In this article we perform an in depth analysis of the national psychological/personality profile... more In this article we perform an in depth analysis of the national psychological/personality profile of Romanians. Following recent developments in the field (see Rentfrow et al., 2013; 2015), we study the regional national psychological/personality profile of Romanians, based on the Big Five model (i.e., NEO PI/R). Using a representative sample (N1 = 1000), we performed a cluster analysis and identified two bipolar personality profiles in the population: cluster 1, called "Factor X-", characterized by high neuroticism and low levels of extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, and cluster 2, called "Factor X+", characterized by the opposite configuration in personality traits, low neuroticism and high levels of extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. The same two cluster pattern/solution emerged in other samples (N = 2200), with other Big Five-based instruments, and by using various methods of data (e.g., direct vs. reverse...
Autism spectrum disorders are highly disabling conditions having early onset and poor prognosis t... more Autism spectrum disorders are highly disabling conditions having early onset and poor prognosis the later the intervention is initiated. Although dedicated screening tools for autism spectrum disorders have already been reported in the literature, no one has been adapted for use with Romanian population. Therefore, the goal of this study was to preliminary validate a screening questionnaire for autism spectrum disorders. This instrument (i.e., Chestionarul de Screening pentru Tulburari de Spectru Autist, CS-TSA) has been developed specifically to fit the particularities of the Romanian society. More specifically, the CS-TSA was developed by specialists within the Romanian Health Ministry to be use in a context that would maximize its usefulness, i.e., in the offices of the Romanian general practitioners. Our preliminary results indicated that CS-TSA has adequate psychometric properties and can be use successfully for early screening of autism spectrum disorders in general Romanian p...
2019 IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (VR), 2019
Virtual reality (VR) has proved to be an efficient alternative to traditional neuropsychological ... more Virtual reality (VR) has proved to be an efficient alternative to traditional neuropsychological assessment. As VR has become more affordable, it is ready to break out of the laboratory and enter homes and clinical practices. We present preliminary findings from a study designed to evaluate self-reported usability of a VR test for neuropsychological assessment of attention and executive function.
In this article we explore the fundamentals of the “third wave” cognitivebehavioral therapies (i.... more In this article we explore the fundamentals of the “third wave” cognitivebehavioral therapies (i.e., Acceptance and Commitment Therapy; ACT), based on the debate between Descartes and Spinoza about our mental representation and understanding. We argue that although ACT techniques might work in various clinical conditions, their underlying theory is debatable and therefore, the efficacy/effectiveness of ACT techniques could be better conceptualized based on classic cognitive-behavioral theory.
Rivista Internazionale di Filosofia e Psicologia, 2015
Abstract: Over the last decade, integrated philosophical and neuroscientific studies of empathy h... more Abstract: Over the last decade, integrated philosophical and neuroscientific studies of empathy have been steadily growing, because of the pivotal role that empathy plays in social cognition and ethics, as well as in the understanding of human behavior both under physiological conditions and in the presence of mental disorders. The umbrella concept of empathy embraces multi-faceted characteristics, including affective and cognitive processes, such as so-called emotional contagion and concern and perspective-taking. In this paper, we review the state-of-the-art of knowledge about the neurobiology of empathy. Specifically, we examine studies regarding empathy for pain, emotional imitation and expression and their alterations in psychopathological conditions. We also consider studies on the theory of mind (ToM) and the mirror neuron system (MNS). Finally, we propose measures of brain resting state activity as a potential neurobiological marker of proneness to be empathic. Keywords: Emp...
In this article I examine the current state of the Romanian academic system and why its moderniza... more In this article I examine the current state of the Romanian academic system and why its modernization is delayed. I explore the potential causes, by taking into account the psycho-cultural profile of the Romania, as compared to the psycho-cultural profile of Western countries. After this critical analysis, suggestions for a rigorous and consistent academic reform are proposed.
