Associate professor of General Psychology

I teach courses on Personality Psychology for the 1^st degree in Psychology and on General Psychology for the 1^st degree in Science of Motor and Sport Activity at the University of Palermo. I am the Departmental reference for the ANVUR project TECO.

My methodological interests include quantitative research designs, experimental design, and moderation/mediation models.

My sustentative areas of interests are human factors & ergonomics of social media systems (e.g., Facebook), personality assessment, social media addiction, and web-psychology (with a focus on social network analysis), web-psychology (with a focus on social network analysis) and human-robot-interaction.

I am the local coordinator for the Erasmus+ Programme, Key Action 1 – Mobility for learners and staff – Higher Education Student and Staff Mobility - Inter-institutional agreement 2018-2020/2021, between University of Palermo (Italy) and Universitè de Rouen (Francia).

I am member of the i-Solouk Group, an international research group coordinated by Professor Raian Ali and Dr. Dena Al-Thani situated in the College of Science and Engineering (CSE) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (Qatar) aimed at studying the use of technology in interpreting and modifying humans’ attitude and behavior.

Mail

barbara.caci@unipa.it

List of courses

https://www.unipa.it/persone/docenti/c/barbara.caci/?pagina=insegnamenti

List of publications

https://www.unipa.it/persone/docenti/c/barbara.caci/?pagina=pubblicazioni

Associate professor of Developmental and Educational Psychology

Expert in emotional intelligence

I teach courses on Psychology and Primary Education Sciences of the University of Palermo on the themes of General Psychology and Developmental and Educational Psychology. I also held various lectures in other Italian and foreign universities, and has been lecturer in schools of specialization for teaching, masters and postgraduate courses

My sustentative areas of interests include emotional intelligence, learning disabilities and new technologies for learning. I also realized different psychometric tools and training programs for the assessment and the improvement of reading, writing, and mathematical skills and for empowering memory and emotional intelligence.

I collaborate with the Psychology Service of the Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, carrying out diagnostic activity in neurodevelopmental disorders. I am co-founder and Scientific Director of the International Center Meta INTELLIGENZE ONLUS, a psychological and educational association aimed at promoting learning and emotional intelligence in children, adolescents, and adults

I am member of the following national and international scientific association involved in dissemination and application of research outcomes: Italian Association for Research and Intervention on Psychopathology of Learning (AIRIPA); Italian Association for Dyslexia (AID); International Society for Emotional Intelligence; European Association of Cultural and Emotionally Intelligent Projects; European Network for Social and Emotional Competence

Mail

antonella.damico@unipa.it

List of courses

https://www.unipa.it/persone/docenti/d/antonella.damico/?pagina=insegnamenti

List of publications

https://www.unipa.it/persone/docenti/d/antonella.damico/?pagina=pubblicazioni

Associate professor of Dynamic Psychology

Expert in Clinical psychology

I teach courses on psychological interview and Group dynamic. My sustentative areas of interests include maltreatment, attachment theory, personality disorders. I collaborate with the Psychology Service of the Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement.

I am member of the following national and international scientific association: Associazione italiana di psicologia (AIP); Society for Psychotherapy Research (SPR).

Mail

giorgio.falgares@unipa.it

List of courses

https://www.unipa.it/persone/docenti/f/giorgio.falgares/?pagina=insegnamenti

List of publications

https://www.unipa.it/persone/docenti/f/giorgio.falgares/?pagina=pubblicazioni

 Associate professor of Dynamic Psychology

I teach courses on Psychological Assessment Tools and Theory and Techniques of Tests.

My sustentative areas of interests include childhood maltreatment, risk and protective factors in the development of adolescent personality disorders, parent-adolescent relationships, attachment styles and psychosocial adjustment of adolescents and young adulthood. My methodological interests include quali-quantitative research methods.

I collaborate with the Psychology Service of the Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, carrying out diagnostic activity in personality assessment.

I have been for many years the coordinator of the 2^nd level University Master’s degree in Psychological Assessment, University of Palermo.

giovanna.manna@unipa.it

List of courses

https://www.unipa.it/persone/docenti/m/giovanna.manna/?pagina=insegnamenti

List of publications

https://www.unipa.it/persone/docenti/m/giovanna.manna/?pagina=pubblicazioni

Assistant professor of Dynamic Psychology

Expert in gender identity and family relations.

