Giuseppe Riva

Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Catholic University of the Sacred Heart), Department of Psychology, Faculty Member

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Papers by Giuseppe Riva

Intrapersonal, interpersonal, and physical space in anorexia nervosa: a virtual reality and repertory grid investigation

by Clelia Malighetti, sabrina cipolletta, and Giuseppe Riva

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an eating disorder characterized by severe body image disturbances. Rece... more Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an eating disorder characterized by severe body image disturbances. Recent studies from spatial cognition showed a connection between the experience of body and of space. The objectives of this study were to explore the meanings that characterize AN experience and to deepen the examination of spatiality in relational terms, through the study of how the patient construes herself and her interpersonal world. More specifically this study aimed (1) to verify whether spatial variables and aspects of construing differentiate patients with AN and healthy controls (HCs) and are related to severity of anorexic symptomatology; (2) to explore correlations between impairments in spatial abilities and interpersonal construing. A sample of 12 AN patients and 12 HCs participated in the study. The Eating Disorder Inventory, a virtual reality-based procedure, traditional measures of spatial abilities, and repertory grids were administered. The AN group compared to HCs showed significant impairments in spatial abilities, more unidimensional construing, and more extreme construing of the present self and of the self as seen by others. All these dimensions correlated with the severity of symptomatology. Extreme ways of construing characterized individuals with AN and might represent the interpersonal aspect of impairment in spatial reference frames.

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Experiential Cognitive Therapy for the Treatment of Panic Disorder With Agoraphobia: Definition of a Clinical Protocol

by Francesco Vincelli, Brenda K Wiederhold, and Giuseppe Riva

CyberPsychology & Behavior, 2000

... effects associated with traditional strategies of care, we introduce two elements: the cost-b... more ... effects associated with traditional strategies of care, we introduce two elements: the cost-benefitanalysis in psy ... The cost of the application, however, is minimal because the therapy is ad-ministered in the ... 3. Classification and role attribution of dys-functional thought individuated ...

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Networked Flow: A Framework for Understanding the Dynamics of Creative Collaboration in Educational and Training Settings

by Andrea Gaggioli and Giuseppe Riva

Supporting creative collaboration in the classroom is considered an important objective by curren... more Supporting creative collaboration in the classroom is considered an important objective by current education research, as growing evidence suggests that this practice is linked with the quality of learning and the development of problem solving skills. Drawing on recent advances in group creativity research, social cognition and network science, we propose a theoretical framework for studying creative collaboration that integrates the concepts of group flow and social presence. Our key hypothesis is that in order for a group to enter the creative state of flow, members must be able to develop a "we-intention", in which the actions of the individuals and those of the collective are merged (social presence). According to our model, this is a staged process, beginning with the co-construction of a shared frame within the group and culminating with the creation of a novel artefact or concept. A further assumption is that the emergence of such optimal group state is associated with structural changes in the dynamics of group interaction, which can be effectively investigated using social network analysis techniques.

format_quoteTheoretical framework emphasizes group flow and social presence as essential for optimal collaborative creativity.format_quote

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Transforming experience: The Potential of Augmented Reality and virtual Reality for enhancing Personal and Clinical Change

by Giuseppe Riva and Andrea Gaggioli

During life, many personal changes occur. These include changing house, school, work, and even fr... more During life, many personal changes occur. These include changing house, school, work, and even friends and partners. However, the daily experience shows clearly that, in some situations, subjects are unable to change even if they want to. The recent advances in psychology and neuroscience are now providing a better view of personal change, the change affecting our assumptive world: (a) the focus of personal change is reducing the distance between self and reality (conflict); (b) this reduction is achieved through (1) an intense focus on the particular experience creating the conflict or (2) an internal or external reorganization of this experience; (c) personal change requires a progression through a series of different stages that however happen in discontinuous and non-linear ways; and (d) clinical psychology is often used to facilitate personal change when subjects are unable to move forward. Starting from these premises, the aim of this paper is to review the potential of virtuality for enhancing the processes of personal and clinical change. First, the paper focuses on the two leading virtual technologies – augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) – exploring their current uses in behavioral health and the outcomes of the 28 available systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Then the paper discusses the added value provided by VR and AR in transforming our external experience by focusing on the high level of personal efficacy and self-reflectiveness generated by their sense of presence and emotional engagement. Finally, it outlines the potential future use of virtuality for transforming our inner experience by structuring, altering, and/ or replacing our bodily self-consciousness. The final outcome may be a new generation of transformative experiences that provide knowledge that is epistemically inaccessible to the individual until he or she has that experience, while at the same time transforming the individual's worldview.