E-Prime refers to a linguistic tool developed from the General Semantics framework in order to in... more E-Prime refers to a linguistic tool developed from the General Semantics framework in order to increase the clarity of thoughts and communication. Compared to E-Standard (i.e., standard and/or classic English), E-Prime argues that the verb “to be”– in the forms of “is” of identity and “is” of predication – has structural problems, confusing the “map” (e.g., mental representations) and “territory” (i.e., physical and/or psychological environment). Therefore, compared to E-Standard (i.e., E-Classic), E-Prime eliminates all the forms of the verb “to be”. R-Prime incorporates the same philosophy, but it refers to Romanian (R), rather than English (E). In this study we investigated the role of R-Prime versus R-Standard (i.e., RClassic) in inducing anger, in the context of the binary model of distress: functional negative (i.e., annoyance) versus dysfunctional negative (anger) feelings. R-Prime condition displayed a higher level of annoyance at posttest as compared to the R-Standard condi...
Alexandru Corlan, Daniel David, Petre Frangopol, Livius Trache 2. Starea actuală în ştiinţa român... more Alexandru Corlan, Daniel David, Petre Frangopol, Livius Trache 2. Starea actuală în ştiinţa românească 2.1. Ranking-urile universitare Ranking-urile universitare au rolul de a oferi (1) prestigiu academic-prin care se atrag studenţi, cadre didactice/cercetatori şi resurse financiare-şi (2) un ghid de diagnostic instituţional/organizaţional-care să orienteze politicile de dezvoltare universitară. În cele ce urmează vom face o scurtă analiză a poziţiilor universităţilor româneşti în cele mai importante ranking-uri universitare (fără a le epuiza) şi vom formula o serie de concluzii şi implicaţii; nu am inclus în analiză topurile universitare bazate pe vizibilitatea/impactul/popularitatea online, deoarece dorim să focalizăm analiza mai ales pe indicatorii tradiţionali majori, de cercetare şi educaţie (inclusiv de prestigiu academic) (pentru detalii vezi David, 2014; David 2014a; David şi colab., 2014). La nivel internaţional, există zeci de ranking-uri ale universităţilor. Cele mai importante, focalizate pe performanţa academică, sunt succint descrise în Anexa 3. În continuare, analizăm performanţa ştiinţei româneşti în aceste ranking-uri, cu implicaţii asupra modernizării ariei româneşti a educaţiei şi cercetării. 2.1.1. Analiza în ranking-urile globale Evaluările globale ale unei instituţii de învăţământ superior sunt fundamentale, deoarece ele reflectă calitatea generală a unei universităţi. Am analizat (vezi Tabelul 1) poziţiile (Top-3) principalelor universităţi româneşti, în clasamentele internaţionale, care evaluează global (ca întreg) o universitate (vezi şi David, 2014; David, 2014a-o parte din analiză este preluată, cu acordul autorului, de la danieldavidubb.wordpress.com). Tabel 1. Ranking-uri internationale globale privind marile universităţi româneşti.
Rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT) emphasizes the role of irrational beliefs as causes of e... more Rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT) emphasizes the role of irrational beliefs as causes of emotional disturbance (i.e., dysfunctional emotions, like depression). REBT relies on the ABC model (Ellis, 1994), where the activating event (A) is further interpreted in a rational or irrational manner (B), thus leading to functional or dysfunctional emotions and behaviors, respectively (C). In the case of depression, a negative activating event (usually related to loss) is irrationally appraised by demandingness and self-downing beliefs, and thus, as a result, the dysfunctional emotion and its associated behavioral consequences (e.g., inactivity) occur.
Across the world, millions of couples get married each year. One of the strongest predictors of w... more Across the world, millions of couples get married each year. One of the strongest predictors of whether partners will remain in their relationship is their reported satisfaction. Marital satisfaction is commonly found to be a key predictor of both individual and relational well-being. Despite its importance in predicting relationship longevity, there are relatively few empirical research studies examining predictors of marital satisfaction outside of a Western context. To address this gap in the literature and complete the existing knowledge about global predictors of marital satisfaction, we used an open-access database of self-reported assessments of self-reported marital satisfaction with data from 7178 participants representing 33 different countries. The results showed that sex, age, religiosity, economic status, education, and cultural values were related, to various extents, to marital satisfaction across cultures. However, marriage duration, number of children, and gross dom...
