Valentino Zurloni

The paper aims to explore the relationship between emotions and reflexivity, with reference to the constructs of critical reflexivity and emotional granularity. These two constructs and their operationalization constitute the theoretical–methodological background of an empirical exploratory research study conducted on a sample of adult workers aged between 18 and 55, who were subjected to a diarist-style reflective writing course. The overall aim of the course was to ascertain whether, how and to what extent reflective practices of the narrative type can influence and modulate the stress response, both from the point of view of the participants’ assumption of awareness and from the point of view of the adoption of new behaviors. The central question that the present article proposes to discuss is related to the exploration of what the basic requirements/skills are on which the development of critical reflexivity is built over time, with particular attention to the role played by emotional competencies. This aspect represents one of the most relevant gaps in current research on critical reflexivity, which is severely limited by a general tendency towards the hyper-cognization of the models of analysis adopted in much of the research devoted to reflexivity, as well as by the little space given to the investigation of the emotional dynamics at play in its onset processes. The study carried out represents an initial exploration of this aspect, testing two main hypotheses: (a) the possibility of identifying and describing a preliminary threshold to the manifest development of critical reflexivity, prior to the development of process reflexivity; (b) the possibility that crossing this threshold may be facilitated by the acquisition of a good level of emotional competence, measurable through the emotional granularity construct. In the light of the quali-quantitative analyses carried out on the diaristic corpus, the hypotheses put forward have all been confirmed, consolidating the line of research aimed at investigating the role played by emotional competence in the development of critical reflexivity, in interaction and combination with the increasingly complex structuring of the cognitive processes underlying reflexivity.

Stress control is essential for avoiding a state of anxiety in sport competitions, as this state may have negative effects on other psychological variables of athletes, decreasing their self-confidence and harming their attentional control. In the present contribution a distress intervention model developed from a PNEI perspective will be sketched out. Our theoretical-methodological proposal consists of the definition of an integrated protocol of psycho-biological assessment and intervention on the allostatic load and on the levels of distress/eustress detectable in the sport environment, in relation to the person’s health/well-being condition and the impact of this condition on the quality of sport performance.This paradigm has the potential to explore both the psychological dimension of stress management and the psycho-educational and psycho-physical dimension, according to a truly integrated approach to the athlete’s health and psychophysical well-being. Its multidisciplinary nature requires close cooperation between different professional figures, such as the mental coach, psychologist, nutritionist, osteopath, and physiotherapist, as well as biologists, physicians and kinesiologists, both in planning and in implementation and monitoring at all stages. The potential impact of the model on sport performance will be deeply discussed.

Focusing on healthcare, in the last few decades advanced technologies have become crucial keys in supporting subjective wellbeing. Among them, virtual reality has been proven to be effective for mental health promotion in several research studies. Although the dramatic development in the field of virtual reality system, there are still important problems related to the use of this technology. Within this perspective, the growing availability, low-cost and easy-to-use mobile virtual reality (i.e., the integration of virtual reality system on mobile devices such as smartphone and tablet) represents a meaningful opportunity to support mental health interventions. The chapter will first briefly describe mobile virtual reality. Then, a mobile virtual reality design practice will be presented. Finally, the current application of mobile virtual reality to enhance subjective wellbeing will be discussed with the support of concrete examples and research study analysis.

Deception has evolved to become a fundamental aspect of human interaction. Despite the prolonged efforts in many disciplines, there has been no definite finding of a univocally “deceptive” signal. This work proposes an approach to deception detection combining cognitive load manipulation and T-pattern methodology with the objective of: (a) testing the efficacy of dual task-procedure in enhancing differences between truth tellers and liars in a low-stakes situation; (b) exploring the efficacy of T-pattern methodology in discriminating truthful reports from deceitful ones in a low-stakes situation; (c) setting the experimental design and procedure for following research. We manipulated cognitive load to enhance differences between truth tellers and liars, because of the low-stakes lies involved in our experiment. We conducted an experimental study with a convenience sample of 40 students. We carried out a first analysis on the behaviors’ frequencies coded through the observation software, using SPSS (22). The aim was to describe shape and characteristics of behavior’s distributions and explore differences between groups. Datasets were then analyzed with Theme 6.0 software which detects repeated patterns (T-patterns) of coded events (non-verbal behaviors) that regularly or irregularly occur within a period of observation. A descriptive analysis on T-pattern frequencies was carried out to explore differences between groups. An in-depth analysis on more complex patterns was performed to get qualitative information on the behavior structure expressed by the participants. Results show that the dual-task procedure enhances differences observed between liars and truth tellers with T-pattern methodology; moreover, T-pattern detection reveals a higher variety and complexity of behavior in truth tellers than in liars. These findings support the combination of cognitive load manipulation and T-pattern methodology for deception detection in low-stakes situations, suggesting the testing of directional hypothesis on a larger probabilistic sample of population.

The influence of game location on performance has been widely examined in sport contexts. Concerning soccer, game-location affects positively the secondary and tertiary level of performance; however, there are fewer evidences about its effect on game structure (primary level of performance). This study aimed to detect the effect of game location on a primary level of performance in soccer. In particular, the objective was to reveal the hidden structures underlying the attack actions, in both home and away matches played by a top club (Serie A 2012/2013 - First Leg). The methodological approach was based on systematic observation, supported by digital recordings and T-pattern analysis. Data were analyzed with THEME 6.0 software. A quantitative analysis, with nonparametric Mann-Whitney test and descriptive statistics, was carried out to test the hypotheses. A qualitative analysis on complex patterns was performed to get in-depth information on the game structure. This study showed that game tactics were significantly different, with home matches characterized by a more structured and varied game than away matches. In particular, a higher number of different patterns, with a higher level of complexity and including more unique behaviors was detected in home matches than in the away ones. No significant differences were found in the number of events coded per game between the two conditions. THEME software, and the corresponding T-pattern detection algorithm, enhance research opportunities by going further than frequency-based analyses, making this method an effective tool in supporting sport performance analysis and training.

Addressing Emotions within E-Learning Systems: 10.4018/978-1-59904-865-9.ch057: Emotions are attracting growing attention within the instructional design research community. However, clarification is still required as to how exactly to