Research Areas
– Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience (PSIC-01/B; Bottini, Crepaldi, Ferrè, Gandola)
– General Psychology (PSIC-01/A; Cavallini, Chierchia, Merabet, Lega, Vecchi)
– Developmental and Educational Psychology (PSIC-02/A; Barone, Lecce, Lionetti, Mascheretti, Zanetti)
– Work and organizational psychology (PSIC-03/B; Barello, Setti)
– Dynamic Psychology (PSIC-04/A, Locati, Carone)
– Psychometrics (PSIC-01/C; Russo, Toraldo)
– Clinical Psychology (PSIC-04/B; Manzoni)
– Medical History (MEDS-02/C; Mazzarello)
Research topics
Research area
Neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience (PSIC-01/B; prof. Gabriella Bottini)
Research topics
– Linking body ownership and thermoregulation in healthy subjects and in brain-lesioned patients and other clinical populations.
– The contribution of interoceptive, exteroceptive, and proprioceptive signals to bodily awareness in healthy subjects, from before birth to old age, and populations with eating disorders.
– Exploring sensorimotor integration via self-touch paradigms in patients with unilateral brain lesions.
– The characterization of neurocognitive states and rehabilitation trajectories in stroke patients across Europe.
– Mapping body representation and other cognitive functions in the brain: direct electrophysiological counterparts.
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Research area
Neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience (PSIC-01/B; Prof. Martina Gandola)
Research topics
– Neural bases of anosognosia for hemiplegia. The project investigates the neural bases of anosognosia for hemiplegia (AHP) in right- and left-hemisphere brain-damaged patients using advanced voxel-based lesion mapping methods. The study will employ voxel-wise statistical comparisons to identify brain regions associated with impaired awareness of motor deficits.
– Study of the neural basis of prismatic adaptation with neuromodulation (tDCS) in healthy subjects. The project aims to study the neural mechanisms underlying prismatic adaptation using neurostimulation techniques (tDCS and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, TMS) in healthy subjects.
– Multimodal mapping of cognitive functions in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. The project investigates the neural correlates of cognitive functions, such as language and body ownership, in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy undergoing stereo-EEG, comparing fMRI and intracerebral electrical stimulation results.
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Research area
Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience (PSIC-01/A; Prof. Tomaso Vecchi)
Research topics
– Individual differences in imagery and mental representations.
– Sensory deprivation as a model to understand brain functional development and plasticity.
– Blindness and cognitive development.
– The role of the cerebellum in memory and higher cognitive functions.
– The interface of cognitive mechanisms and neural structures in understanding memory functions.
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Research area
Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience (PSIC-01/A; prof. Elena Cavallini)
Research topics
– Cognitive and socio-cognitive interventions in aging.
– Mechanisms underlying social relationships in older adults.
– Age-related differences in decision making and prosociality.
– Cognitive reserve and sport-related reserve: the role of sport in preserving cognitive functioning in aging.
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Research area
Developmental and Educational Psychology (PSIC-02/A; Prof. Lavinia Barone)
Research topics
– Evidence based intervention – EBI outcomes monitoring. The project aims at exploring the outcomes of two adolescence-targeted EBI in both educational and healthcare contexts, by inquiring their effectiveness in both adolescents and caregivers.
– EASY project: a protocol for enhancing emotional awareness and to hamper behavioral problems and at-risk behaviors in youths. The project aims to tackle the overarching goal of providing Italian secondary schools with a reliable and cost-effective protocol to promote adolescents’ mental health: (objective 1) developing an online tool to deliver a quick screening of adolescents’ emotional regulation (ER) difficulties, to identify adolescents with high or low vulnerability to behavioral problems (i.e., externalizing and internalizing problems; BP) and risk-taking behaviors (i.e., tobacco, alcohol, drug use; RTB); (objective 2) providing evidence of the effectiveness of a modularized intervention program to target adolescents’ ER skills and to foster adolescent-parent relationship as a booster key factor for adolescents’wellbeing.
– Non-suicidal self-injury in adolescence: Prevalence and the protective factors in a population-based study. The project aims at addressing a prevalent concern in adolescent mental health, highlighting the need to identify protective relational factors, by analyzing data from a large community base cohort of adolescents attending high schools.
– The CopAT study (Coping and Attachment in Paediatric Oncohaematology). The project aims at conducting a multicentre, cross-sectional, research project, by examining whether the quality of the parent–child attachment relationship is associated with specific coping strategies adopted by caregivers of children undergoing active treatment for haematologic-oncologic conditions.