International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis
ABSTRACT Initially inspired by Buddhist philosophy and practice, mindfulness has become ubiquitou... more ABSTRACT Initially inspired by Buddhist philosophy and practice, mindfulness has become ubiquitous in psychotherapy, counseling, and popular psychology. Several mindfulness interventions have been developed and investigated, many of them attaining strong empirical support for a variety of conditions. However, the authors argue that mindfulness interventions should not be used uncritically and indiscriminately, because, for instance, there is not enough efficacy evidence for all the uses and applications of mindfulness (e.g., mobile apps). Second, following the definition of the concept, the authors argue that detachment may decrease motivational relevance in the face of personal goals and may encourage low intensity affect in cases where this would not be either needed or desirable. On the other hand, they argue that mindfulness-based interventions can be particularly useful treating chronic and severe cases, particularly in depression, pain conditions, and addictions.
R obot-Assisted Therapy (RAT) has shown potential advantages to improve social skills for childre... more R obot-Assisted Therapy (RAT) has shown potential advantages to improve social skills for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). This paper overviews the technology development and clinical results of the EC-FP7 funded DREAM project that aims to develop the next level of RAT in both clinical and technological perspectives-which we term Robot-Enhanced Therapy (RET). Within the project, a supervised autonomous robotic system is collaboratively developed by an interdisciplinary consortium, including psychotherapists, cognitive scientists, roboticists, computer scientists and ethicists, allowing the robot control to go beyond the classical remote control methods (Wizard of Oz-WoZ) while ensuring safe and ethical robot behavior. Rigorous clinical studies are conducted to validate the efficacy of RET. Current results indicate that RET can obtain equivalent performance compared to human * H.-L. Cao and P. G. Esteban contributed equally to this work. standard therapy for children with ASD. We also discuss the next steps of developing RET robotic systems. Towards Robot-Enhanced Therapy Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are identified by widespread abnormalities in social interactions and communication together with restricted interests and repetitive behavior [1]. For children with ASD, these symptoms can be efficiently reduced through early (cognitive-)behavioral intervention programs ideally starting at the preschool age [2]. This type of intervention is taught on a one-to-one basis in school and/or at home by caregivers (therapists, teachers, parents) and need to be both intensive and extensive [2, 3]. This process requires a significant amount of human workload to carry out therapeutic sessions as well as to manage child's performance data. The use of robots in autism therapy has received
Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the golden standard for personalized evidence-based psychological... more Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the golden standard for personalized evidence-based psychological interventions. The standard unit of analysis in CBT is the individual and/or small groups (e.g., couples, families, organizations). In a seminal book, Beck (Prisoners of Hate: The cognitive basis of anger, hostility, and violence, Harper Collins, New York, 2000) argued that the standard CBT paradigm should be extended to approach large societal problems (e.g., terrorism/violence). However, in this extension, most of the time, the unit of analysis is still the individual, but immersed in larger societal networks. In this article, we propose a major extension of the standard CBT paradigm in the cross-cultural context, using countries/cultures as units of analysis. In an era of globalization, when countries interact more and more with each other, and immigration has become a major world issue, such an extension can have an important practical and theoretical impact.
OBJECTIVE Cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) is considered the "golden standard" psychoth... more OBJECTIVE Cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) is considered the "golden standard" psychotherapy for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) but, at this point, we have little information about differences among various CBT approaches. METHOD We conducted a randomized controlled trial to compare three CBT protocols for GAD: (a) Cognitive Therapy/Borkovec's treatment package; (b) Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, and (c) Acceptance and Commitment Therapy/Acceptance-based behavioral therapy. A number of 75 patients diagnosed with GAD, aged between 20 and 51 (m = 27.13; standard deviation = 7.50), 60 women and 11 men, were randomized to the three treatment arms. RESULTS All treatments were associated with large pre-post intervention reductions in GAD symptoms and dysfunctional automatic thoughts, with no significant differences between groups. Correlation analyses showed similar associations between changes in symptoms and changes in dysfunctional automatic thoughts. CONCLUSIONS All three approaches appear to be similarly effective. Implications for the theoretical models underlying each of the three cognitive-behavior therapy approaches are discussed.
