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Bianchi I, Burro R. The Perception of Similarity, Difference and Opposition. J Intell 2023; 11:172. [PMID: 37754901 PMCID: PMC10532253 DOI: 10.3390/jintelligence11090172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
After considering the pervasiveness of same/different relationships in Psychology and the experimental evidence of their perceptual foundation in Psychophysics and Infant and Comparative Psychology, this paper develops its main argument. Similarity and diversity do not complete the panorama since opposition constitutes a third relationship which is distinct from the other two. There is evidence of this in the previous literature investigating the perceptual basis of opposition and in the results of the two new studies presented in this paper. In these studies, the participants were asked to indicate to what extent pairs of simple bi-dimensional figures appeared to be similar, different or opposite to each other. A rating task was used in Study 1 and a pair comparison task was used in Study 2. Three main results consistently emerged: Firstly, opposition is distinct from similarity and difference which, conversely, are in a strictly inverse relationship. Secondly, opposition is specifically linked to something which points in an allocentrically opposite direction. Thirdly, alterations to the shape of an object are usually associated with the perception of diversity rather than opposition. The implications of a shift from a dyadic (same/different) to a triadic (similar/different/opposite) paradigm are discussed in the final section.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Bianchi
- Department of Humanities, University of Macerata, 62100 Macerata, Italy
| | - Roberto Burro
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy;
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Branchini E, Burro R, Bianchi I. Training People to Think in Opposites Facilitates the Falsification Process in Wason's Rule Discovery Task. J Intell 2023; 11:jintelligence11050091. [PMID: 37233340 DOI: 10.3390/jintelligence11050091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
With reference to Wason's 2-4-6 rule discovery task, this study investigated the effects of a simple training session that prompted participants to "think in opposites". The results showed a significant improvement in performance under the training condition when compared to the control condition, both in terms of the proportion of participants who discovered the correct rule and how quickly it was discovered. An analysis of whether or not participant submitted test triples formed of descending numbers showed that fewer participants under the control condition considered ascending/descending to represent a critical dimension and, in any case, this occurred later (that is, after more test triples) than in the training condition. These results are discussed in relation to previous literature showing improvements in performance that were prompted by strategies involving "contrast" as a critical factor. The limitations of the study are discussed, as well as the benefits of a training program like this, which is non-content related.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Branchini
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Lungadige Porta Vittoria 27, 37129 Verona, Italy
| | - Roberto Burro
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Lungadige Porta Vittoria 27, 37129 Verona, Italy
| | - Ivana Bianchi
- Section Philosophy and Human Sciences, Department of Humanities, University of Macerata, Via Garibaldi, 20, 62100 Macerata, Italy
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Bianchi I, Branchini E. Does Thinking in Opposites in Order to Think Differently Improve Creativity? J Intell 2023; 11:jintelligence11050085. [PMID: 37233334 DOI: 10.3390/jintelligence11050085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
In this paper, we focus on the link between thinking in opposites and creativity. Thinking in opposites requires an intuitive, productive strategy, which may enhance creativity. Given the importance of creativity for the well-being of individuals and society, finding new ways to enhance it represents a valuable goal in both professional and personal contexts. We discuss the body of evidence that exists concerning the importance of the first representation of the structure of a problem to be solved, which determines the baseline representation and sets limits on the area within which a problem solver will explore. We then review a variety of interventions described in the literature on creativity and insight problem solving that were designed to overcome fixedness and encourage people to move away from stereotypical solutions. Special attention is paid to the research carried out in the context of problem solving, which provides evidence that prompting people to "think in opposites" is beneficial. We suggest that an extended investigation of the effects of this strategy in various types of tasks related to creativity is an interesting line of research to follow. We discuss the rationale supporting this claim and identify specific questions, both theoretical and methodological, for future research to address.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Bianchi
- Department of Humanities (Section Philosophy and Human Sciences), University of Macerata, Via Garibaldi 20, 62100 Macerata, Italy
| | - Erika Branchini
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Lungadige Porta Vittoria, 17, 37129 Verona, Italy
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Ottoboni G, Toraldo A, Proietti R, Cangelosi A, Tessari A. Paradoxical decrease of imitation performance with age in children. Br J Psychol 2023. [PMID: 36942850 DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Abstract