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Research area
Developmental and Educational Psychology (PSIC-02/A; Prof. Serena Lecce)
Research topics
– Individual Differences in Theory of mind and social relationships. People vary enormously in the extent to which they can tune in to the thoughts, feelings, and desires of others (“mindreading” or theory of mind). This project examines whether and how these individual differences are shaped by social contexts and experiences, and how they influence people’s social lives. Using experimental tasks and observational methods, the study will explore links between mindreading abilities, prosocial and empathic behaviors, and the quality of everyday conversations and interactions.
– ToM and academic outcomes. This project investigates whether individual differences in the ability to tune in to others’ thoughts, feelings, and desires (“mindreading” or theory of mind) influence academic outcomes. Particular attention will be given to reading comprehension and scientific reasoning, two domains that strongly rely on perspective-taking and inferential understanding. The study will employ experimental tasks assessing theory of mind alongside standardized measures of academic performance to clarify the mechanisms linking social-cognitive and academic skills.
– Promoting social cognitive abilities. This project aims to develop and evaluate a training program designed to enhance social cognitive abilities, such as mindreading and perspective-taking. The study will assess the effectiveness of the intervention in improving social understanding, empathy, and interpersonal functioning in children and adolescents. Findings will contribute to the design of evidence-based educational practices that foster social competence and psychological well-being.
– Socio cognitive abilities and social media. This project investigates the impact of social media use on adolescents’ social cognition and psychological well-being. It focuses on how individual differences in mindreading abilities and sensitivity to online social dynamics shape social experiences and subjective well-being in digital contexts. By integrating experimental and self-report measures, the study aims to clarify the mechanisms linking social cognition and online behavior. The findings will inform evidence-based educational interventions to foster mindful, socially competent, and psychologically healthy engagement with digital media.
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Research area
Developmental and Educational Psychology (PSIC-02/A; Prof. Sara Mascheretti)
Research topics
– The role of children’s socio-cognitive and general/specific-domain cognitive functions on academic achievement in children with Specific Learning Disabilities. The project aims at exploring the role of children’s socio-cognitive and executive functions in shaping their academic achievement (e.g., decoding, reading comprehension, math) in clinical samples.
– Multi-modal investigation of reading (dis)ability. In the current project, we aim (1) to identify the role exerted by neurobiological and environmental risk factors on the neuroanatomical structures and cognitive functions underlying reading (dis)ability; and (2) the define the most effective preventive and rehabilitative strategies in enhancing neuroanatomical functioning and cognitive skills underlying reading (dis)ability.
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Research area
Developmental and Educational Psychology (PSIC-02/A; Prof. Assunta Zanetti)
Research topics
– Giftedness and Talent Development. Research on the identification, development, and educational inclusion of gifted and high-ability students. Focus on early achievement, socio-emotional development, and family support models.
– Socio-Emotional Competence and Resilience in Education. Design and evaluation of socio-emotional learning and resilience curricula in school settings. Implementation of teacher training programmes and interventions for promoting students’ wellbeing and prosocial behaviour.
– Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Digital Identity. Analysis of group dynamics, classroom climate, and online risk behaviours. Development of educational prevention and digital citizenship programmes to counteract bullying and cyberbullying.
– Vocational Guidance and Decision-Making Processes. Research on vocational development, career decision-making, and soft skills enhancement. Design of guidance and mentoring projects from primary to higher education.
– Prevention of Gender-Based Violence and Discrimination. Participation in interdisciplinary projects addressing gender diversity, equality education, and prevention of gender-based violence through professionals’ training, awareness programmes, education in schools.
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Research area
Work and organizational psychology (PSIC-03/B; Prof. Serena Barello)
Research topics
– Patient engagement and doctor–patient communication in healthcare innovation. This research line investigates how communication processes, empathy, and trust shape patient engagement across healthcare contexts. Through qualitative and mixed-methods approaches, it explores how digital tools, After-Visit Summaries, and AI-driven systems can foster meaningful dialogue between doctors and patients, inform prescribing behavior, and improve adherence, satisfaction, and clinical outcomes.
– Communication, advocacy, and inclusion in chronic and rare diseases.This line examines how linguistic, relational, and organizational practices influence patients’ inclusion, representation, and participation in healthcare. Integrating discourse analysis, co-creation methodologies, and collaboration with patient organizations, it studies how communication can reduce stigma, strengthen advocacy capacities, and promote equity and dignity in health systems and policies.