Behavioural and cognitive psychotherapy, Jan 9, 2018
Although the ABC model proposed by cognitive behavioral theory has strong empirical support for a... more Although the ABC model proposed by cognitive behavioral theory has strong empirical support for a wide range of psychological problems, little is known about the role of irrational beliefs (IBs), a central concept of the ABC model, in the aetiology of paranoid thoughts, one of the most common psychotic symptoms. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of IBs on paranoid thoughts and people's perceptions of others. Eighty-one non-clinical participants (m age = 21.21 years, SD = 2.72, range 18-33; 83.95% female) recruited for this study were randomly assigned to one of the two conditions: IBs or rational beliefs (RBs). In a role-play paradigm, subjects were asked to imagine holding a list of IBs or RBs, respectively, while being exposed to a neutral social context in a virtual reality environment. In line with the ABC model, results indicate that IBs lead to significantly higher levels of state paranoid thoughts and more negative perceptions of others than RBs, even afte...
International journal of psychology : Journal international de psychologie, Jan 24, 2018
This study sought to test the validity of the psychological health model of Rational Emotive Beha... more This study sought to test the validity of the psychological health model of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT). Specifically, this study sought to investigate if rational beliefs were associated with happiness and optimism. A multinational sample of 397 university students completed self-report measures of rational beliefs, happiness and optimism. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used in order to test the validity of the REBT model of psychological health. The result of the SEM analysis provided empirical support for REBT's psychological health model of happiness and optimism. The model as a whole explained 33% of variance in levels of happiness and 40% of variance in levels of optimism. Self-acceptance beliefs were positively and directly associated with happiness and optimism. Preference beliefs were positively and indirectly associated with happiness and optimism via self-acceptance beliefs. REBT may offer a viable psychotherapeutic method to not only alleviate ...
Olfaction plays an important role in human social communication, including multiple domains in wh... more Olfaction plays an important role in human social communication, including multiple domains in which people often rely on their sense of smell in the social context. The importance of the sense of smell and its role can however vary inter-individually and culturally. Despite the growing body of literature on differences in olfactory performance or hedonic preferences across the globe, the aspects of a given culture as well as culturally universal individual differences affecting odor awareness in human social life remain unknown. Here, we conducted a large-scale analysis of data collected from 10,794 participants from 52 study sites from 44 countries all over the world. The aim of our research was to explore the potential individual and country-level correlates of odor awareness in the social context. The results show that the individual characteristics were more strongly related than country-level factors to self-reported odor awareness in different social contexts. A model includi...
We report a meta-analysis of virtual reality (VR) interventions for anxiety and depression outcom... more We report a meta-analysis of virtual reality (VR) interventions for anxiety and depression outcomes, as well as treatment attrition. We included randomized controlled trials comparing VR interventions, alone or in combination, to control conditions or other active psychological interventions. Effects sizes (Hedges' g) for anxiety and depression outcomes, as post-test and follow-up, were pooled with a random-effects model. Drop-outs were compared using odds ratio (OR) with a Mantel-Haenszel model. We included 39 trials (52 comparisons). Trial risk of bias was unclear for most domains, and high for incomplete outcome data. VR-based therapies were more effective than control at post-test for anxiety, g = 0.79, 95% CI 0.57 to 1.02, and depression, g = 0.73, 95% CI 0.25 to 1.21, but not for treatment attrition, OR = 1.34, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.89. Heterogeneity was high and there was consistent evidence of small study effects. There were no significant differences between VR-based and oth...