Imitation development was studied in a cross-sectional design involving 174 primary-school children (aged 6-10), focusing on the effect of actions' complexity and error analysis to infer the underlying cognitive processes. Participants had to imitate the model's actions as if they were in front of a mirror ('specularly'). Complexity varied across three levels: movements of a single limb; arm and leg of the same body side; or arm and leg of opposite body sides. While the overall error rate decreased with age, this was not true of all error categories. The rate of 'side' errors (using a limb of the wrong body side) paradoxically increased with age (from 9 years). However, with increasing age, the error rate also became less sensitive to the complexity of the action. This pattern is consistent with the hypothesis that older children have the working memory (WM) resources and the body knowledge necessary to imitate 'anatomically', which leads to additional side errors. Younger children might be paradoxically free from such interference because their WM and/or body knowledge are insufficient for anatomical imitation. Yet, their limited WM resources would prevent them from successfully managing the conflict between spatial codes involved in complex actions (e.g. moving the left arm and the right leg). We also found evidence that action side and content might be stored in separate short-term memory (STM) systems: increasing the number of sides to be encoded only affected side retrieval, but not content retrieval; symmetrically, increasing the content (number of movements) of the action only affected content retrieval, but not side retrieval. In conclusion, results suggest that anatomical imitation might interfere with specular imitation at age 9 and that STM storages for side and content of actions are separate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Ottoboni
- Department of Psychology 'Renzo Canestrari', University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Alessio Toraldo
- Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Milan Centre for Neuroscience (NeuroMI), Milan, Italy
| | - Riccardo Proietti
- Department of Psychology 'Renzo Canestrari', University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Angelo Cangelosi
- Department of Computer Science, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Alessia Tessari
- Department of Psychology 'Renzo Canestrari', University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Alma Mater Research Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, Bologna, Italy
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5
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Bianchi I, Truong H, Russell AMT, Burro R. Testing Australian standard consumers' understanding of the language used to describe wine. J SENS STUD 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/joss.12765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Bianchi
- Department of Humanities (Section Philosophy and Human Sciences) University of Macerata Macerata Italy
| | - Hang Truong
- Department of Human Sciences University of Verona Verona Italy
| | - Alex M. T. Russell
- Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory, School of Health, Medical and Applies Sciences CQUniversity Australia Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Roberto Burro
- Department of Human Sciences University of Verona Verona Italy
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Tessari A, Ottoboni G. Does the body talk to the body? The relationship between different body representations while observing others' body parts. Br J Psychol 2022; 113:758-776. [PMID: 35181883 PMCID: PMC9545991 DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The way human bodies are represented is central in everyday activities. The cognitive system must combine internal, visceral, and somatosensory, signals to external, visually driven information generated from the spatial placement of others’ bodies and the own body in the space. However, how different body representations covertly interact among them when observing human body parts is still unclear. Therefore, we investigated the implicit processing of body parts by manipulating either the body part stimuli’ posture (conditions a and b) or the participants’ response body posture (conditions c, d, and e) in healthy participants (N = 70) using a spatial compatibility task called Sidedness task. The task requires participants to judge the colour of a circle superimposed on a task‐irrelevant body part picture. Responses are facilitated when the spatial side of the responding hand corresponds to the spatial code generated by the hand stimulus's position with respect to a body of reference. Results showed that the observation of the task‐irrelevant body parts oriented participants’ attention and facilitated responses that were spatial compatible with the spatial position such body parts have within a configural representation of the body structure (i.e., Body Structural Representation) in all the five experimental conditions. Notably, the body part stimuli were mentally attached to the body according to the most comfortable and less awkward postures, following the anatomo‐physiological constraints. Moreover, the pattern of the results was not influenced by manipulating the participants’ response postures, suggesting that the automatic and implicit coding of the body part stimuli does not rely on proprioceptive information about one's body (i.e., Body Schema). We propose that the human body's morphometry knowledge is enriched by biomechanical and anatomo‐physiological information about the real body movement possibilities. Moreover, we discuss the importance of the automatic orienting of attention based on the sidedness within the context of imitational learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Tessari
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Bianchi I, Capitani E, Branchini E, Savardi U, Burro R. Naïve intuitions about what constitutes “an opposite process”. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2021.1988619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Bianchi
