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Background: Several studies have recently observed the efficacy of mindfulness practices in individuals’ psychophysical well-being and stress management [1]. Mindfulness suggested by traditional approaches are based on the acceptance of one’s own mental states and require individual constant commitment and an intense exercise, which usually inhibit beginners. Whereas research have shown the usefulness of body-sensing devices, that are able to control and provide a feedback on meditation progress, in reducing the negative impact of traditional approaches demand [2,3]. So, the potential effects of a mindfulness intervention, supported by using a wearable device, were investigated considering results on stress management and subjective well-being evaluation. Materials and Method: A 4-week mindfulness intervention consisting of daily sessions was tested on forty participants, divided randomly into an active control and experimental group. Experimental group participants were asked to perform daily mindfulness practices supported by the use of a wearable device with an embedded EEG recording system. To evaluate the mindfulness practice effects, physiological and subjective stress-related markers were collected before and after intervention. Results: Results highlighted the efficacy of mindfulness intervention on stress levels decrease for the experimental group participants compared to controls. Specifically, an improvement in physiological markers and parasympathetic activity (standard deviation of inter-beat intervals) was observed during resting-state condition and cognitive stressful performance. Conclusions: These findings suggested the efficacy of an intensive technology-mediated mindfulness intervention in the enhancement of subjective well-being and in stress management, demonstrated by a decrease of anxiety and an increased control on stressful events References 1. Siegel DJ. Mindfulness training and neural integration: Differentiation of distinct streams of awa

Objective: Focused attention or open monitoring meditation practices may foster the development of focusing and cognitive skills. In particular, mindfulness, by combining those forms of mental practice, might allow for training attention orientation and monitoring thus leading to improved neurocognitive efficiency. Further, it has been suggested that such training can be reinforced and made more accessible even to beginners by supporting practice with wearable brain-sensing devices able to give the practicer a real-time feedback on his/her attentive/distracted mindset. We therefore devised the present study to test the specific potential of a technology-mediated mindfulness intervention for optimizing cognitive performance and improving markers of neural efficiency during mental effort. Participants and Methods: Sixty participants were randomly divided in active control and experimental groups. Groups were involved in structured four-week mental training interventions. Unlike the active control group, experimental ones practiced mindfulness-based activities with the support of dedicated brain-sensing devices. The effect of training was tested by comparing pre- and post-intervention performance at standardized cognitive tasks, as well as resting-state and task-related electrophysiological measures. Results: Data analysis highlighted increased measures of attention allocation (N2 event-related potential) and electrophysiological responsiveness (alpha-blocking metrics) and frequency profiles consistent with a relaxed mindset in the experimental groups. At the end of the intervention, experimental participants also performed better (reduced response times) at computerized tasks tapping on attention and executive control skills. Conclusions: Findings suggest that mindfulness interventions supported by brain-sensing neurofeedback devices may be effective at improving the efficiency of information-processing and regulation of attention/cognitive resources.

Objective: Recently, neuropsychological interest has been focusing on mindfulness-based interventions effects on the improvement of specific functions such as attention and cognitive abilities, which could be compromised by ageing process. The present study observed potential impact of an intensive empowerment intervention, based on awareness practices supported by a wearable brain sensing device, on psychological, neuropsychological, cognitive measures and on stress levels in a professional management context. Indeed, management contexts are usually characterized by environmental and performance distress that entail professionals to elevated stress conditions, causing a worsening of cognitive abilities. Participants and Methods: In the present research, a sample of 16 managers over 50 were assessed at the beginning, during and at the end of a mindfulness treatment, consisting of 14 daily practices based on focusing on breathing and related bodily sensations. During the assessments, cognitive performances and resting-state/task-related electrophysiological measures (electroencephalography and biofeedback) were collected. Results: After mindfulness treatment emerged a decrease of anxiety and perceived stress and an increase of control and inhibition processes during performances implementation. Moreover, electroencephalographic measures showed an increase of the alpha/beta index due to a higher activation during cognitive performances development. Finally, an increase of the cardiac variability index was observed, suggesting a more concentration level on stressful conditions. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the efficacy of mindfulness treatment in neurocognitive enhancement. The training effectiveness in cognitive processes improvement allows to hypothesize, together with existing rehabilitation measures, the use of mindfulness trainings in order to enhance cognitive abilities, prevent cognitive impairment and reduce cognitive worsening following ageing processe

Organizational research has increasingly matched its concerns with an innovative neuroscientific hyperscanning approach and the present research studies leadership topic, with a focus on the effects of leadership style on emotional and empathic processes inside a leader-employee dyad. 11 leader-employee dyads took part to the experiment and were involved in a roleplayed interview about employee’s performance evaluation. During the interview, the leader had to use a partecipative style of leadership or a more directive one, depending on the condition to which they were assigned. Cortical activity was measured (electroencephalography, EEG) during the whole videorecorded interview. Results showed an increasing of Delta and Theta EEG bands power and coherence measure in DLPFC areas for the partecipative style dyads, suggesting a greater engagement in the interview for the partecipative dyad components compared to the directive one, with a particular emotional connotation of the interaction. These dyads better focused their attention on the interaction, based on the increased Beta power on the DLPFC. This study shows encouraging highlights about interpersonal processes for the promotion of health at work.