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New tools in cybertherapy: the VEPSY Web Site

by Gianluca Castelnuovo and Giuseppe Riva

In the last years the rapid development of the Internet and new communication technologies has ha... more In the last years the rapid development of the Internet and new communication technologies has had a great impact on psychology and psychotherapy. Psychotherapists seem to rely with more and more interest on the new technological tools such as videophone, audio and video chat, e-mail, SMS and the new Instant Messaging Tools (IMs). All these technologies outline a stimulating as well as complex scenario: in order to effectively exploit their potential, it is important to study which is the possible role played by the Internet-based tools inside a psychotherapeutic iter. Could the technology substitute the health care practitioners or are these tools only a resource in addition to the traditional ones in the therapist's hand? The major aim of this chapter is to provide a framework for the integration of old and new tools in mental health care. Different theoretical positions about the possible role played by e-therapy are reported showing the possible changes that psychotherapy will necessarily face in a cyber setting. The VEPSY website, an integration of different Internet-based tools developed within the VEPSY UPDATED Project, is described as an example of clinical application matching between old (and functional) practices with new (and promising) media for the treatment of different mental disorders. A rationale about the possible scenarios for the use of the VEPSY website in the clinical process is provided. nowadays the integration between "techno" and "psycho" is still far, more and more psychologists are using an will use these technologies into their practice and research .

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Testing the cognitive-behavioural maintenance models across DSM-5 bulimic-type eating disorder diagnostic groups: a multi-centre study

by Riccardo Caccialanza, Antonios Dakanalis (Αντώνιος Ντακανάλης) Prof, Dr, MD, MSc, PsyD, PhD, FNASc, and Giuseppe Riva

European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 2014

to the data, the CB-E model accounted for a greater proportion of variance in eating-disordered b... more to the data, the CB-E model accounted for a greater proportion of variance in eating-disordered behaviours than the original one, (b) interpersonal problems, clinical perfectionism and low self-esteem were indirectly associated with dietary restraint through over-evaluation of shape and weight, (c) interpersonal problems and mood intolerance were directly linked to binge eating, whereas restraint only indirectly affected binge eating through mood intolerance, suggesting that factors other than restraint may play a more critical role in the maintenance of binge eating. In terms of strength of the associations, differences across DSM-5 bulimic-type eating disorder diagnostic groups were not observed. The results are discussed with reference to theory and research, including neurobiological findings and recent hypotheses.

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Assessing Unilateral Spatial Neglect using advanced technologies: The potentiality of mobile virtual reality

by Giuseppe Riva and Pietro Cipresso

BACKGROUND: Unilateral Spatial Neglect, or neglect, is a common behavioral syndrome in patients f... more BACKGROUND: Unilateral Spatial Neglect, or neglect, is a common behavioral syndrome in patients following unilateral brain damage, such as stroke. In recent years, new technologies, such as computer-based tools and virtual reality have been used in order to solve some limitations of the traditional neglect evaluation. Within this perspective, also mobile devices such as tablets seems to be promising tools, being able to support interactive virtual environments and, at the same time, allowing to easily reproduce traditional paper-and-pencil test. OBJECTIVE: In this context, the aim of our study was to investigate the potentiality of a new mobile application (Neglect App) designed and developed for tablet (iPad) for screening neglect symptoms. METHODS: To address this objective, we divided a sample of 16 right-damaged patients according to the presence or absence of neglect and we administered assessment test in their traditional and Neglect App version. RESULTS: Results showed that the cancellation tests developed within Neglect App were equally effective to traditional paper-and-pencil tests (Line cancellation test and Star Cancellation test) in detecting neglect symptoms. Secondly, according to our results, the Neglect App Card Dealing task was more sensitive in detecting neglect symptoms than traditional functional task. CONCLUSIONS: Globally, results gives preliminary evidences supporting the feasibility of Neglect App for the screening of USN symptoms.

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Virtual Reality–Enhanced Cognitive–Behavioral Therapy for Morbid Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Study with 1 Year Follow-Up

by Giuseppe Riva and Gianluca Castelnuovo

It is well known that obesity has a multifactorial etiology, including biological, environmental,... more It is well known that obesity has a multifactorial etiology, including biological, environmental, and psychological causes. For this reason, obesity treatment requires a more integrated approach than the standard be-havioral treatment based on dietary and physical activity only. To test the long-term efficacy of an enhanced cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT) of obesity, including a virtual reality (VR) module aimed at both unlocking the negative memory of the body and to modify its behavioral and emotional correlates, 163 female morbidly obese inpatients (body mass index >40) were randomly assigned to three conditions: a standard behavioral inpatient program (SBP), SBP plus standard CBT, and SBP plus VR-enhanced CBT. Patients' weight, eating behavior, and body dissatisfaction were measured at the start and upon completion of the inpatient program. Weight was assessed also at 1 year follow-up. All measures improved significantly at discharge from the inpatient program, and no significant difference was found among the conditions. However, odds ratios showed that patients in the VR condition had a greater probability of maintaining or improving weight loss at 1 year follow-up than SBP patients had (48% vs. 11%, p = 0.004) and, to a lesser extent, than CBT patients had (48% vs. 29%, p = 0.08). Indeed, only the VR-enhanced CBT was effective in further improving weight loss at 1 year follow-up. On the contrary, participants who received only the inpatient program regained back, on average, most of the weight they had lost. Findings support the hypothesis that a VR module addressing the locked negative memory of the body may enhance the long-term efficacy of standard CBT.

format_quoteOnly VR-enhanced CBT improved long-term weight loss; standard treatment participants regained most lost weight.format_quote

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