I teach courses on dynamic psychology; life-span interviewing tools and techniques; life-span clinical reports.

My methodological interests include quali-quantitative research methods.

My sustentative areas of interests include gender, dysfunctional families, sexual abuse and attachment.

Mail

paola.miano@unipa.it

List of courses

https://www.unipa.it/persone/docenti/m/paola.miano/?pagina=insegnamenti

List of publications

https://www.unipa.it/persone/docenti/m/paola.miano/?pagina=pubblicazioni

Assistant professor of General Psychology    

I teach courses on Principles and History of Psychology for the 1^st degree in Psychology and on General Psychology for the 1^st degree in Science of Motor and Sport Activity at the University of Palermo.

My methodological interests include quantitative and mixed methods research, experimental and behavioral methodologies, cluster analysis, multivariate analysis, and structural equation modeling.

My main research interests lie in the area of cognitive processes, decision-making, and communication with a specific focus on shared decision-making, doctor-patient communication, preventive and screening behaviors

Mail

dario.monzani@unipa.it

List of courses

https://www.unipa.it/persone/docenti/m/dario.monzani/?pagina=insegnamenti

List of publications

https://www.unipa.it/persone/docenti/m/dario.monzani/?pagina=pubblicazioni

Associate professor of Developmental and Educational Psychology

Expert in Pediatric psychology

I teach courses on Developmental and Educational Psychology, and on Pediatric Psychology

I am the coordinator of the 2nd level Master’s Degree in Pediatric Psychology – University of Palermo (https://www.unipa.it/dipartimenti/sc.psicol.pedag.edellaformazione/master/psicologiapediatrica/)

My methodological interests include: validation of evolutionary assessment tools, and observational research

My sustentative areas of interests include: pediatric psychology and maternal child health, child neglect, fragilities of attention and self-regulation of preschool children, rare diseases, high risk pregnancies, preterm birth and parenting; early parent-infant interactions

I am scientific responsible for monitoring process and impact evaluation of the project “La Cittadella dell’infanzia” (https://percorsiconibambini.it/lacittadelladellinfanzia/) Bando Prima Infanzia (0-6 anni) - Con i Bambini Impresa Sociale; and I am responsible person for our Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, of the PSN (National Health Plan) project “Models for integrated management of chronics/fragilities conditions in maternal-child contexts”, through the partnership with “Villa Sofia-Cervello” Hospital

Mail

concetta.polizzi@unipa.it

List of courses

https://www.unipa.it/persone/docenti/p/concetta.polizzi/?pagina=insegnamenti

List of publications

https://www.unipa.it/persone/docenti/p/concetta.polizzi/?pagina=pubblicazioni

Assistant professor of Developmental and Educational Psychology

Expert in Learning disabilities, Teacher training

I teach courses on Developmental and Educational Psychology. In particular, I teach course on Psychology and Primary Education Sciences. I’m vice coordinator of the 2^nd level University Master’s degree in learning Disabilities, University of Palermo

My sustentative areas of interests include Typical and atypical development; Teacher training; Inter and intraindividual variability; Text Comprehension; Developmental trajectories.

Mail

agata.maltese@unipa.it

List of courses

https://www.unipa.it/persone/docenti/m/agata.maltese/?pagina=insegnamenti

List of publications

https://www.unipa.it/persone/docenti/m/agata.maltese/?pagina=pubblicazioni

Fellow researcher, PhD

My research interests concern the development of cognitive functioning through physical exercise and the sociocognitive development of children. I also work in several EU projects, such as PINC – Inclusive Playground (KA220), XR_Skill (KA220VET) and ClassTHIFA (KA220HED). I also took part to the scientific research of ESA Program (Erasmus + Sport).

My methodological specialization concerns: the research methodology in general, meta-analysis, and also observational methods such as survival analysis.

