Psychophysiology stands out from other psychobiological disciplines by examining the mind-body relationship taking into account the entire body rather than just the brain, as typically done in cognitive and affective Neuroscience. By assigning a psychological functional meaning to physiological changes (both central and peripheral), Psychophysiology makes a significant contribution to the understanding of normal and pathological mental processes.

On these bases, the course aims to provide students with the basic theoretical and methodological principles that characterize the psychophysiological approach, as well as the application of these principles to understanding the mind-body relationship in emotional processes and psychosocial stress conditions. Specifically, the course aims to foster a critical analysis of these processes, which are often improperly associated with a global and undifferentiated physiological activation, highlighting the implications of functional and dysfunctional responses on psychophysical health.

Part I: Introduction to Psychophysiology (6 hours)

- Distinctive characteristics and methods of Psychophysiology in investigating the mind-body relationship.
- Central (cortical electrical activity) and peripheral (cardiac activity, electrodermal activity, muscle tone) physiological indices as indicators of mental processes and behavior.

Part II: Psychophysiological Foundations of Emotions and Implications for Psychopathology (18 hours)

- Orienting, alarm, and defense responses.
- The polyvagal theory: critical analysis and clinical implications.
- Dimensional models of emotions, and defensive and appetitive motivational circuits.
- Thematic insights on the psychophysiology of emotions: emotions and decision-making (advantageous and disadvantageous); sleep, dreaming, and emotions (functional and dysfunctional).

Part III: Stress and Emotional Regulation (12 hours)

- The concept of stress and the role of physiological activation.
- Cardiovascular hyperreactivity and hypo-reactivity to stress: implications for health.
- Individual differences in stress reactivity.
- The Generalized Unsafety Theory of Stress.
- Resilience, emotional regulation, self-regulation and biofeedback.

None.

Knowledge and Understanding:

Upon completion of this course, the student should demonstrate:
a. acquisition and mastery of basic knowledge on the psychophysiological approach to the study of the mind-body relationship;
b. understanding of the psycho-physiological mechanisms and processes underlying adaptive and maladaptive responses to aversive and appetitive stimuli and to psychosocial stressors;
c. knowledge of the main theoretical models in the psychophysiological field related to emotions and stress;
d. understanding of the contribution that knowledge of psychophysiological correlates provides to the study of normal and pathological behavior and mental processes.

Applying Knowledge and Understanding:

The student should demonstrate the ability to:
a. Select and apply the acquired knowledge for the evaluation and interpretation of psychophysiological responses to emotionally arousing or stressful stimuli in clinical and research contexts;
b. apply the acquired knowledge to manage dysfunctional or maladaptive responses.

Making Judgements:

The student should demonstrate the ability to:
a. critically evaluate the hypothesized processes and mechanisms underlying functional and dysfunctional emotional and stress responses, by identifying their limitations and implications for clinical practice and research;
b. identify unresolved issues and autonomously deepen their own knowledge.

Communication Skills:

The student should demonstrate the ability to clearly and coherently present the learned concepts and theoretical arguments, and to master the specific terminology related to the psychophysiology of emotions and stress, also to the purpose of effectively communicating, in this field, with other professionals.

Learning Skills:

The student will have acquired a good level of autonomy in integrating the study material, understanding and interpreting information related to the psychophysiological bases of stress and emotions, retrieving and integrating scientific information to independently deepen and update their knowledge in the field of psychophysiology.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

There are no instructional support activities planned.

Teaching

The course includes lectures, audiovisual presentations, the use of multimedia materials, and interactive teaching activities. Practical exercises will be conducted in the classroom using portable equipment for the measurement, processing, and analysis of selected physiological indices under both resting conditions and stress testing.

Innovative teaching methods

Frontal lectures will be enhanced with interactive presentations on the Mentimeter platform to promote active learning and self-assessment, as well as to receive real-time feedback from students on the content of the lessons. Additionally, the educational practices of debate and problem-solving will be employed.

Attendance

The attendance of the lectures is not mandatory, but it is strongly recommended.

Course books

Textbooks:

• Palomba, D. (a cura di). Prospettive della psicofisiologia clinica. Carocci Editore (Studi Superiori): Roma, 2023. Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 12.
• Cassidy, T. Stress e salute. Il Mulino (Universale Paperbacks): Bologna, 2002. To be studied in its entirety.

Scientific articles:

The topics of all the articles will be covered in class and included in the slides. The PDFs of the articles will be downloadable from the Blended Learning course platform.

• Grossman, P. (2023). Fundamental challenges and likely refutations of the five basic premises of the polyvagal theory. Biological Psychology, 108589.
• Damasio, A., & Carvalho, G. B. (2013). The nature of feelings: evolutionary and neurobiological origins. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 14, 143-152.
• Seery, M. D. (2011). Challenge or threat? Cardiovascular indexes of resilience and vulnerability to potential stress in humans. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 35, 1603-1610.
• Brosschot, J. F., Verkuil, B., & Thayer, J. F. (2017). Exposed to events that never happen: Generalized unsafety, the default stress response, and prolonged autonomic activity. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 74 (Part B), 287–296.