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Background: Mental training has a long tradition as a supportive technique to foster mental strength and focus and to increase bodily- and self-awareness in sports. Nonetheless, such form of training often require notable engagement and regular practice to induce a relevant increase in athletes’ well-being and performances [1]. Supporting such traditional techniques with wearable neurofeedback devices might help reaching desired goals quicker and might make such training more accessible, in particular, to beginners [2, 3]. The study aimed at testing the effects of intensive integrated mental training with reference to focusing and cognitive control abilities in athletes, by combining mindfulness practice with real-time feedback from a brain-sensing device. Materials and Methods: Ten players took part in the study and underwent an intensive 14-day mental training intervention. The intervention included daily practice of focused meditation on breathing with the support of a wearable brain-sensing device, which provided practicers with real-time feedback on their focused vs. distracted mindset. Performance at attention and cognitive control tests as well as electrophysiological assessment data were compared pre- and post-intervention to test its effects. Results: Analysis showed that, after 14 consecutive days of technology-supported mental training, athletes improved their scores at a standardized test tapping on attention and cognitive control. Further, their automatic electrophysiological responses (N200 event-related potential) mirroring attention orientation toward target stimuli were heightened. Conclusions: First evidences suggest that, even after 14 days of activity, the intensive integrated training combining mindfulness practice and real-time feedback from a brain-sensing device might induce adaptive improvements of cognitive performance efficiency. References: 1. Rooks JD, Morrison AB, Goolsarran M, Rogers SL, Jha AP. “We Are Talking About Practice”: the Inf

This study integrates sensorial marketing with a neuroscientific approach to investigate the influence ofsensory stimulation on consumer experience. Twenty-one subjects had to explore for a maximum of 15 minutes a cosmetic shop, well-known for fragrances and bright colors’ use. Depending on the sensorial channel they could use (olfaction, touch or hearing), the sample was divided in three conditions. Cortical (electroencephalography) and autonomic (biofeedback) measures were recorded during the exploration. Results suggested an unpleasant experience of shop areas where products were difficult to manipulate, reflected by increasing of Delta band activity in right frontopolar and frontal areas. A greater Skin Conductance Level was detected when participants could touch the products; the same subjects spent more time in areas with classic hand-creams instead of areas with less manipulable products, for which, as seen before, there was a greater frontal Delta band activity, connoting the unpleasant experience. Olfaction users spent less time in areas with packaged products, searching for cosmetics to smell. This study gave interesting highlights on the implicit channels use for enhance consumer preference.

Prospective memory (PM) concerns the ability to achieve a previously organized future intention in a given time. This mechanism requires the involvement of working memory (WM), which allows to coordinate simultaneous processes. The relation between WM and PM is a debated theme in literature. The present study aims to observe the engagement of WM in PM, investigating how these two mechanisms are correlated or partially independent. Two ongoing activities concurrently with a prospective switching task were administered to a sample of 21 healthy participants. The first task (arithmetic) consists in the development of a low-cognitive WM activity together with a PM task to be conducted after the presentation of a cue (eventbased) or at a given moment (time-based). The second experiment (PASAT) demands to perform a high load WM activity and a PM task according to the same modalities of arithmetic task. Results show that WM influences PM performance only in high load WM tasks requiring an active PM self-retrieval (time-pasat). Such findings support the partially independent of WM and PM, consisted of distinct processes.

Background: Recently, several neuroscientific researches have been interested in investigating the role, functions and relation between prospective memory (PM) and working memory (WM), observing whether these two mechanisms use shared cognitive resources or they are partially independent [1,2]. Although the existence of some standardized tests for PM evaluation, there are few paradigms for its analysis. Materials and methods: This study aimed to examine the role of WM in PM in a sample of twenty-one healthy subjects. Participants were required to develop two different ongoing tasks together with a PM switching task. The first, arithmetic task, required a low WM load of cognitive resources; whereas, the second, PASAT test, demanded an high cognitive WM load. Prospective retrieval was administered from two different modalities: event-based and timebased. In event-based condition the PM recall was associated with an external cue (sound); while, in time-based condition the PM retrieval occured at a given time. Results: Findings demonstrated that PM was influenced by WM only during the development of complex tasks requiring an high cognitive load of WM and an active self-retrieval (time-pasat) of PM. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that WM and PM can be considered as distinct mechanisms at least when the prospective retrieval is associated with a cue (event-based conditions). Moreover, these findings highlight the complexity of PM such as high-level metacognitive function, which uses strategic and controlled processes for the coordination of future intentions. References: 1. R E Smith: The cost of remembering to remember in event-based prospective memory: investigating the capacity demands of delayed intention performance. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn, 2003, 29: 347-361. 2. R E Smith, U J Bayen: A multinomial model of event-based prospective memory. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn, 2004, 30: 756-777.

