Unlock Strenghts

Research lines of the group documented by publications in the period 2021-2025

Development of psychological tests integrating classical and advanced psychometric theories (e.g., Item Response Theory)
Ethical principles and application of Artificial Intelligence in telerehabilitation
Profiles of adaptive behavior, challenging behaviors, and quality of life of individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders
Impact of family cultural capital, social capital, and socio-economic status on behaviors of children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders
Formal models of representation of psychological constructs

Head:

Giulia Balboni

Staff UNIBO

ERC Sectors

SH4 The Human Mind and Its Complexity

SH4_1 Cognitive basis of human development and education, developmental disorders; comparative cognition
SH4_2 Personality and social cognition; emotion
SH4_3 Clinical and health psychology
SH4_4 Neuropsychology
SH4_5 Attention, perception, action, consciousness
SH4_6 Learning, memory; cognition in ageing
SH4_7 Reasoning, decision-making; intelligence
SH4_8 Language learning and processing (first and second languages)

PE6 Computer Science and Informatics

PE6_7 Artificial intelligence, intelligent systems, multi agent systems
PE6_11 Machine learning, statistical data processing and applications using signal processing (e.g. speech, image, video)

Scientific Disciplinary Sector:

PSIC-01/C Psychometrics, PSIC-01/A General Psychology, INFO-01/A Informatics

Selected publications of the group indexed in Scopus/WOS in the period 2021-2025 (max 6 publications)

Smythe, T., Rosenbaum, P. L., Balboni, G., & Ronen, G. M. (2025). Defining and measuring what matters: Quality of life for children with disabilities. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s2352-4642(25)00370-0
Bacherini, A., Anselmi, P., Havercamp, S. M., & Balboni, G. (2024). Psychometric properties of the Beliefs About Adults with ID Scale in American physicians: Application of classical test and Rasch measurement theories. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 68 (10), 1129-1145. https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.13143
Balboni, G., Bacherini, A., Anselmi, P., Brovedani, P., Buono, S., Micheletti, S., Robusto, E., & Tassé, M. J. (2022). Italian Diagnostic Adaptive Behavior Scale: Reliability and diagnostic accuracy compared with the Vineland-II. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 123, 1-11, 104185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104185
Balboni, G., Bacherini, A., Rebecchini, G., Cagiano, R., Mancini, A., Tancredi, R., Igliozzi, R., & Muratori, F. (2021). Individual and environmental factors affecting adaptive behavior of toddlers with autism spectrum disorder: Role of parents’ socio-cultural level. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 51, 3469–3482. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04803-x
Bonifacci, P., Compiani, D., Vassura, C., Affranti, A., Peri, B., Ravaldini, V., & Tobia, V. (2024). Home learning environment and screen time differentially mediate the relationship between socioeconomic status and preschoolers’ learning and behavioural profiles. Child Psychiatry & Human Development. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-024-01724-z
de Chiusole, D., Spinoso, M., Anselmi, P., Bacherini, A., Balboni, G., Mazzoni, N., Brancaccio, A., Epifania, O. M., Orsoni, M., Giovagnoli, S., Garofalo, S., Benassi, M., Robusto, E., Stefanutti, L., & Pierluigi, I. (2024). PsycAssist: A web-based artificial intelligence system designed for adaptive neuropsychological assessment and training. Brain Sciences, 14(2), 122. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14020122

Funding for the period 2021-2025

International Projects

“Empowering people with intellectual disabilities: An assessment of rights through the conceptual framework of quality of life” funded by Spain State Research Agency Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (PI: Laura E. Gomez, University of Oviedo) (2020-2024)

“Better understanding adaptive behavior: Assessment, cross-cultural comparison and relationship with cognitive and general functioning among preschoolers with developmental disabilities” funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (PI: Claudio Straccia, Université de Fribourg) (2020-2025).

National Projects

PRIN 2020 “Computerized, adaptive and personalized assessment of executive functions and fluid intelligence” funded by the Italian Minister of University and Research (Local research unit Coordinator: Giulia Balboni; PI: Luca Stefanutti, University of Padua) (2022-2024)

“Italian adaptation, standardization and study of the psychometric properties of Diagnostic Adaptive Behavior Scale (DABS)” funded by Hogrefe (PI: Giulia Balboni) (2017-2023)

Active National and International Collaborations documented by publications/ funding/ scientific agreements for the period 2021-2025

International collaborations

Laura E. Gomez, University of Oviedo, ES
Susan M. Havercamp, Nisonger Center, The Ohio State University, Ohio, USA
Lucia M. Morán, University of Cantabria, ES
Cristina Mumbardó-Adam, University of Barcellona, ES
Claudio Straccia, Université de Fribourg, CH
Marc J. Tassé, Nisonger Center, The Ohio State University, Ohio, USA

National collaborations

Roberto Cubelli, Gianluca Esposito, University of Trento
Stefano Cacciamani, University of Valle d’Aosta
Paola Brovedani, Roberta Igliozzi, Filippo Muratori, Raffaella Tancredi, IRCCS Stella Maris, Calambrone (PI), University of Pisa
Elisa Fazzi, Micheletti Serena, Galli Jessica, Unit of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, University of Brescia
Pasquale Anselmi, Debora de Chiusole, Luca Stefanutti, Egidio Robusto, University of Padua
Pizzoli Claudia, Gruppioni Barbara, Fabbri Manuela, Regional Center for Language and Cognitive Disabilities, Pediatric Neuropsychiatry Unit, IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna

Editorial activities in the period 2021-2025

Giulia Balboni

Guest Editor-In-Chief, Special Issue “Quality of Life in Developmental Disabilities”, Research in Developmental Disabilities
Guest Editor-In-Chief, Special Issue “Enhancing Research Practice in Developmental Disabilities”, Research in Developmental Disabilities
Associate Editor, Research in Developmental Disabilities
Direction Advisor, TPM (Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology)
Editorial Board, Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development
Editorial Board, Psicothema
Editorial Board, Siglo Cero
Editorial Board, Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities
Comitato di Redazione, Giornale Italiano di Psicologia

Paola Bonifacci

Associate Editor, British Journal in Developmental Psychology

Giulia Casu

Associate Editor, Europe’s Journal of Psychology
Associate Editor, Frontiers in Psychology Quantitative Psychology and Measurement

Sara Giovagnoli

Associate Editor, Frontiers in Psychology Quantitative Psychology and Measurement

Catia Prandi

Guest Editor, Special Issue “Future generation ICT solutions for digital social innovation and sustainable development”, Journal Future Generation Computer Systems
Guest Editor, Special Section “Responsible computing for social good”, ACM Journal on Responsible Computing
Guest Editor, Special Issue “Digital wellbeing for teens: Designing educational systems”, Interaction Design & Architecture(s) Journal (IxD&A)
Guest Editor, Collection “Citizen science for sustainable resilient cities: Engaging citizens in preservation, monitor, awareness, and decision making”, Discover Cities

Fellow in scientific academies and / or executive committees of scientific associations for the period 2021-2025