Federica Biassoni

Effectiveness of Immersive Videos in Inducing Awe: An Experimental Study

Awe, a complex emotion composed by the appraisal components of vastness and need for accommodation, is a profound and often meaningful experience. Despite its importance, psychologists have only recently begun empirical study of awe. At the experimental level, a main issue concerns how to elicit high intensity awe experiences in the lab. To address this issue, Virtual Reality (VR) has been proposed as a potential solution. Here, we considered the highest realistic form of VR: immersive videos. 42 participants watched at immersive and normal 2D videos displaying an awe or a neutral content. After the experience, they rated their level of awe and sense of presence. Participants’ psychophysiological responses (BVP, SC, sEMG) were recorded during the whole video exposure. We hypothesized that the immersive video condition would increase the intensity of awe experienced compared to 2D screen videos. Results indicated that immersive videos significantly enhanced the self-reported intensity of awe as well as the sense of presence. Immersive videos displaying an awe content also led to higher parasympathetic activation. These findings indicate the advantages of using VR in the experimental study of awe, with methodological implications for the study of other emotions.

Cardiac vagal control as a marker of emotion regulation in healthy adults: A review

In the last two decades, a growing body of theory and research has targeted the role of cardiac vagal control (CVC) in emotional responding. This research has either focused on resting CVC (also denoted as cardiac vagal tone) or phasic changes in CVC (also denoted as vagal reactivity) in response to affective stimuli. The present paper is aimed at reporting a review of the papers published between 1996 and 2016, and focused on the results of 135 papers examining cardiac vagal control as a physiological marker of emotion regulation in healthy adults. The review shows that studies have employed a wide array of methodologies and measures, often leading to conflicting results. High resting CVC has been associated with better down-regulation of negative affect, use of adaptive regulatory strategies, and more flexible emotional responding. Concerning phasic changes, research has consistently found decreased CVC in response to stress, while CVC increases have been shown to reflect either self-regulatory efforts or recovery from stress. Despite conflicting results, we conclude that existing literature supports the use of CVC as a noninvasive, objective marker of emotion regulation.

Autobiographical narration as a tool for the empowerment of older adults’ subjective and psychological well-being in nursing homes

ABSTRACT Objectives: Conceiving narration as a resource to promote older people’s wellbeing, the present work aimed to implement a narrative-based intervention to empower the subjective and psychological wellbeing of older adults living in nursing homes. Methods: Twenty-one nursing-home residents took part in a narrative training experience consisting of three weekly interview sessions. During each interview, a psychologist helped the participants to construct an autobiographical narrative about their present life in the nursing home based on a Deconstruction-Reconstruction technique. Subjective and psychological wellbeing variables were assessed before and after the intervention. Results: Subjective but not psychological wellbeing increased over the course of the intervention. The participants reported to appreciate the intervention. Conclusions: Although preliminary, the results suggest that brief narrative training based on narrative therapy can positively affect nursing-home residents’ subjective wellbeing. Clinical Implications: Brief narrative interventions implementing deconstruction-reconstruction techniques are feasible for long-term care residents.

The Role of Autobiographical Story-Telling During Rehabilitation Among Hip-Fracture Geriatric Patients

Hip fracture is one of the most common health care problems among elderly people. Literature shows that high self-efficacy expectations and positive affect are some of the key issues in functional recovery after hip fracture. The present investigation tested whether self-narration of such life-breaking event influences self-efficacy and depression during the process of rehabilitation. We designed a Self-Narration Journey (SNJ) to be administered during the in-hospital rehabilitation. In Study 1, we investigated the influence of SNJ on depression and perceived self-efficacy. Study 2 aimed to explore the effect of SNJ, depression, and self-efficacy on functional recovery of independence to perform daily activities during the rehabilitation process. The data showed that the Self-Narration Journey proved effective in increasing the perceived self-efficacy and in lowering the level of depression. The present work highlights a significant effect of the SNJ on the functional recovery process.