In this article we perform an in depth analysis of the national psychological/personality profile... more In this article we perform an in depth analysis of the national psychological/personality profile of Romanians. Following recent developments in the field (see Rentfrow et al., 2013; 2015), we study the regional national psychological/personality profile of Romanians, based on the Big Five model (i.e., NEO PI/R). Using a representative sample (N1 = 1000), we performed a cluster analysis and identified two bipolar personality profiles in the population: cluster 1, called "Factor X-", characterized by high neuroticism and low levels of extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, and cluster 2, called "Factor X+", characterized by the opposite configuration in personality traits, low neuroticism and high levels of extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. The same two cluster pattern/solution emerged in other samples (N = 2200), with other Big Five-based instruments, and by using various methods of data (e.g., direct vs. reverse...
Autism spectrum disorders are highly disabling conditions having early onset and poor prognosis t... more Autism spectrum disorders are highly disabling conditions having early onset and poor prognosis the later the intervention is initiated. Although dedicated screening tools for autism spectrum disorders have already been reported in the literature, no one has been adapted for use with Romanian population. Therefore, the goal of this study was to preliminary validate a screening questionnaire for autism spectrum disorders. This instrument (i.e., Chestionarul de Screening pentru Tulburari de Spectru Autist, CS-TSA) has been developed specifically to fit the particularities of the Romanian society. More specifically, the CS-TSA was developed by specialists within the Romanian Health Ministry to be use in a context that would maximize its usefulness, i.e., in the offices of the Romanian general practitioners. Our preliminary results indicated that CS-TSA has adequate psychometric properties and can be use successfully for early screening of autism spectrum disorders in general Romanian p...
2019 IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (VR), 2019
Virtual reality (VR) has proved to be an efficient alternative to traditional neuropsychological ... more Virtual reality (VR) has proved to be an efficient alternative to traditional neuropsychological assessment. As VR has become more affordable, it is ready to break out of the laboratory and enter homes and clinical practices. We present preliminary findings from a study designed to evaluate self-reported usability of a VR test for neuropsychological assessment of attention and executive function.
In this article we explore the fundamentals of the “third wave” cognitivebehavioral therapies (i.... more In this article we explore the fundamentals of the “third wave” cognitivebehavioral therapies (i.e., Acceptance and Commitment Therapy; ACT), based on the debate between Descartes and Spinoza about our mental representation and understanding. We argue that although ACT techniques might work in various clinical conditions, their underlying theory is debatable and therefore, the efficacy/effectiveness of ACT techniques could be better conceptualized based on classic cognitive-behavioral theory.
Rivista Internazionale di Filosofia e Psicologia, 2015
Abstract: Over the last decade, integrated philosophical and neuroscientific studies of empathy h... more Abstract: Over the last decade, integrated philosophical and neuroscientific studies of empathy have been steadily growing, because of the pivotal role that empathy plays in social cognition and ethics, as well as in the understanding of human behavior both under physiological conditions and in the presence of mental disorders. The umbrella concept of empathy embraces multi-faceted characteristics, including affective and cognitive processes, such as so-called emotional contagion and concern and perspective-taking. In this paper, we review the state-of-the-art of knowledge about the neurobiology of empathy. Specifically, we examine studies regarding empathy for pain, emotional imitation and expression and their alterations in psychopathological conditions. We also consider studies on the theory of mind (ToM) and the mirror neuron system (MNS). Finally, we propose measures of brain resting state activity as a potential neurobiological marker of proneness to be empathic. Keywords: Emp...
In this article I examine the current state of the Romanian academic system and why its moderniza... more In this article I examine the current state of the Romanian academic system and why its modernization is delayed. I explore the potential causes, by taking into account the psycho-cultural profile of the Romania, as compared to the psycho-cultural profile of Western countries. After this critical analysis, suggestions for a rigorous and consistent academic reform are proposed.