Lecture slides:

• The lecture slides, made available promptly on the Blended Learning course platform, are an integral part of the study material.

Assessment

The expected learning outcomes will be assessed through a written examination consisting of 15 multiple-choice questions and one open-ended question.

The multiple-choice questions are designed to assess the mastery of declarative knowledge and the understanding of concepts and models covered in each part of the course. Each question has three alternatives, of which only one is correct. Each question carries a value of 2 points, and there is no penalty for incorrect answers.

The open-ended question requires students to produce a short written essay on a topic covered in the course. It aims to assess the ability to integrate knowledge and skills to critically address the relationship among the topics discussed. The evaluation criteria are as follows: relevance and effectiveness of the answers in relation to the program content, ability to identify and highlight connections between different topics, level of articulation of the response, and appropriateness of the disciplinary language used.

The total time available to answer the multiple-choice questions and the open-ended question is 1 hour. The final grade, expressed in thirtieths, will be determined by the average of the scores obtained. In order to pass the exam, a minimum final grade of 18/30 is required, according to the following levels of proficiency:

0-17 (insufficient): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding" section are not achieved.
18-20 (sufficient): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding" section are achieved.
21-23 (fully sufficient): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding" and "applying knowledge and understanding" sections are achieved.
24-26 (good): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding," "applying knowledge and understanding", and "making judgements" sections are achieved.
27-29 (very good): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding," "applying knowledge and understanding", "making judgements", and "communication skills" sections are achieved.
30 and 30 cum laude (excellent): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding", "applying knowledge and understanding", "making judgements", "communication skills", and "learning skills" sections are fully achieved.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Non-attending students are encouraged to refer, besides to the lecture slides, to the educational material uploaded on Blended Learning (videos, exercises, etc.), through which they can supplement their study of the materials listed in the "Textbooks" section. Students may seek explanations and clarifications from the instructor regarding the course topics during the designated office hours.

Attendance

Attendance is not mandatory.

Course books

Textbooks:

• Palomba, D. (a cura di). Prospettive della psicofisiologia clinica. Carocci Editore (Studi Superiori): Roma, 2023. Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 12.
• Cassidy, T. Stress e salute. Il Mulino (Universale Paperbacks): Bologna, 2002. To be studied in its entirety.

Scientific articles:

The topics of all the articles will be covered in class and included in the slides. The PDFs of the articles will be downloadable from the Blended Learning course platform.

• Grossman, P. (2023). Fundamental challenges and likely refutations of the five basic premises of the polyvagal theory. Biological Psychology, 108589.
• Damasio, A., & Carvalho, G. B. (2013). The nature of feelings: evolutionary and neurobiological origins. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 14, 143-152.
• Seery, M. D. (2011). Challenge or threat? Cardiovascular indexes of resilience and vulnerability to potential stress in humans. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 35, 1603-1610.
• Brosschot, J. F., Verkuil, B., & Thayer, J. F. (2017). Exposed to events that never happen: Generalized unsafety, the default stress response, and prolonged autonomic activity. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 74 (Part B), 287–296.

Lecture slides:

• The lecture slides, made available promptly on the Blended Learning course platform, are an integral part of the study material.

To allow non-attending students to compensate with independent study for what is covered during the lectures, it is recommended to use all the materials available on the Blended Learning platform (videos, exercises, supplementary materials, sample exam questions), which are particularly useful for a full understanding of the program content.

Assessment

The expected learning outcomes will be assessed through a written examination consisting of 15 multiple-choice questions and one open-ended question.

The multiple-choice questions are designed to assess the mastery of declarative knowledge and the understanding of concepts and models covered in each part of the course. Each question has three alternatives, of which only one is correct. Each question carries a value of 2 points, and there is no penalty for incorrect answers.

The open-ended question requires students to produce a short written essay on a topic covered in the course. It aims to assess the ability to integrate knowledge and skills to critically address the relationship among the topics discussed. The evaluation criteria are as follows: relevance and effectiveness of the answers in relation to the program content, ability to identify and highlight connections between different topics, level of articulation of the response, and appropriateness of the disciplinary language used.

The total time available to answer the multiple-choice questions and the open-ended question is 1 hour. The final grade, expressed in thirtieths, will be determined by the average of the scores obtained. In order to pass the exam, a minimum final grade of 18/30 is required, according to the following levels of proficiency:

0-17 (insufficient): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding" section are not achieved.
18-20 (sufficient): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding" section are achieved.
21-23 (fully sufficient): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding" and "applying knowledge and understanding" sections are achieved.
24-26 (good): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding," "applying knowledge and understanding", and "making judgements" sections are achieved.
27-29 (very good): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding," "applying knowledge and understanding", "making judgements", and "communication skills" sections are achieved.
30 and 30 cum laude (excellent): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding", "applying knowledge and understanding", "making judgements", "communication skills", and "learning skills" sections are fully achieved.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Foreign students can contact the instructor to obtain study materials in English. Additionally, if they wish, they can request to take the exam in English by emailing the instructor at least one week before the examination date.

Some optional articles in English will be made available on the Blended Learning platform during the course.