- Department of Humanities, University of Macerata Macerata, Italy
| | - Elena Capitani
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona Verona, Italy
| | - Erika Branchini
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona Verona, Italy
| | - Ugo Savardi
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona Verona, Italy
| | - Roberto Burro
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona Verona, Italy
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Non experts’ understanding of terms frequently used by experts to describe the sensory properties of wine: An investigation based on opposites. Food Qual Prefer 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2021.104215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Branchini E, Capitani E, Burro R, Savardi U, Bianchi I. Opposites in Reasoning Processes: Do We Use Them More Than We Think, but Less Than We Could? Front Psychol 2021; 12:715696. [PMID: 34512474 PMCID: PMC8426631 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.715696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Our aim in this paper is to contribute toward acknowledging the general role of opposites as an organizing principle in the human mind. We support this claim in relation to human reasoning by collecting evidence from various studies which shows that "thinking in opposites" is not only involved in formal logical thinking, but can also be applied in both deductive and inductive reasoning, as well as in problem solving. We also describe the results of a series of studies which, although they have been developed within a number of different theoretical frameworks based on various methodologies, all demonstrate that giving hints or training reasoners to think in terms of opposites improves their performance in tasks in which spontaneous thinking may lead to classic biases and impasses. Since we all possess an intuitive idea of what opposites are, prompting people to "think in opposites" is something which is undoubtedly within everyone's reach and in the final section, we discuss the potential of this strategy and suggest possible future research directions of systematic testing the benefits that might arise from the use of this technique in contexts beyond those tested thus far. Ascertaining the conditions in which reasoners might benefit will also help in terms of clarifying the underlying mechanisms from the point of view, for instance, of analytical, conscious processing vs. automatic, unconscious processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Branchini
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Elena Capitani
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Roberto Burro
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Ugo Savardi
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Ivana Bianchi
- Department of Humanities (Philosophy and Human Sciences Section), University of Macerata, Macerata, Italy
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Capitani E, Branchini E, Burro R, Savardi U, Bianchi I. The opposite of a transformation process. An exploration based on diagrams. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2020.1814307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Elena Capitani
- Department of Education, Cultural heritage and Tourism, University of Macerata (Italy) Macerata, Italy
| | - Erika Branchini
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Roberto Burro
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Ugo Savardi
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Ivana Bianchi
- Department of Humanities, University of Macerata, Macerata, Italy
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Mirror-hand selection is influenced by training perspective and model skill level in a motor-learning task. Exp Brain Res 2018; 237:417-426. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-018-5428-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 11/03/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Salience of primary and secondary school students' achievement emotions and perceived antecedents: Interviews on literacy and mathematics domains. LEARNING AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lindif.2018.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Raccanello D, Burro R, Brondino M, Pasini M. Relevance of terrorism for Italian students not directly exposed to it: The affective impact of the 2015 Paris and the 2016 Brussels attacks. Stress Health 2018; 34:338-343. [PMID: 29243309 DOI: 10.1002/smi.2793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2017] [Revised: 11/14/2017] [Accepted: 11/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Notwithstanding the dramatically increasing frequency of acts of terrorism in Europe and the extent of their media coverage, there is lack of knowledge on people's affective reactions and associated emotion regulation strategies. We explored the affective impact on two cohorts of Italian students (n = 193) possibly exposed vicariously through the mass media to the 2015 Paris or the 2016 Brussels terrorist attacks, respectively. We accessed data from three online questionnaires: one on emotion regulation administered before each attack; one on daily affect administered just before and after each attack; and one on causes of weekly affect and life satisfaction administered at the end of the week in which each attack occurred. The attacks were perceived as relevant for influencing negative affect for 22% of the students. For them, suppression-less frequently used than reappraisal-was associated with an improvement of affect after each attack but negatively related to life satisfaction concerning the week in which the attacks occurred. Our data showed that the recent terrorist attacks occurring in Europe had an affective impact on people at some distance who were vicariously exposed and point to the protective role of emotion regulation as a key resource for individuals' well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Roberto Burro