E-Prime refers to a linguistic tool developed from the General Semantics framework in order to in... more E-Prime refers to a linguistic tool developed from the General Semantics framework in order to increase the clarity of thoughts and communication. Compared to E-Standard (i.e., standard and/or classic English), E-Prime argues that the verb “to be”– in the forms of “is” of identity and “is” of predication – has structural problems, confusing the “map” (e.g., mental representations) and “territory” (i.e., physical and/or psychological environment). Therefore, compared to E-Standard (i.e., E-Classic), E-Prime eliminates all the forms of the verb “to be”. R-Prime incorporates the same philosophy, but it refers to Romanian (R), rather than English (E). In this study we investigated the role of R-Prime versus R-Standard (i.e., RClassic) in inducing anger, in the context of the binary model of distress: functional negative (i.e., annoyance) versus dysfunctional negative (anger) feelings. R-Prime condition displayed a higher level of annoyance at posttest as compared to the R-Standard condi...
Alexandru Corlan, Daniel David, Petre Frangopol, Livius Trache 2. Starea actuală în ştiinţa român... more Alexandru Corlan, Daniel David, Petre Frangopol, Livius Trache 2. Starea actuală în ştiinţa românească 2.1. Ranking-urile universitare Ranking-urile universitare au rolul de a oferi (1) prestigiu academic-prin care se atrag studenţi, cadre didactice/cercetatori şi resurse financiare-şi (2) un ghid de diagnostic instituţional/organizaţional-care să orienteze politicile de dezvoltare universitară. În cele ce urmează vom face o scurtă analiză a poziţiilor universităţilor româneşti în cele mai importante ranking-uri universitare (fără a le epuiza) şi vom formula o serie de concluzii şi implicaţii; nu am inclus în analiză topurile universitare bazate pe vizibilitatea/impactul/popularitatea online, deoarece dorim să focalizăm analiza mai ales pe indicatorii tradiţionali majori, de cercetare şi educaţie (inclusiv de prestigiu academic) (pentru detalii vezi David, 2014; David 2014a; David şi colab., 2014). La nivel internaţional, există zeci de ranking-uri ale universităţilor. Cele mai importante, focalizate pe performanţa academică, sunt succint descrise în Anexa 3. În continuare, analizăm performanţa ştiinţei româneşti în aceste ranking-uri, cu implicaţii asupra modernizării ariei româneşti a educaţiei şi cercetării. 2.1.1. Analiza în ranking-urile globale Evaluările globale ale unei instituţii de învăţământ superior sunt fundamentale, deoarece ele reflectă calitatea generală a unei universităţi. Am analizat (vezi Tabelul 1) poziţiile (Top-3) principalelor universităţi româneşti, în clasamentele internaţionale, care evaluează global (ca întreg) o universitate (vezi şi David, 2014; David, 2014a-o parte din analiză este preluată, cu acordul autorului, de la danieldavidubb.wordpress.com). Tabel 1. Ranking-uri internationale globale privind marile universităţi româneşti.
Rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT) emphasizes the role of irrational beliefs as causes of e... more Rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT) emphasizes the role of irrational beliefs as causes of emotional disturbance (i.e., dysfunctional emotions, like depression). REBT relies on the ABC model (Ellis, 1994), where the activating event (A) is further interpreted in a rational or irrational manner (B), thus leading to functional or dysfunctional emotions and behaviors, respectively (C). In the case of depression, a negative activating event (usually related to loss) is irrationally appraised by demandingness and self-downing beliefs, and thus, as a result, the dysfunctional emotion and its associated behavioral consequences (e.g., inactivity) occur.
Across the world, millions of couples get married each year. One of the strongest predictors of w... more Across the world, millions of couples get married each year. One of the strongest predictors of whether partners will remain in their relationship is their reported satisfaction. Marital satisfaction is commonly found to be a key predictor of both individual and relational well-being. Despite its importance in predicting relationship longevity, there are relatively few empirical research studies examining predictors of marital satisfaction outside of a Western context. To address this gap in the literature and complete the existing knowledge about global predictors of marital satisfaction, we used an open-access database of self-reported assessments of self-reported marital satisfaction with data from 7178 participants representing 33 different countries. The results showed that sex, age, religiosity, economic status, education, and cultural values were related, to various extents, to marital satisfaction across cultures. However, marriage duration, number of children, and gross dom...
