Elisabetta Fiorello
Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Edificio 15, Palermo, 90128, Italy.
e-Mail: elisabetta. fiorello@unipa.it
Education
Master’s Degree in Cognitive Science
Current Positions
PhD Student in Health Promotion and Cognitive Sciences
PhD project title and a short abstract
PhD project title
Brain-to-brain synchrony between teachers and students: exploring the impact of cognitive training on Theory of Mind.
Abstract
The scientific literature has recently consolidated the idea that skills related to Theory of Mind (ToM) continue to develop during middle childhood (ages 8-11) and during early adolescence (ages 10-12) and, moving from this premise, has, at the same time, established the effectiveness of training programs aimed at enhancing ToM cognitive skills in children and improving their social relationships with others. These evidences assume, therefore, particular relevance in pedagogy, where the relationship between teacher and student is known to be one of the most important hubs of learning processes. The present research project aims to implement an educational protocol of cognitive training for ToM in pupils included in the age range 6 -12 years. Cognitive training will be conducted by curricular teachers who will be trained in conducting the pedagogical intervention being researched. It is also intended, in the design of this study, to explore - through the aid of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) - the possible connection between the impact of the implementation of the cognitive training protocol for ToM skills and the levels of intercerebral synchrony (Brain-to-brain synchrony) between the participating pupils and the teachers who supervised them. While, in fact, it is well known that one of the neural components most subject to intercerebral synchrony during social interactions between subjects is precisely that related to Theory of Mind, to date, no study has investigated how, in pedagogy, interventions aimed at training ToM skills can affect the Brain-to-brain synchrony that is established between teacher and student.
Supervisor: Prof.ssa Giuseppa Cappuccio
Main research areas of interest
My research interests are in neuroeducation and the application of neuroscientific models for the study of learning processes with a focus on social-emotional skills such as Theory of Mind (ToM). Other interests include educational research methodology that supports experimental pedagogical research.
Researcher ID