Book Chapters by Stefano Triberti
Recent literature shows that new technologies can be used to promote patient engagement. The pres... more Recent literature shows that new technologies can be used to promote patient engagement. The present contribution focuses on Virtual Worlds (VWs), namely virtual environments that multiple users can experience together thanks to the use of avatars. Indeed, VWs offer interesting opportunities for patient engagement interventions on two levels. On the individual level, customized avatars are known to have relationships with users’ inner experience and Self-conception, so that they may constitute a peculiar additional tool for psychological assessment. Moreover, they are able to promote healthy behaviors thanks to a strong vicarious reinforcement (Proteus effect). On the collective level, VWs constitute an ideal platform to support the emergence of collective flow states (Networked Flow) which are related to the patients’ creative activity and well-being. The present contribution deepens these phenomena, presenting VWs as an innovative and interesting tool for the patient engagement interventions of the future.
Due to advances in treatment and people’s living longer, chronic diseases are becoming more commo... more Due to advances in treatment and people’s living longer, chronic diseases are becoming more common among our population. This is a leading contributor to the increasing burden on our current healthcare system. To reduce this burden and sufficiently meet the needs of this growing segment of the population, healthcare organizations must encourage the elderly to take a more active role in caring for their own health and well-being. Technology may offer a solution to this shortcoming. “Positive Technology” focuses on the use of technology for improving the quality of our personal experience, and it suggests specific strategies for modifying/improving each of the different dimensions involved - Emotional Quality (affect regulation); Engagement/Actualization (presence and flow); Connectdness (collective intentions and networked flow) - and for generating motivation and engagement in the process. “Transformative Technology” are technologically-mediated experiences that support positive, enduring transformation of the self-world. The transformative content is delivered through a set of experiential affordances, which are stimuli designed to elicit emotional and cognitive involvement in the designed experience: (i) emotional affordances; (ii) epistemic affordances. The paper discusses discuss the possible role of positive and transormative technologies for healthy living and active ageing by presenting different practical applications of this approach recently developed by our team.
Recent literature suggests that video games and serious games may be used to promote prosocial be... more Recent literature suggests that video games and serious games may be used to promote prosocial behavior and social abilities. Among several important open issues, a critical question regards what features of video games may be more suitable to address social skills promotion and morality education, for example single and multiplayer gaming. Since the research states that individual characteristics may drive media preferences/acceptance, here we analyzed individual differences (personality traits and social tendencies) among players who prefer single/multiplayer gaming. The results show that players who prefer multiplayer gaming were more agreeable, more empathic and less aggressive than the ones who prefer single player. Discussion deals with the importance of considering individual characteristics of the target population while designing video games or serious games for health interventions.
Video games are an interesting example of technologies/media able to generate complex emotions. I... more Video games are an interesting example of technologies/media able to generate complex emotions. Indeed, part of the emotions commonly arising in the experience of video gamers are quite negative. On the one hand, video gamers may feel frustration and anger due to the difficulty of the gameplay. On the other hand, they may experience sadness, anxiety and fear due to the immersion into emotionally rich narratives. Yet, video gamers seem to appreciate gaming technologies generating negative emotions, and the research on media frequently highlights a counterintuitive positive relation between negative affect and enjoinment/well-being outcomes. Starting from these premises, the present chapter is aimed to review the negative emotions typical of video games, in order to understand in what ways they can concur in generating an overall positive experience. Then, the chapter discusses implications for research on video games as positive technologies, namely technologies able to promote well-being in their users.
Flow Experience. Empirical Research and Applications, Jan 1, 2016
New technologies present remarkable opportunities for flow experience. We provide an integrated t... more New technologies present remarkable opportunities for flow experience. We provide an integrated theoretical framework for the study of flow in Human-Technologies Interaction referring to two specific cognitive processes – presence and social presence - whose goals are the control of the activity of the Self (presence) and the understanding of the activity of the Other (social presence).
On the individual level, the chance for a technology user to enter a state of flow depends on how much the technology addresses the user’s hierarchy of intentions (presence): I am present in a real or virtual space if I manage to put my intentions into action (enacting them). On this basis, we elaborate on a new model aimed to describe how a “Perfect Interaction” (P.I.M.) takes place.
On the collective level, research shows that a peculiar type of flow state could be reached by creative groups. Central to the presented model is the definition of a shared intersubjective space, which we identify with (highest level of) social presence. When this is achieved, participants can experience networked flow, an optimal state that maximizes the creative potential of the group.
Papers by Stefano Triberti
Frontiers in artificial intelligence, Apr 10, 2024
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are currently designed and tested in many fields to improve hu... more Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are currently designed and tested in many fields to improve humans' ability to make decisions. One of these fields is higher education. For example, AI-based chatbots ("conversational pedagogical agents") could engage in conversations with students in order to provide timely feedback and responses to questions while the learning process is taking place and to collect data to personalize the delivery of course materials. However, many existent tools are able to perform tasks that human professionals (educators, tutors, professors) could perform, just in a timelier manner. While discussing the possible implementation of AI-based tools in our university's educational programs, we reviewed the current literature and identified a number of capabilities that future AI solutions may feature, in order to improve higher education processes, with a focus on distance higher education. Specifically, we suggest that innovative tools could influence the methodologies by which students approach learning; facilitate connections and information attainment beyond course materials; support the communication with the professor; and, draw from motivation theories to foster learning engagement, in a personalized manner. Future research should explore high-level opportunities represented by AI for higher education, including their effects on learning outcomes and the quality of the learning experience as a whole.