International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis
ABSTRACT Initially inspired by Buddhist philosophy and practice, mindfulness has become ubiquitou... more ABSTRACT Initially inspired by Buddhist philosophy and practice, mindfulness has become ubiquitous in psychotherapy, counseling, and popular psychology. Several mindfulness interventions have been developed and investigated, many of them attaining strong empirical support for a variety of conditions. However, the authors argue that mindfulness interventions should not be used uncritically and indiscriminately, because, for instance, there is not enough efficacy evidence for all the uses and applications of mindfulness (e.g., mobile apps). Second, following the definition of the concept, the authors argue that detachment may decrease motivational relevance in the face of personal goals and may encourage low intensity affect in cases where this would not be either needed or desirable. On the other hand, they argue that mindfulness-based interventions can be particularly useful treating chronic and severe cases, particularly in depression, pain conditions, and addictions.
R obot-Assisted Therapy (RAT) has shown potential advantages to improve social skills for childre... more R obot-Assisted Therapy (RAT) has shown potential advantages to improve social skills for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). This paper overviews the technology development and clinical results of the EC-FP7 funded DREAM project that aims to develop the next level of RAT in both clinical and technological perspectives-which we term Robot-Enhanced Therapy (RET). Within the project, a supervised autonomous robotic system is collaboratively developed by an interdisciplinary consortium, including psychotherapists, cognitive scientists, roboticists, computer scientists and ethicists, allowing the robot control to go beyond the classical remote control methods (Wizard of Oz-WoZ) while ensuring safe and ethical robot behavior. Rigorous clinical studies are conducted to validate the efficacy of RET. Current results indicate that RET can obtain equivalent performance compared to human * H.-L. Cao and P. G. Esteban contributed equally to this work. standard therapy for children with ASD. We also discuss the next steps of developing RET robotic systems. Towards Robot-Enhanced Therapy Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are identified by widespread abnormalities in social interactions and communication together with restricted interests and repetitive behavior [1]. For children with ASD, these symptoms can be efficiently reduced through early (cognitive-)behavioral intervention programs ideally starting at the preschool age [2]. This type of intervention is taught on a one-to-one basis in school and/or at home by caregivers (therapists, teachers, parents) and need to be both intensive and extensive [2, 3]. This process requires a significant amount of human workload to carry out therapeutic sessions as well as to manage child's performance data. The use of robots in autism therapy has received
Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the golden standard for personalized evidence-based psychological... more Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the golden standard for personalized evidence-based psychological interventions. The standard unit of analysis in CBT is the individual and/or small groups (e.g., couples, families, organizations). In a seminal book, Beck (Prisoners of Hate: The cognitive basis of anger, hostility, and violence, Harper Collins, New York, 2000) argued that the standard CBT paradigm should be extended to approach large societal problems (e.g., terrorism/violence). However, in this extension, most of the time, the unit of analysis is still the individual, but immersed in larger societal networks. In this article, we propose a major extension of the standard CBT paradigm in the cross-cultural context, using countries/cultures as units of analysis. In an era of globalization, when countries interact more and more with each other, and immigration has become a major world issue, such an extension can have an important practical and theoretical impact.
OBJECTIVE Cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) is considered the "golden standard" psychoth... more OBJECTIVE Cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) is considered the "golden standard" psychotherapy for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) but, at this point, we have little information about differences among various CBT approaches. METHOD We conducted a randomized controlled trial to compare three CBT protocols for GAD: (a) Cognitive Therapy/Borkovec's treatment package; (b) Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, and (c) Acceptance and Commitment Therapy/Acceptance-based behavioral therapy. A number of 75 patients diagnosed with GAD, aged between 20 and 51 (m = 27.13; standard deviation = 7.50), 60 women and 11 men, were randomized to the three treatment arms. RESULTS All treatments were associated with large pre-post intervention reductions in GAD symptoms and dysfunctional automatic thoughts, with no significant differences between groups. Correlation analyses showed similar associations between changes in symptoms and changes in dysfunctional automatic thoughts. CONCLUSIONS All three approaches appear to be similarly effective. Implications for the theoretical models underlying each of the three cognitive-behavior therapy approaches are discussed.