– Behavioral and psychological determinants of sustainable and preventive behaviors.This line explores the cognitive, emotional, and motivational factors shaping health- and eco-preventive behaviors in individuals and communities. It applies behavioral science to global health challenges—such as vaccine hesitancy, antimicrobial resistance, and climate change—developing and evaluating engagement and communication strategies that promote awareness, prevention, and collective responsibility.
– Work, well-being, and professional identity in healthcare contexts. This research line focuses on psychological well-being, emotional regulation, and moral distress among healthcare professionals, particularly those in high-stress and ethically sensitive contexts. It examines how communication, reflective practice, and relational competence support resilience, ethical awareness, and high-quality health professional–patient/caregivers interactions.
– Measuring what matters: PROMs, PREMs, and participatory indicators for organizational innovation. This methodological line develops and validates Patient-Reported Outcome and Experience Measures (PROMs and PREMs) as tools for organizational learning and innovation. Collaborating with healthcare institutions and patient organizations, it embeds the patient voice in evaluation systems to enhance transparency, accountability, and person-centered transformation in healthcare.
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Research area
Work and organizational psychology (PSIC-03/B; Prof. Ilaria Setti)
Research topics
– Mistreatment and aggression in the healthcare sector. The project aims at exploring the prevalence, and psychosomatic outcomes for healthcare workers exposed to mistreatment, verbal and physical aggression episodes in their workplace. The project is based on a mixed methodology and includes an intervention phase, whose efficacy is assessed by a test-retest evaluation procedure.
– Burnout and occupational well-being among deathcare workers. This project explores a field almost unexplored in the current international literature, due to stigmatization related to “death” topic, generally considered. Instead, we would find the determinants of occupational well-being among forensic and palliative doctors and nurses, and among funeral and cemeterial workers, in relation to the probability of developing burnout and (more in general) malaise symptoms. The research has been mainly developed through a qualitative approach (IPA interviews) and now we are completing the finding with a quantitative phase (administration of validated questionnaires in several countries: Italy, Brasil and UK).
– Occupational well-being among teachers working in middle and high school. This study would shed light on an unexplored (in Italy) topic, that is the predictors and health outcomes for teachers and administrative personnel, working in middle and high school. The study includes a first qualitative phase, based on semi-structured focus group, used in order to explore more relevant topics related to work stress and burnout. Following, a more detailed questionnaire (validated instruments) allows to deepen factors related to these professionals’ well-being.
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Research area
Dynamic psychology (PSIC-04/A; Prof. Nicola Carone)
Research topics
– Psychodynamics of family relationships in LGBTQ+ parent families. The project examines how attachment, mentalization, and family alliance processes unfold within diverse LGBTQ+ family constellations under minority stress.
– Experiences of reproductive donation in families formed through assisted reproduction. The project investigates lived experiences of donor conception and surrogacy (e.g., disclosure practices, identity work, kinship narratives, and ethical tensions) across parents and offspring.
– Developmental and clinical correlates of parental burnout. The project maps risk/protective pathways linking attachment, emotion regulation, mentalization, and contextual stressors to parental burnout.
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Research area
Dynamic Psychology (PSIC-04/A; Prof. Francesca Locati)
Research topics
– Trajectories of psychopathology in child and adolescent populations. The research area examines developmental trends in psychopathology among both clinical and non-clinical children and adolescents. Research focuses on the role of mentalization (RF) and epistemic trust (ET) as transdiagnostic developmental risk factors (P-factor), aiming to clarify the mechanisms underlying vulnerability and resilience across development. In clinical conditions, research investigates the relationship between RF and ET in the formation of emerging personality organisation, as well as externalising and internalising psychopathology.
– Process-Outcome Research in psychodynamic psychotherapy. This research area examines the interplay between process and outcome variables in open-ended psychodynamic psychotherapy. Moreover, outcome studies are focused on the effectiveness of brief psychodynamic interventions, such as Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT), in various clinical settings, including hospitals and prison contexts.
– Performance-based assessment in understanding children and adolescents’ diagnoses. The aim of this research area is grounded in the scientific debate on nosographic and psychodynamic approaches to psychopathological diagnosis (i.e., DSM-5TR, PDM-3). The research focuses on performance-based measures designed to explore mental functioning in children and adolescents. Quantitative and qualitative approaches are applied to study clinical populations, including individuals with functional neurological disorder, learning disorders, giftedness, and antisocial personality disorder.