Papers by Antonino Raffone
Mindfulness
Objectives Autobiographical memory (AM) is linked to the construct of self, which is influenced b... more Objectives Autobiographical memory (AM) is linked to the construct of self, which is influenced by mindfulness training. Furthermore, both self-reference and AM can be affected by psychopathological conditions, such as depression. This article offers a critical review with a systematic search of the studies using different paradigms to investigate the effects of mindfulness training on AM, as well as the relationships between trait mindfulness and AM. Methods The review includes studies with behavioral, self-report, and neuroimaging methods by considering both non-clinical and clinical investigations in an integrative perspective. Fifty articles were reviewed. The review addressed the following main fields: mindfulness and autobiographical memory specificity; mindfulness and emotional autobiographical recall; and self-inquiry into negative autobiographical narratives and mindfulness. An additional section analyzed 18 studies that addressed the effects of mindfulness training on memo...
Cognitive Processing, 2007
Working memory (WM), including a 'central executive', is used to guide behavior by internal goals... more Working memory (WM), including a 'central executive', is used to guide behavior by internal goals or intentions. We suggest that WM is best described as a set of three interdependent functions which are implemented in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). These functions are maintenance, control of attention and integration. A model for the maintenance function is presented, and we will argue that this model can be extended to incorporate the other functions as well. Maintenance is the capacity to briefly maintain information in the absence of corresponding input, and even in the face of distracting information. We will argue that maintenance is based on recurrent loops between PFC and posterior parts of the brain, and probably within PFC as well. In these loops information can be held temporarily in an active form. We show that a model based on these structural ideas is capable of maintaining a limited number of neural patterns. Not the size, but the coherence of patterns (i.e., a chunking principle based on synchronous firing of interconnected cell assemblies) determines the maintenance capacity. A mechanism that optimizes coherent pattern segregation, also poses a limit to the number of assemblies (about four) that can concurrently reverberate. Top-down attentional control (in perception, action and memory retrieval) can be modelled by the modulation and re-entry of top-down information to posterior parts of the brain. Hierarchically organized modules in PFC create the possibility for information integration. We argue that large-scale multimodal integration of information creates an 'episodic buffer', and may even suffice for implementing a central executive.
Mindfulness
Objectives According to the core Buddhist psychology models of the “two arrows of pain” and “co-d... more Objectives According to the core Buddhist psychology models of the “two arrows of pain” and “co-dependent origination,” pain is the resultant of bodily and mental factors, which can be regulated by meditation states and traits. Here we investigated how pain and the related aversion and identification (self-involvement) experiences are modulated by focused attention meditation (FAM), open monitoring meditation (OMM), and loving kindness meditation (LKM), as well as by meditation expertise. Methods Theravada Buddhist long-term meditators were matched with a group of short-term meditators. Nociceptive electrical stimulation was administered during FAM, OMM, and LKM, and in a non-meditative rest condition. Experience reports of pain, aversion, and identification were collected in each trial. Results Pain thresholds were higher in long-term meditators than in short-term meditators. In the short-term meditators, as compared to rest, pain was reduced in FAM and OMM, and aversion and identi...
We consider the framework of attentional processing in light of Gestalt theory. The dichotomy of ... more We consider the framework of attentional processing in light of Gestalt theory. The dichotomy of top-down and bottom-up attention is criticized as an anachronism in light of the interactive character of processing. The Gestalt concept of foreground background organization offers an appropriate contextualization for the notion of attention.
Sexual orientation biases attentional control: a possible
It is often maintained that the brain-as-computer metaphor is ill taken. Nevertheless one can vie... more It is often maintained that the brain-as-computer metaphor is ill taken. Nevertheless one can view conscious cognition as a Turing Machine process, Turing (1937), with its discrete, deterministic, and universal aspects. Not being used to the language of science one may object to the statement that computation plays an important role in the life of humans (and in fact all animals). Nevertheless, for goal directed movements fast and accurate (unconscious) computations are necessary. Sensory input has to transformed to output in the form of action. Cognitive scientists, who are aware of the need for computation, still may object to the computer metaphor. Our brain is not a network of Boolean switches and it does neither have numerical input nor output. Our claim is that nevertheless it is useful to interpret cognition as a hybrid Turing Machine process. Modelling systems (machines or living organisms) the notion of ‘state’ is important. Only considering stimulus-reaction (Input, Action...