Mail

ambra.gentile01@unipa.it

List of courses

https://www.unipa.it/persone/docenti/g/ambra.gentile01/?pagina=insegnamenti

List of publications

https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=57202396310

Post-doctoral Researcher

My main field of research is positive children and youth development. In particular, I am interested in studying the development of children and adolescents’ intercultural and democratic competences, the process of radicalization among youth and young adults, as well as ethnic bulling within school contexts. In addition, I study the influences of religiosity and spirituality on adolescents and emerging adults’ well-being and psychosocial development.

I am currently a post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Law of the University of Palermo within the European Project (Justice Programme) “Strengthening approaches for the prevention of youth radicalisation in prison and probation settings”. The project is carried out in collaboration with the Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement of the same University.

Mail:

nicolomaria.iannello@unipa.it

List of Publications:

https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=57197821273

Ph.D. student in Health Promotion and Cognitive Sciences

Expert in Pediatric psychology, Prenatal and Perinatal Development

My research project intends to verify one specific supportive care treatment for parental competence in pregnancy at risk.

These are conditions once considered atypical, but they are increasingly growing today, in which the construction of parental competence can be compromised by stress conditions, hyper-arousal and the alteration of self-concept, experienced by mothers and fathers who live this risk condition. This longitudinal study, through some narrative interviews and counseling meetings, aims to support the couples from prenatal to postnatal.

My scientific interests are:

• Psycho-evolutionary outcomes in Medically Assisted Reproduction
• Parental competence in pregnancy at risk.
• Tipical and Atypical Development

List of publications

D’Alcamo, E., Gullo, G., Cucinella, G., Perino, A., Burgio, S., Etrusco, A., Agrigento, V., Sclafani, S., Listi, F., Maggio, A., Vega, I., Laganà, A.S., Vitagliano, A., Noventa, M., Buzzaccarini, G. (2022). Cystic Fibrosis assessment in infertile couples: genetic trough the Next Generation Sequencing technique. Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology. (in press)

Burgio, S., Polizzi, C., Buzzaccarini, G., Laganà, A.S., Gullo, G., Perricone, G., Perino, A., Cucinella, G., Alesi, M. (2022). Psychological variables in Medical Assisted Reproduction: a Systematic Review. Menopause review. (in press)

Polizzi, C., Burgio, S., Lavanco, G., & Alesi, M. (2021). Parental Distress and Perception of Children's Executive Functioning after the First COVID-19 Lockdown in Italy. Journal of clinical medicine, 10(18), 4170. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10184170

Perricone, G., Polizzi, C., Burgio, S., Carollo, A., Fontana, V., Morales, M.R., Rotolo, I., (2021). Diventare insegnante di sostegno. “Leggere”, osservare e promuovere Sviluppo. Mcgraw Hill Education.      

Perricone, G., Polizzi, C., Burgio, S., Rotolo, I. (2021). Il metodo dell’osservazione nel ciclo di vita. McGraw Hill Education. ISBN: 9788838655593

Perricone, G., Polizzi, C., Burgio, S., Carollo, A., Fontana, V., Morales, M.R., Rotolo, I., (2021). Corso di psicologia dello sviluppo e dell'educazione con elementi di psicologia pediatrica. Mcgraw Hill Education.     EAN: 9781307749786

Marchese, F., Bonanno, B., Borinato, D., Burgio, S., Mangiapane, D., Matranga, M., Saputo, E., & La Barbera, D. (2021). Psychosis, symbol, affectivity 2: another perspective on the treatment of psychotic disorder. The Journal of analytical psychology, 66(2), 200–220. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5922.12665

Polizzi, C., Perricone, G., Morales, M. R., & Burgio, S. (2021). A Study of Maternal Competence in Preterm Birth Condition, during the Transition from Hospital to Home: An Early Intervention Program's Proposal. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(16), 8670. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168670

Polizzi, C., Perricone, G., Fontana, V., D'Angelo, P., Jankovic, M., Nichelli, F., Taormina, C., & Burgio, S. (2020). The relation between maternal locus of control and coping styles of pediatric leukemia patients during treatment. Pediatric reports, 12(1), 7998. https://doi.org/10.4081/pr.2020.7998

Polizzi, C., Fontana, V., Carollo, A., Bono, A., Burgio, S., & Perricone, G. (2016). Sibship and Self-esteem in Children with Asthma. Pediatric reports, 8(2), 6370. https://doi.org/10.4081/pr.2016.6370