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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Burro R, Savardi U, Annunziata MA, De Paoli P, Bianchi I. The effects of presenting oncologic information in terms of opposites in a medical context. Patient Prefer Adherence 2018; 12:443-459. [PMID: 29628757 PMCID: PMC5877498 DOI: 10.2147/ppa.s147091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND An extensive body of literature has demonstrated that many patients who have been asked to participate in clinical trials do not fully understand the informed consent forms. A parallel independent study has demonstrated that opposites have a special status in human cognitive organization: they are common to all-natural languages and are intuitively and naturally understood and learnt. PURPOSE The study investigates whether, and how, the use of opposites impacts on doctor-patient communication: does using the terms "small-large" to describe a nodule (ie, bipolar communication) rather than speaking in terms of centimeters (ie, unipolar communication) affect a patient's understanding of the situation? And is it better to speak of "common-rare" side effects (ie, bipolar communication) instead of the number of people who have suffered from particular side effects (ie, unipolar communication)? METHODS Two questionnaires were created and used, one presenting the information in terms of opposites (ie, bipolar communication) and another using unipolar communication. RESULTS The participants' perception of their situation (in terms of feeling healthy-ill, being at high-low risk, and their treatment requiring high-low commitment) varied in the two conditions. Moreover, self-reported levels of understanding and satisfaction with how the information was communicated were higher when opposites were used. LIMITATIONS Since this is the first study that addresses the merits of using bipolar structures versus unipolar structures in doctor-patient communication, further work is needed to consolidate and expand on the results, involving not only simulated but also real diagnostic contexts. CONCLUSION The encouraging results imply that further testing of the use of opposites in informed consent forms and in doctor-patient communication is strongly advisable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Burro
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- Correspondence: Roberto Burro, Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Lungadige Porta Vittoria 27, 37129 Verona, Italy, Email
| | - Ugo Savardi
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | | | - Paolo De Paoli
- National Cancer Institute IRCCS ‘Centro di Riferimento Oncologico’ (CRO), Aviano, Italy
| | - Ivana Bianchi
- Department of Humanities (Section Philosophy and Human Sciences), University of Macerata, Macerata, Italy
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Bianchi I, Paradis C, Burro R, van de Weijer J, Nyström M, Savardi U. Identification of opposites and intermediates by eye and by hand. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2017; 180:175-189. [PMID: 28961495 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2017.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2016] [Revised: 05/29/2017] [Accepted: 08/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
In this eye-tracking and drawing study, we investigate the perceptual grounding of different types of spatial dimensions such as dense-sparse and top-bottom, focusing both on the participants' experiences of the opposite regions, e.g., O1: dense; O2: sparse, and the region that is experienced as intermediate, e.g., INT: neither dense nor sparse. Six spatial dimensions expected to have three different perceptual structures in terms of the point and range nature of O1, INT and O2 were analysed. Presented with images, the participants were instructed to identify each region (O1, INT, O2), first by looking at the region, and then circumscribing it using the computer mouse. We measured the eye movements, identification times and various characteristics of the drawings such as the relative size of the three regions, overlaps and gaps. Three main results emerged. Firstly, generally speaking, intermediate regions were not different from the poles on any of the indicators: overall identification times, number of fixations, and locations. Some differences emerged with regard to the duration of fixations for point INTs and the number of fixations for range INTs between two range poles (O1, O2). Secondly, the analyses of the fixation locations showed that the poles support the identification of the intermediate region as much as the intermediate region supports the identification of the poles. Finally, the relative size of the three areas selected in the drawing task were consistent with the classification of the regions as points or ranges. The analyses of the gaps and the overlaps between the three areas showed that the intermediate is neither O1 nor O2, but an entity in its own right.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Bianchi
- Department of Humanities, (section Philosophy and Human Sciences), University of Macerata, via Garibaldi 20, 62100 Macerata, (Italy).
| | - Carita Paradis
- Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University, Box 201, SE-221 00 Lund, (Sweden).
| | - Roberto Burro
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Lungadige Porta Vittoria 17, 37129 Verona, (Italy).
| | - Joost van de Weijer
- Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University, Box 201, SE-221 00 Lund, (Sweden).
| | - Marcus Nyström
- Humanities Laboratory, Lund University, Box 201, SE-221 00 Lund, (Sweden).
| | - Ugo Savardi
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Lungadige Porta Vittoria 17, 37129 Verona, (Italy).
