Ricerca CentriCogPsyLabResearch

Research

Cognitive control

Every day, we all have to make decisions, many of which may affect the course of our lives in a significant way. Our ability to make optimal choices is strongly determined by the capacity to quickly adapt our behavior depending on the current goal, rather than remaining inflexible and rigid. This capacity is called “cognitive control” and it is distinguished between proactive and reactive. The first refers to the ability to stand ready to inhibit an action to prevent inadequate behaviors, allowing to prepare for and facilitate the inhibition of non-optimal behaviors. On the contrary, reactive inhibition allows the cancellation of a planned action in reaction to a sudden external signal once that the action has been previously elicited. In our lab, we study the proactive and reactive components of cognitive control from a behavioral and psychophysiological point of view. Also, we investigate how cognitive control is modulated by traits personality such as impulsivity.

Virtual environment

The milieu in which we currently live extends beyond the traditional physical world and encompasses the digital and virtual domains. The convergence of these emerging mediums, coupled with the advent of social media and recent shifts in behavioral patterns, has markedly amplified the volume and diversity of stimuli and impulses that necessitate our cognitive management. Consequently, this increase poses challenges for our adaptation to contemporary society and, crucially, for our capacity to discern and represent information from the multitude with which we come into contact. Within the framework of this research, we endeavor to investigate the impact of diverse mediums on cognitive processes and human behavior.

Forest therapy