Conceptual knowledge is acquired through recurrent experiences, by extracting statistical regular... more Conceptual knowledge is acquired through recurrent experiences, by extracting statistical regularities at different levels of granularity. At a fine level, patterns of feature co-occurrence are categorized into objects. At a coarser level, patterns of concept co-occurrence are categorized into contexts. We present and test CONCAT, a connectionist model that simultaneously learns to categorize objects and contexts. The model contains two hierarchically organized CALM modules (Murre, Phaf, & Wolters, 1992). The first module, the Object Module, forms object representations based on co-occurrences between features. These representations are used as input for the second module, the Context Module, which categorizes contexts based on object co-occurrences. Feedback connections from the Context Module to the Object Module send activation from the active context to those objects that frequently occur within this context. We demonstrate that context feedback contributes to the successful cat...
Gaze and arrow induce different effects on attentional orienting as a function of target context ... more Gaze and arrow induce different effects on attentional orienting as a function of target context Marotta Andrea ([email protected]) Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” Universita di Roma Casagrande Maria ([email protected]) Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” Universita di Roma Raffone Antonino ([email protected]) Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” Universita di Roma Martella Diana ([email protected]) Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” Universita di Roma Sebastiani Mara ([email protected]) Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” Universita di Roma Maccari Lisa ([email protected]) Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” Universita di Roma Abstract and human development. Many studies have also demonstrated that gaze direction – used as a spatial cue - reflexively triggers attentional shift (for a review, see Frischen, Bayliss & Tipper, 2007). These studies have applied a spatial cueing paradigm, first introduced by Posner (1980)...
Cognitive Processing, 2001
1Department of Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico “A. Gemelli” IRCCS, Rome, Italy 2Department of ... more 1Department of Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico “A. Gemelli” IRCCS, Rome, Italy 2Department of Psychology, Sapienza Università di Roma, Italy 3The International Institute for Psychoanalytic Research and Training of Health Professionals, Rome, Italy 4UOS of Clinical Psychology, Fondazione Policlinico “A. Gemelli” IRCCS, Rome, Italy 5Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford CA, USA 6Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Fondazione Policlinico “A. Gemelli”, Rome, Italy
The training of attention is a central feature of different meditation methods. This aspect has b... more The training of attention is a central feature of different meditation methods. This aspect has been emphasized with priority by several authors in recent influential work. However, apart from attentional processes, other neurocognitive processes underlying different aspects of consciousness and self-awareness are crucially involved in meditation. It is therefore important to provide broader theoretical frameworks and hypotheses to incorporate neurocognitive processes implicated in consciousness and self-awareness in meditation, with attentional functions. Based on recent experimental findings, we first characterize focused attention and open monitoring, as well as their relationships, in meditation, with reference to mindfulness. We then consider key aspects of conscious processing and its neural substrates, with special reference to global workspace approaches, and crucial relationships between self-reference, consciousness and mindfulness. We then present a novel hypothesis on th...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown have been widely recognized as... more The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown have been widely recognized as traumatic events that pose threats to psychological well-being. Recent studies reported that during such traumatic events, women tend to be at greater risk than men for developing symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. Several studies reported that a mindfulness-based stress reduction protocol (MBSR) provides useful skills for dealing with traumatic events. In our study, a sample of Italian females received an 8-week MBSR course plus 6 weeks of video support for meditation practice during the first total lockdown in Italy. We assessed the participants with questionnaires before and after this period to investigate their mindfulness skills, psychological well-being, post-traumatic growth, and psychological flexibility. After the intervention, the meditators group reported improvement in measures associated with self-acceptance, purpose in life, and relation to others compared to th...
Frontiers in Psychology
In recent decades, psychological research on the effects of mindfulness-based interventions has g... more In recent decades, psychological research on the effects of mindfulness-based interventions has greatly developed and demonstrated a range of beneficial outcomes in a variety of populations and contexts. Yet, the question of how to foster subjective well-being and happiness remains open. Here, we assessed the effectiveness of an integrated mental training program The Art of Happiness on psychological well-being in a general population. The mental training program was designed to help practitioners develop new ways to nurture their own happiness. This was achieved by seven modules aimed at cultivating positive cognition strategies and behaviors using both formal (i.e., lectures, meditations) and informal practices (i.e., open discussions). The program was conducted over a period of 9 months, also comprising two retreats, one in the middle and one at the end of the course. By using a set of established psychometric tools, we assessed the effects of such a mental training program on se...