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Opposition and Identicalness: Two Basic Components of Adults’ Perception and Mental Representation of Symmetry. Symmetry (Basel) 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/sym9080128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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Rigon J, Burro R, Guariglia C, Maini M, Marin D, Ciurli P, Bivona U, Formisano R. Self-awareness rehabilitation after Traumatic Brain Injury: A pilot study to compare two group therapies. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2017; 35:115-127. [PMID: 28059799 PMCID: PMC5302046 DOI: 10.3233/rnn-150538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Deficits of self-awareness (SA) are very common after severe acquired brain injury (sABI), especially in traumatic brain injury (TBI), playing an important role in the efficacy of the rehabilitation process. This pilot study provides information regarding two structured group therapies for disorders of SA. METHODS Nine patients with severe TBI were consecutively recruited and randomly assigned to one SA group therapy programme, according either to the model proposed by Ben-Yishay & Lakin (1989) (B&L Group), or by Sohlberg & Mateer (1989) (S&M Group). Neuropsychological tests and self-awareness questionnaires were administered before and after a 10 weeks group therapy. RESULTS Results showed that both SA and neuropsychological functioning significantly improved in both groups. CONCLUSION It is important to investigate and treat self-awareness, also to improve the outcome of neuropsychological disorders. The two group therapies proposed seem to be specific for impulsivity and emotional dyscontrol and for cognitive disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Rigon
- IRCCS Fondazione Ospedale San Camillo, Venezia Lido, Italy
| | - Roberto Burro
- Università degli Studi di Verona, Dipartimento di Scienze Umane, Verona, Italy
| | | | - Manuela Maini
- CRA Nucleo Speciale Gravissime Disabilità Virginia Grandi, Bologna, Italy
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Branchini E, Bianchi I, Burro R, Capitani E, Savardi U. Can Contraries Prompt Intuition in Insight Problem Solving? Front Psychol 2016; 7:1962. [PMID: 28082928 PMCID: PMC5183583 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2016] [Accepted: 12/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper aims to test whether the use of contraries can facilitate spatial problem solving. Specifically, we examined whether a training session which included explicit guidance on thinking in contraries would improve problem solving abilities. In our study, the participants in the experimental condition were exposed to a brief training session before being presented with seven visuo-spatial problems to solve. During training it was suggested that it would help them to find the solution to the problems if they systematically transformed the spatial features of each problem into their contraries. Their performance was compared to that of a control group (who had no training). Two participation conditions were considered: small groups and individuals. Higher success rates were found in the groups exposed to training as compared to the individuals (in both the training and no training conditions), even though the time required to find a solution was longer. In general, participants made more attempts (i.e., drawings) when participating in groups than individually. The number of drawings done while the participants were trying to solve the problems did not increase after training. In order to explore if the quality (if not the number) of drawings was modified, we sampled one problem out of the seven we had used in the experiment (the “pigs in a pen” problem) and examined the drawings in detail. Differences between the training and no training conditions emerged in terms of properties focused on and transformed in the drawings. Based on these results, in the final discussion possible explanations are suggested as to why training had positive effects specifically in the group condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Branchini
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona Verona, Italy
| | - Ivana Bianchi
- Department of Humanities (Section Philosophy and Human Sciences), University of Macerata Macerata, Italy
| | - Roberto Burro
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona Verona, Italy
| | - Elena Capitani
- Department of Education, Cultural Heritage and Tourism, University of Macerata Macerata, Italy
| | - Ugo Savardi
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona Verona, Italy
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Taylor A, Flynn M, Edmonds CJ, Gardner MR. Observed bodies generate object-based spatial codes. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2016; 169:71-8. [PMID: 27235754 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2016.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2015] [Revised: 05/09/2016] [Accepted: 05/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Contemporary studies of spatial and social cognition frequently use human figures as stimuli. The interpretation of such studies may be complicated by spatial compatibility effects that emerge when researchers employ spatial responses, and participants spontaneously code spatial relationships about an observed body. Yet, the nature of these spatial codes - whether they are location- or object-based, and coded from the perspective of the observer or the figure - has not been determined. Here, we investigated this issue by exploring spatial compatibility effects arising for objects held by a visually presented whole-bodied schematic human figure. In three experiments, participants responded to the colour of the object held in the figure's left or right hand, using left or right key presses. Left-right compatibility effects were found relative to the participant's egocentric perspective, rather than the figure's. These effects occurred even when the figure was rotated by 90° to the left or to the right, and the coloured objects were aligned with the participant's midline. These findings are consistent with spontaneous spatial coding from the participant's perspective and relative to the normal upright orientation of the body. This evidence for object-based spatial coding implies that the domain general cognitive mechanisms that result in spatial compatibility effects may contribute to certain spatial perspective-taking and social cognition phenomena.
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Branchini E, Burro R, Bianchi I, Savardi U. Contraries as an effective strategy in geometrical problem solving. THINKING & REASONING 2015. [DOI: 10.1080/13546783.2014.994035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erika Branchini
- Department of Philosophy, Education and Psychology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Roberto Burro
- Department of Philosophy, Education and Psychology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Ivana Bianchi
- Department of Humanities, University of Macerata, Macerata, Italy
| | - Ugo Savardi
- Department of Philosophy, Education and Psychology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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