Background: Psychology interest has always focused on emotions analysis, because individuals’ life experiences are characterized by the presence of different emotional states. In particular, emotions can be considered as internal individuals components that entail modifications in cortical and autonomic activity, determined by central and peripheral nervous system elicitation [1]. Materials and methods: The present study aimed to investigate a new protocol for emotional states elicitation consisting in the administration of three tasks. Tasks were created to evaluate two dimensions of emotions: valence and arousal, according with dimensional model of emotions. Specifically, two tasks required participants to observe emotional stimuli selected from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) and pictures representing human interactions [2]. A third task related to subjects’ autobiographical memories was created to elicit emotional responses. During the tasks performance, electroencephalographic, hemodynamic (fNIRS) and autonomic correlates of emotional responses were recorded on a sample of healthy subjects. Clusters of emotional responses biomarkers have been found by the employment of specific algorithms. Results: First data highlighted consistent cortical and autonomic responses, in agreement with the valence of emotional stimuli presented in the three tasks. Furthermore, differently-valenced emotional stimuli induced distinct modulations of electrophysiological and hemodynamic activity, with a different hemispheric lateralization in response to positive and negative stimuli. Conclusions: This study highilights the potential use of novel paradigms for emotional responses elicitation. Moreover, electroencephalographic, hemodynamic and autonomic measures allow to find clusters of biomarkers for the elicited emotions. References: 1. H D Critchley, R Elliot, C 1. J Mathias, R J Dolan: Neural activity relating to the generation and representation of galvanic skin

Empirical management research has focused more on the investigation of important interpersonal factors that could be beneficial for a company’s well-being, including emotional and empathic engagement between managers and employees. The capacity to understand and mirror others’ feelings could result in a mutual adaptation that generates interpersonal tuning (IT). In the present study, we measured IT by applying a hyperscanning approach with simultaneous recording of electroencephalographic (EEG) signals from two participants interacting together. Eleven leaders and 11 employees were recruited and asked to role-play an employee performance review with a rating (R) or no rating (NR) condition. In the NR condition leaders describe by words the employee’s proficiency, while in R they provided a quantitative rating. The NR condition emerged as a more engaging situation in terms of empathic responses and mirroring. This difference was detectable from the localization of neurophysiological effects over the frontopolar and frontal brain areas, and the higher synchronization of EEG delta frequency coherence. Behavioral results also revealed an increase of self-perceived emotional tuning, agreement on content, and interpersonal cooperation in the NR condition compared to R condition. These effects were present in both leaders and employees and have several implications for social and company well-being.

Negli ultimi anni, l’interesse della psicologia del management e delle organizzazioni è stato volto ad indagare l’attitudine generativa all’interno delle organizzazioni, osservando il modo in cui le aziende promuovono relazioni di tipo generativo caratterizzate da un’apertura al confronto con gli altri attraverso lo svolgimento di azioni condivise per il raggiungimento di obiettivi comuni. In quest’ottica, il recente funzionamento organizzativo delle aziende abbandona la classica visione dell’organizzazione come deterministica, caratterizzata da una relazione lineare tra le variabili e da risultati aziendali standardizzabili, e richiede la presenza di un modello di leadership innovativo, in cui il ruolo organizzativo non è ricoperto da una persona che esercita la propria autorità sugli altri, imponendo la propria visione individuale. Il nuovo modello di leadership, infatti, a differenza delle teorie classiche sulla figura del leader, promuove e facilita l’evoluzione di comportamenti d’interazione attraverso la creazione di condizioni per l’autorganizzazione degli individui e la generazione di contesti che favoriscano interconnessioni e scambi reciproci. La nuova figura del leader "generativo" valorizza ogni componente del proprio team di lavoro attraverso un focus sul "care", migliorando l’efficacia relazionale e promuovendo l’autonomia decisionale dei propri collaboratori. Alla luce di questa nuova prospettiva all’interno dei contesti aziendali, l’interesse delle neuroscienze si è focalizzato sullo studio delle componenti che possono favorire una condizione di benessere all’interno dei contesti aziendali, concentrandosi sulle capacità di leadership e sulle dinamiche relazionali., During the last few years, the interest of management and organization psychology has been characterized by the investigation on generative attitudes within organizations; observing how companies promote generative relationships, which are characterized by an openness towards the confrontation with the others, meant as a co-execution of actions in order to achieve common goals. In this perspective, the latest organizational operation of the companies abandons the classical vision of the organization as deterministic, therefore characterized by a linear relationship between variables with standardized corporate results, and requires the presence of an innovative leadership model in which the organizational role is not covered by a person who exercises his authority over others by imposing his own individual vision. Actually, the new leadership model, unlike classical theories on the leader's figure, promotes and facilitates the evolution of interaction behavior by creating conditions for the self-organization of the individuals and by creating contexts that promote interconnections and mutual exchanges. The new position of "generative" leaders values each component of the work team through a focus on "care", improving relational effectiveness and promoting the decision-making autonomy of their cooperators. Due to this new perspective in corporate contexts, the interest in neuroscience has focused on the study of components that can favor a well-being environment, focusing on leadership skills and relational dynamics.

