Research
I study how cognition, emotion, personality, and psychopathology influence the organization of movement, with a particular emphasis on the regulation of balance and gait.
Research Interests
1) Emotional influences on balance
Charles Darwin recognized that emotions have clear communicative and behavioral functions, such as preparing the body for fight or flight. These innate tendencies manifest in postural changes, including ‘freezing’ or avoidance behaviors. Using recordings of the body’s center of pressure, I investigate how static balance and gait are influenced by affective states induced through pictorial stimuli.
2) Cognitive regulation of balance
Are postural tasks governed by automatic control, or do cognitive states exert a causal influence on the online regulation of balance? I conduct experiments examining how factors such as working memory, mental fatigue, and attentional load impact parameters of postural control, as measured by center-of-pressure dynamics.
Current research projects
META-MUSEUM is a Horizon Europe-funded research project (2024–2027) that explores how cultural heritage experiences can foster empathy, confidence, and personal transformation. By integrating museology, neuroscience, psychology, and digital technology, the project develops the “TransforMeans Theory” (TMt) to guide museum professionals in designing meaningful, emotionally engaging encounters with heritage. Using both traditional and experimental methods—such as neurophysiological sensors, interviews, and digital tools like AR/VR—META-MUSEUM pilots its approach across museums, healthcare settings, and hybrid urban spaces in ten European countries. Together with Nadia Dominici and Kalliopi Ioumpa at VU we are designing an experiment to test components of that theory.
More info: https://meta-museum-project.eu