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Dec 31, 2022
Background: Flow “is a gratifying state of deep involvement and absorption that individuals repor... more Background: Flow “is a gratifying state of deep involvement and absorption that individuals report when facing a challenging activity and they perceive adequate abilities to cope with it” [1]. During flow, people are deeply motivated to persist in their activities and to perform such activities again [1, 2]. Since the introduction of the flow concept, there has been much research investigating the concept itself, its preconditions, and its consequences. This research shows: “flow experiences can have far-reaching implications in supporting individuals’ growth, by contributing both to personal well-being and full functioning in everyday life” [1]. Aim: In this symposium, members of the European Flow-Researchers Network aim at providing a comprehensive overview of flow-research in the new millennium. Method: To develop this scoping review, we followed the steps proposed by Aksey and O’Malley (2005) [3]. For the literature research, we searched platforms PsychInfo, PubMed, PubPsych, We...
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, Mar 24, 2023
CRC Press eBooks, Jun 20, 2023
IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, May 1, 2023
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, Mar 24, 2023
Annals of Oncology, Sep 1, 2022
Advances in educational technologies and instructional design book series, 2018
Social presence in online learning communities may be defined as the degree to which a learner fe... more Social presence in online learning communities may be defined as the degree to which a learner feels connected with other learners and the teacher/educator, within a computer-mediated context. However, social presence is a broad construct that cannot be reduced to its manifestation in the specific context of distance-learning communities. How can we feel the presence of others? And, in virtue of what such a sensation may establish in our consciousness when others are actually not present in the physical environment we are in? This chapter includes a review of the main theoretical proposals to understand social presence, along with their guidelines to promote it, specific instruments and possible criticalities. Then, the different theories on social presence are resumed and integrated, in order to provide practical design guidelines open to the new technologies that may constitute innovative resources for the computer-mediated learning tools of the future (virtual reality, virtual worlds, augmented reality, and ambient intelligence).
Personality and Individual Differences, Feb 1, 2021
The COVID-19 outbreak has recently reached the status of a global pandemic. People should abide b... more The COVID-19 outbreak has recently reached the status of a global pandemic. People should abide by governmental rules to avoid spreading contagion. These rules could be associated with the concept of "social distancing", namely avoiding contact with others. In such an unprecedented situation, social gathering and display of affection should be considered potentially harmful, while isolation is deemed altruistic. The distinction between prosocial and antisocial behavior is suddenly ambiguous, and research is needed to understand citizens' behavior during the pandemic, in order to adapt public health communication to multiple kinds of recipients. 465 participants filled in an online questionnaire on their experience and behavior during the first weeks of the quarantine, and on antisocial personality (Dark Triad Dirty Dozen). Results showed that machiavellianism and psychopathy are negatively correlated with adoption of healthy behaviors and positively associated with the tendency to continue living one's own life "as nothing happened". Also, sex differences relates to healthy or antisocial behaviors, significantly mediated by machiavellianism. It is possible that non-conforming to recommendations is not influenced by aggression, but by individuals persevering in their activities independently of the quarantine, consistently with machiavellianism. Discussion deals with suggestions for effective communication of good practices in the pandemic.
In the last years, there has been a growing interest in the role of selftranscendent positive emo... more In the last years, there has been a growing interest in the role of selftranscendent positive emotions - such as awe, elevation and admiration - in fostering wellbeing and personal development. In particular, recent studies suggest that the experience of these emotions can promote self-improvement, prosocial behaviour and feelings of spirituality. The goal of this contribution is to introduce Computer-Mediated Self-transcendence (CMST) as a possible new research pathway in Positive Technology, which refers to the use of interactive technologies for promoting, facilitating or enhancing emotional peak experiences. Specifically, we suggest that the goal of CMST can be achieved by combining virtual reality, videogames and the languages of art, to design mediated transformative experiences that include emotional and epistemic affordances. We describe some early examples of CMST and discuss opportunities and challenges of this approach
Pregnancy is a very special time in a woman\u2019s life, a time of physical and psychological cha... more Pregnancy is a very special time in a woman\u2019s life, a time of physical and psychological change. Often anxiety and negative emotions prevent to fully enjoy this magical moment and hamper the well-being, negatively influence obstetric outcomes, development of the child and neonatal adaptation. BenEssere Mamma aims to improve pregnant wellbeing, helping women to be conscious of their affective state and to learn strategies to better cope with anxiety and stress. BenEssere Mamma consists of a brief self-help protocol containing inspired mindfulness meditation and guided imagery exercises for a total of four weeks. This study reports a brief user experience (Beta Version) among pregnant women, delivered by mobile devices. Twelve mothers-to-be experienced a 7-days study and filled two online ad hoc questionnaires. The application was perceived easy to use. Exercises were assessed as pleasant and quite effective
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Book Chapters by Stefano Triberti
On the individual level, the chance for a technology user to enter a state of flow depends on how much the technology addresses the user’s hierarchy of intentions (presence): I am present in a real or virtual space if I manage to put my intentions into action (enacting them). On this basis, we elaborate on a new model aimed to describe how a “Perfect Interaction” (P.I.M.) takes place.
On the collective level, research shows that a peculiar type of flow state could be reached by creative groups. Central to the presented model is the definition of a shared intersubjective space, which we identify with (highest level of) social presence. When this is achieved, participants can experience networked flow, an optimal state that maximizes the creative potential of the group.
Papers by Stefano Triberti
On the individual level, the chance for a technology user to enter a state of flow depends on how much the technology addresses the user’s hierarchy of intentions (presence): I am present in a real or virtual space if I manage to put my intentions into action (enacting them). On this basis, we elaborate on a new model aimed to describe how a “Perfect Interaction” (P.I.M.) takes place.
On the collective level, research shows that a peculiar type of flow state could be reached by creative groups. Central to the presented model is the definition of a shared intersubjective space, which we identify with (highest level of) social presence. When this is achieved, participants can experience networked flow, an optimal state that maximizes the creative potential of the group.