Conscious, pre-conscious, and unconscious mechanisms are implicated in modulating affective processing in daily activities. Specifically, mental practice fostering awareness and control of affective reactions to external stimuli and stressful events (such as mindfulness and neurofeedback protocols) can be used to improve our ability to manage unconscious negative emotions. Indeed, it is possible to empower self-monitoring and regulation skills, as well as our ability to manage stress and negative emotions coming from everyday events and activities. This can be accomplished, on the one hand, by regularly practicing self-observation and by promoting bodily awareness and an awareness of automatic responses (e.g., uncontrolled affective reactions); on the other hand, by undergoing implicit training protocols that take advantage of brain responses. The present paper elucidates the contribution of both conscious and unconscious levels in emotion regulation and stress management, with a focus on their neural correlates and their role in mindfulness practice and on the potential of body-sensing devices for supporting meditation sessions, for fostering motivation to practice, and for making meditation more appealing and sustainable. We will finally present preliminary evidence on the effect of an intensive technology-mediated meditation protocol based on mindfulness practices and supported by a brain-sensing wearable device. The experimental procedure included three levels of outcome indices: psychometric measures related to perceived stress; neuropsychological and behavioural measures related to cognitive performance; and instrumental measures (resting-state and task-related electroencephalographic markers-EEG-ERPs).

Leadership in organizations consists of a complex process, which includes the interpersonal relationship with collaborators. By using a neuroscientific approach, we evaluated the effect of the presence of unidirectional versus reciprocal feedback (provided only by the leader or by both figures), as well as the assignment of a quantitative or just a qualitative assessment. Skin conductance level and response (SCL and SCR), as well as heart rate (HR), have been recorded during a role playing. Results revealed increased emotional engagement (SCL/SCR) during no rating and reciprocal condition, as well as a stressful response (increased HR) during rating and unidirectional condition.

Recent advances in neurosciences permitted to extend the knowledge about brain functioning to the organizational field with a specific interest to leadership, with the extent to explore more proficient ways of managing. In the present research, through a hyperscanning paradigm, EEG and autonomic synchrony was explored during performance reviews to investigate if different leadership styles (partecipative vs. authoritative), could be associated with different dyadic engagement. Analysis involved coherence computation assessing the strenght of inter-brain and body synchrony, which revealed the presence of a higher emotional synchronization for both neural and bodily reactions mainly for partecipative style.

The functional role of the prefrontal cortex has often been related to decision-making. Moreover,depending on the task that has to be carried out, it can be even more functionally specialized (Ernst& Paulus, 2005). The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), for example, seems to be activated bycomplex tasks solving, working memory processing and recalling of long-lasting memories withinlong-term memory (Fuster, 2001; Hampson, 2018). Decision-making is applied every day in manydifferent situations, among which stands out the purchasing one. In this context, a crucial anddeterminant role is played by feelings and emotions. Indeed, emotions are often linked withmemories and choices. Previous experiences, in fact, have a key role in this process, since they caninfluence people’s behavior and take decisions based on some psychological processes such asreward and motivation (Lucchiari & Pravettoni, 2012). However, this is also particularly importantwhen people have to decide within unusual purchasing situations where pros and cons must betaken into account with regard to personal and others’ advantages. In the present study, a modifiedversion of a well-known social interaction paradigm (i.e., the Ultimatum Game; Güth et al., 1982)was used. The scenarios proposed described a store experience in which they should imagine usingvouchers. Choices could be neutral, advantageous or disadvantageous from the participant’sperspective. In order to explore the hemodynamic response, fNIRS was used by applying a 18-channels array of optodes covering prefrontal and frontal areas. The final sample included 32 university students of comparable age and educational level. Results showed that the specific offertype led to the engagement of dedicated neural networks, with increased activation of the rightmedial prefrontal cortex in the case of disadvantageous expenses. Findings are discussed taking intoaccount the psychological factors involved in each purchase choice.