Behavioural and cognitive psychotherapy, Jan 9, 2018
Although the ABC model proposed by cognitive behavioral theory has strong empirical support for a... more Although the ABC model proposed by cognitive behavioral theory has strong empirical support for a wide range of psychological problems, little is known about the role of irrational beliefs (IBs), a central concept of the ABC model, in the aetiology of paranoid thoughts, one of the most common psychotic symptoms. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of IBs on paranoid thoughts and people's perceptions of others. Eighty-one non-clinical participants (m age = 21.21 years, SD = 2.72, range 18-33; 83.95% female) recruited for this study were randomly assigned to one of the two conditions: IBs or rational beliefs (RBs). In a role-play paradigm, subjects were asked to imagine holding a list of IBs or RBs, respectively, while being exposed to a neutral social context in a virtual reality environment. In line with the ABC model, results indicate that IBs lead to significantly higher levels of state paranoid thoughts and more negative perceptions of others than RBs, even afte...
International journal of psychology : Journal international de psychologie, Jan 24, 2018
This study sought to test the validity of the psychological health model of Rational Emotive Beha... more This study sought to test the validity of the psychological health model of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT). Specifically, this study sought to investigate if rational beliefs were associated with happiness and optimism. A multinational sample of 397 university students completed self-report measures of rational beliefs, happiness and optimism. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used in order to test the validity of the REBT model of psychological health. The result of the SEM analysis provided empirical support for REBT's psychological health model of happiness and optimism. The model as a whole explained 33% of variance in levels of happiness and 40% of variance in levels of optimism. Self-acceptance beliefs were positively and directly associated with happiness and optimism. Preference beliefs were positively and indirectly associated with happiness and optimism via self-acceptance beliefs. REBT may offer a viable psychotherapeutic method to not only alleviate ...
Olfaction plays an important role in human social communication, including multiple domains in wh... more Olfaction plays an important role in human social communication, including multiple domains in which people often rely on their sense of smell in the social context. The importance of the sense of smell and its role can however vary inter-individually and culturally. Despite the growing body of literature on differences in olfactory performance or hedonic preferences across the globe, the aspects of a given culture as well as culturally universal individual differences affecting odor awareness in human social life remain unknown. Here, we conducted a large-scale analysis of data collected from 10,794 participants from 52 study sites from 44 countries all over the world. The aim of our research was to explore the potential individual and country-level correlates of odor awareness in the social context. The results show that the individual characteristics were more strongly related than country-level factors to self-reported odor awareness in different social contexts. A model includi...
We report a meta-analysis of virtual reality (VR) interventions for anxiety and depression outcom... more We report a meta-analysis of virtual reality (VR) interventions for anxiety and depression outcomes, as well as treatment attrition. We included randomized controlled trials comparing VR interventions, alone or in combination, to control conditions or other active psychological interventions. Effects sizes (Hedges' g) for anxiety and depression outcomes, as post-test and follow-up, were pooled with a random-effects model. Drop-outs were compared using odds ratio (OR) with a Mantel-Haenszel model. We included 39 trials (52 comparisons). Trial risk of bias was unclear for most domains, and high for incomplete outcome data. VR-based therapies were more effective than control at post-test for anxiety, g = 0.79, 95% CI 0.57 to 1.02, and depression, g = 0.73, 95% CI 0.25 to 1.21, but not for treatment attrition, OR = 1.34, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.89. Heterogeneity was high and there was consistent evidence of small study effects. There were no significant differences between VR-based and oth...
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Papers by Daniel David