Scientific Reports
Meditation has been integrated into different therapeutic interventions. To inform the evidence-b... more Meditation has been integrated into different therapeutic interventions. To inform the evidence-based selection of specific meditation types it is crucial to understand the neural processes associated with different meditation practices. Here we explore commonalities and differences in electroencephalographic oscillatory spatial synchronisation patterns across three important meditation types. Highly experienced meditators engaged in focused attention, open monitoring, and loving kindness meditation. Improving on previous research, our approach avoids comparisons between groups that limited previous findings, while ensuring that the meditation states are reliably established. Employing a novel measure of neural coupling – the imaginary part of EEG coherence – the study revealed that all meditation conditions displayed a common connectivity pattern that is characterised by increased connectivity of (a) broadly distributed delta networks, (b) left-hemispheric theta networks with a loc...
Mindfulness
Mindfulness meditation is based on Buddhist teachings and meditation practices that promote a red... more Mindfulness meditation is based on Buddhist teachings and meditation practices that promote a reduced identification with thoughts and mental states. Mindfulness meditation is also suggested to promote self-other integration, either by decreasing preference for self-related processing or by rebalancing self and other-related processing. However, it is not clear how meditation practice influences attachment to self and more specifically sense of agency. Hence, we investigated how mindfulness meditation (Vipassana or insight meditation) practice influences an implicit measure of sense of agency known as intentional binding effect with self- vs other-associated stimuli by comparing long-term meditators with non-meditators. This study had two phases. The first phase consisted of a perceptual matching task using self-related and other-related shape-label pairings so that participants can learn the shape-label associations. In the second phase, participants performed an intentional binding task with the same self-associated and other-associated stimuli displayed as target outcome of self-generated action. While meditators did show faster responses to self vs other shape-label processing similar to non-meditators, they did not show stronger binding (reduced temporal estimation between action and outcome shape) for self-associated compared with other-associated outcome. The results indicate that even though meditators preferentially process self-related information, they are less attached to self-associated stimuli as indicated by an implicit measure of sense of agency. These results have implications for theories of action and agency based on contemplative traditions that emphasize less attachment to outcomes of our actions.
Consciousness and cognition, 2017
We investigated the relationship between different kinds of target reports in a rapid serial visu... more We investigated the relationship between different kinds of target reports in a rapid serial visual presentation task, and their associated perceptual experience. Participants reported the identity of two targets embedded in a stream of stimuli and their associated subjective visibility. In our task, target stimuli could be combined together to form more complex ones, thus allowing participants to report temporally integrated percepts. We found that integrated percepts were associated with high subjective visibility scores, whereas reports in which the order of targets was reversed led to a poorer perceptual experience. We also found a reciprocal relationship between the chance of the second target not being reported correctly and the perceptual experience associated with the first one. Principally, our results indicate that integrated percepts are experienced as a unique, clear perceptual event, whereas order reversals are experienced as confused, similar to cases in which an entir...
Psychological Research, 2016
Increasing evidence suggests that perception and action planning do not represent separable stage... more Increasing evidence suggests that perception and action planning do not represent separable stages of a unidirectional processing sequence, but rather emerging properties of highly interactive processes. To capture these characteristics of the human cognitive system, we have developed a connectionist model of the interaction between perception and action planning: HiTEC, based on the Theory of Event Coding (Hommel et al. in Behav Brain Sci 24:849-937, 2001). The model is characterized by representations at multiple levels and by shared representations and processes. It complements available models of stimulus-response translation by providing a rationale for (1) how situation-specific meanings of motor actions emerge, (2) how and why some aspects of stimulus-response translation occur automatically and (3) how task demands modulate sensorimotor processing. The model is demonstrated to provide a unitary account and simulation of a number of key findings with multiple experimental paradigms on the interaction between perception and action such as the Simon effect, its inversion (Hommel in Psychol Res 55:270-279, 1993), and actioneffect learning.
The Year S Work in English Studies, 2006
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Papers by Antonino Raffone