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Department of Psychology "Renzo Canestrari"

Perception, Learning and Emotion

Perception and learning in the processing of visual and acoustic stimuli. Head: Maurizio Codispoti

Areas: Experimental psychology

Research lines of the group documented by publications in the period 2019-2023 

  • Categorization and Emotional Response to Relevant Natural Scenes; 
  • Statistical and sensorimotor learning processes in attention, perception and metaperception, with a particular focus on peripheral vision.

Head

Maurizio Codispoti, Full Professor 

Members

Maurizio Codispoti

Full Professor

Andrea De Cesarei

Full Professor

Mariagrazia De Gioia

PhD Student

Serena Mastria

Junior assistant professor (fixed-term)

Andrea Pavan

Associate Professor

Virginia Tronelli

PhD Student

Matteo Valsecchi

Associate Professor

ERC Sectors  

  • SH4_5 Attention, perception, action, consciousness
  • LS5_7 Cognition (e.g. learning, memory, emotions, speech)
  • SH4_6 Learning, memory; cognition in ageing 

Scientific Disciplinary Sector: M-PSI/01 General Psychology 

Selected publications of the group indexed in Scopus/WOS in the period 2019-2023

  1. Codispoti, M., De Cesarei, A., Ferrari, V. (2023). Alpha-band oscillations and emotion: A review of studies on picture perception. Psychophysiology.  https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.14438
  2. Codispoti, M., Micucci, A., & De Cesarei, A. (2021). Time will tell: Object categorization and emotional engagement during processing of degraded natural scenes. Psychophysiology.  https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.13704
  3. De Cesarei, A., Cavicchi, S., Micucci, A., & Codispoti, M. (2019). Categorization Goals Modulate the Use of Natural Scene Statistics. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_01333
  4. Valsecchi, M., & Turatto, M. (2021). Distractor filtering is affected by local and global distractor probability, emerges very rapidly but is resistant to extinction. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 83(6), 2458-2472. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-021-02303-3
  5. Pavan, A., Contillo, A., Yilmaz, S. K., Kafaligonul, H., Donato, R., & O'Hare, L. (2023). A comparison of equivalent noise methods in investigating local and global form and motion integration. Attention, perception & psychophysics, 85(1), 152–165. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-022-02595-z
  6. Ferrari, V., Mastria, S., & Codispoti, M. (2020). The interplay between attention and long-term memory in affective habituation. Psychophysiology, 57(6), e13572. https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.13572

Funding for the period 2019-2023 

 International Projects 

  • 2021-2023 Bial Foundation. Title:  Novelty and Emotion in distractor processing, PI  €30,000. 
  • Beneficentia Stiftung grant (BEN 2023/96). Title: “Strengthening visual functions in healthy older adults to maintain and prolong independence longer into life”. PI, €21,000 

 National Projects 

  • 2023-2025 Prin 2022: “Interactions between central and peripheral vision: how the rich and detailed visual world is created”, codice proposta 2022HEKCWH_002.
  • PRIN: Progetti di ricerca di rilevante interesse nazionale – bando 2022, prot. 2022772HTJ. Title: “How do attentional training programs improve reading skills?” CO-PI, in charge of the research unit at the University of Bologna. €45,000.00.
  • De Cesarei 2021 PON “RICERCA E INNOVAZIONE” 2014-2020 azione IV.6 green “How to communicate the Ecological Value of a Product: Emotions and Purchase Choice”. (Principal Investigator). Importo: € 112.311 

Active National and International Collaborations documented by publications/ funding/ scientific agreements for the period 2019-2023 

 International collaborations 

  • Prof. Harald Schupp (Department of General Psychology, University of Konstanz, Germany) 
  • Prof. Markus Junghöfer (Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal analysis, University of Münster) 
  • Prof. Geoffrey Loftus (Department of Psychology, University of Washington) 
  • Jing Chen, Shanghai University of Sport 
  • Karl Gegenfurtner, University of Giessen, Department of General Psychology 
  • Alexander Schütz, University of Marburg, Department of Psychology 
  • Prof. Mark Greenlee (University of Regensburg, Germany) 
  • Prof. Wilhelm Malloni (University of Regensburg, Germany) 
  • Prof. George Mather (University of Sussex, UK) 
  • Prof. Louise O’Hare (Nottingham Trent University, UK) 

National collaborations 

  • Massimo Turatto, University of Trento, Center for Mind-Brain Sciences. 
  • Gianluca Campana (University of Padova) 
  • Vera Ferrari (Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Parma) 
  • Prof. Marco Lippi (Dipartimento di Scienze e Metodi per l’Ingegneria, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia) 
  • Marco Bertamini, University of Padova, Department of General Psychology 

Editorial activities in the period 2019-2023 

  • Maurizio Codispoti, Associate Editor, Frontiers in Psychology: Emotion Science 
  • Andrea De Cesarei, Associate Editor, Frontiers in Psychology: Emotion Science 
  • Matteo Valsecchi, Editor for Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (2022-present).  
  • Andrea Pavan, Acting Editor for Scientific Reports and Frontiers in Neuroscience and Psychology.