements making digital interventions effective for psychological comorbidities of chronic diseases were singled out: (a) implementing a communication loop with patients and (b) providing disease-specific digital contents. This focus on “how” to design technologies can facilitate the translation of evidence into practice.

The growing understanding of the importance of involving patients with neurological diseases in their healthcare routine either for at-home management of their chronic conditions or after the hospitalization period has opened the research for new rehabilitation strategies to enhance patient engagement in neurorehabilitation. In addition, the use of new digital technologies in the neurorehabilitation field enables the implementation of telerehabilitation systems such as virtual reality interventions, video games, web-based interventions, mobile applications, web-based or telephonic telecoach programs, in order to facilitate the relationship between clinicians and patients, and to motivate and activate patients to continue with the rehabilitation process at home. Here we present a systematic review that aims at reviewing the effectiveness of different engagement strategies and the different engagement assessments while using telerehabilitation systems in patients with neurological disorders. We used PICO's format to define the question of the review, and the systematic review protocol was designed following the Preferred Reported Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Bibliographical data was collected by using the following bibliographic databases: PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science. Eighteen studies were included in this systematic review for full-text analyses. Overall, the reviewed studies using engagement strategies through telerehabilitation systems in patients with neurological disorders were mainly focused on patient self-management and self-awareness, patient motivation, and patient adherence subcomponents of engagement, that are involved in by the behavioral, cognitive, and emotional dimensions of engagement. Conclusion: The studies commented throughout this systematic review pave the way for the design of new telerehabilitation protocols, not only focusing on measuring quantitative or qualitative measures but measuring b

The impact of emotion regulation interventions on wellbeing has been extensively documented in literature, although only in recent years virtual reality (VR) technologies have been incorporated in the design of such interventions, in both clinical and non-clinical settings. A systematic search, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, was therefore carried out to explore the state of the art in emotion regulation interventions for wellbeing using virtual reality. The literature on this topic was queried, 414 papers were screened, and 11 studies were included, covering adults and older adults. Our findings offer an overview of the current use of VR technologies for the enhancement of emotion regulation (ER) and wellbeing. The results are promising and suggest that VR-based emotion regulation training can facilitate the promotion of wellbeing. An overview of VR-based training interventions is crucial for better understanding how to use these tools in the clinical settings. This review offers a critical debate on the structure of such intervention protocols. It also analyzes and highlights the crucial role played by the selection of the objective and subjective wellbeing assessment measures of said intervention protocols

The growing understanding of the importance of involving patients with neurological diseases in their healthcare routine either for at-home management of their chronic conditions or after the hospitalization period has opened the research for new rehabilitation strategies to enhance patient engagement in neurorehabilitation. In addition, the use of new digital technologies in the neurorehabilitation field enables the implementation of telerehabilitation systems such as virtual reality interventions, video games, web-based interventions, mobile applications, web-based or telephonic telecoach programs, in order to facilitate the relationship between clinicians and patients, and to motivate and activate patients to continue with the rehabilitation process at home. Here we present a systematic review that aims at reviewing the effectiveness of different engagement strategies and the different engagement assessments while using telerehabilitation systems in patients with neurological disorders. We used PICO’s format to define the question of the review, and the systematic review protocol was designed following the Preferred Reported Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Bibliographical data was collected by using the following bibliographic databases: PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science. Eighteen studies were included in this systematic review for full-text analyses. Overall, the reviewed studies using engagement strategies through telerehabilitation systems in patients with neurological disorders were mainly focused on patient self-management and self-awareness, patient motivation, and patient adherence subcomponents of engagement, that are involved in by the behavioral, cognitive, and emotional dimensions of engagement. Conclusion: The studies commented throughout this systematic review pave the way for the design of new telerehabilitation protocols, not only focusing on measuring quantitative or qualitative measures but measuring b

The role of multiple views and/or multiple frequencies on the achievable performance in linear inverse scattering problems is addressed. To this end, the impact of views and frequencies on the Kolmogorov entropy measure is studied. This way the metric information that can be conveyed back from data to the unknown can be estimated. For the sake of simplicity, the study deals with strip scatterers and the cases of discrete angles of incidence and/or frequencies.&nbsp

Epidemiological studies on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD) provided evidence of syndrome persistence in adulthood. Moreover, ADHD symptoms have been reported to be associated with impaired daytime functioning and clinically relevant poor sleep in 50% of ADHD diagnosed adults. Our study aimed to provide acontribution to the understanding of the relationship between adult ADHD symptoms and Poor Sleep assessed in 247 (Males=116)healthy adults by means of the ADHD Adult Self Report (ASRS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). ASRS is a likert-type scaledivided in two parts: Part A (ASRS-A) is for Inattention (ADHD/in)symptoms; part B (ASRS-B) is for Hyperactivity/Impulsivity symp-toms (ADHD/HI); symptoms severity toward ADHD-like diagnosis aredefined by scores≤17 on subscales. PSQI assessed subjective TotalSleep Time (TST), Time in Bed (TIB), Sleep Latency (SL), SleepEfficacy (SE); Sleep Disturbances (SD) and Sleep Quality (SQ). In our sample, 13.36% were ADHD/In, 11.74% ADHD/HI and 9.31%displayed high scores on subscales combination (ADHD/Comb).Correlational analysis (Spearman -q) showed significant positiveassociation between ADHD/in and DS (q=0.179;P=0.03) and QS(q=0.223;P=0.00). ADHD/HI found to be positively associatedwith DS (q=0.305;P=0.00), QS (q=0.244;P=0.00) andnegatively to SE (q=–0.172P=0.04) and TST (q=–0.169;P=0.04). ADHD/Comb is was positively associated with increasedSL (q=0.129;P=0.02), DS (q=0.307;P=0.00), QS (q=0.310;P=0.00) and negatively with SE (q=–0.149;P=0.01). Our findings provided evidence of ADHD symptoms spectrum presence on healthy adults and seem to confirm poorer sleep features in those individuals reporting higher ADHD symptoms.