Polizzi, C., Fontana, V., Perricone, G., D'Angelo, P., Jankovic, M., Taormina, C., Nichelli, F., & Burgio, S. (2015). Coping Strategies and Locus of Control in Childhood Leukemia: A Multi-Center Research. Pediatric reports, 7(2), 5703. https://doi.org/10.4081/pr.2015.5703

Perricone, G., Fontana, V., Burgio, S., & Polizzi, C. (2014). Sibling relationships as a resource for coping with traumatic events. SpringerPlus, 3, 525. https://doi.org/10.1186/2193-1801-3-525

Perricone, G., Polizzi, C., Burgio, S., & Fontana, V. (2013). Coping strategies and locus of control in children suffering from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. http://hdl.handle.net/10447/97379

Perricone, G., Polizzi, C., Burgio, S., & Fontana, V. (2013). Coping strategies of Italian and Portuguese mothers in response to a child’s chronic or oncological disease: a cross-cultural study. http://hdl.handle.net/10447/97256

Burgio, S., Fontana, V. (2012). Le patologie oncoematologiche pediatriche in Perricone Briulotta, G. Psicologia pediatrica. Dalla teoria alla pratica evolutivo-clinica. Milano: McGraw-Hill, 97-110. ISBN: 978-88-386-7357-3.

Mail

sofia.burgio@unipa.it

 Ph.D student in Health Promotion and Cognitive Sciences

My research includes two parts.

In Part One, my work will concentrate on developing and testing a new intervention for psychological support of healthcare professionals. The scenario considered refers to the frontline commitment and the emergency management during the pandemic SARS-COVID-19, when healthcare workers undergo emotional overload and are likely to develop depression or burn-out.

Part Two will present the evolution of rehabilitation of neuro-developmental child disorders across various contexts. The aid of social robots, implemented both at hospital and home, will be analysed and the impact of new technologies on the improvement of individual’s cognitive skills will be evaluated. The final outcome will be a model based on the unique characteristics of child and parents.

Mail

mariavalentina.cavarretta@unipa.it

Ph.D. student in Health Promotion and Cognitive Sciences

Expert on executive functions and learning disabilities

My research project aims at examining the effects of structured motor activity intervention on executive functions, in particular working memory and inhibition, in kindergarteners sample. It has been documented executive functions represent a crucial and strong indicator of early academic success, for this reason children involved in the project will be retested during the first year of primary school to reach the expected improvement in academic achievement, in term of literacy and numeracy skills.

My scientific interests are:

• effects of motor abilities and motor activities on executive functions in children and adolescents
• cognitive and emotional-motivational profiles in children and adolescents with Learning Disabilities
• developmental and cognitive aspects in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

List of publications

Giordano, G., Gómez-López, M., & Alesi, M. (2021). Sports, Executive Functions and Academic Performance: A Comparison between Martial Arts, Team Sports, and Sedentary Children. Int. Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(22), 11745. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/22/11745/htm

Alesi, M., Giordano, G., Giaccone, M., Basile, M., Costa, S., & Bianco, A. (2020). Effects of the enriched sports activities-program on executive functions in Italian children. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 5, 1-13. https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5142/5/2/26/htm

Pajaujiene S., Giordano G., Tabacchi, G., & Alesi M. (2019). Findings and resources of ESA units. In ESA ebook

http://www.esaprogram.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ESA_Program_book.pdf

Mail

giulia.giordano@unipa.it

My research interests are focused on gender discrimination. In particular, how social media convey gender stereotypes and how these influence the development of adolescents and young adults.

To pursue my research, I use an interdisciplinary approach with reference to sociology and psychology and apply qualitative methodologies typical of the social sciences.

My scientific interests are:

-       Gender discrimination with a focus on the LGBTQIA+ community

-       The influence of social media on psychosocial adjustment of adolescents and emerging adults

-       Development of Women’s empowerment

List of publications:

Miano, P., & Urone, C. (2022). Cosa sei per me: identità e relazione di coppia in adolescenza. In Nuove coppie, nuove unioni. Psicologia delle relazioni amorose moderne (pp. 17-29). Franco Angeli.

Mail:

chiara.urone@unipa.it