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- MindRegulation: randomized controlled trial of the effects of a relaxation and guided imagery intervention on the psychophysiological well-being, socioemotional regulation, cognitive and academic development of children in schoolPublication . Galinha, Iolanda Costa; Carvalho, Joana Sampaio; Oliveira, Ana Cristina; Arriaga, Patrícia; Gaspar, Augusta D.; Ortega, VitóriaBackground: Mental imagery has long been used in psychological therapies, but only recently did research begin to provide a scientific background for it.Imagery interventions are inexpensive anda substantial body of research supports their effectiveness on behavior change, promotion of adaptive health outcomes, anxiety reduction, and adherence to medical interventions, in both adults and children. However, literature on relaxation and guided imagery interventions benefits for children in elementary school context is very scarce. This Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) aims to contribute to that knowledge by implementing and testing the benefits of an intervention program MindRegulation (MR) comprising relaxation, instructions for body posture, and guided imagery with socioemotional learning (SEL), conveying adaptive beliefs about oneself, the relationships with others and the environment. Method: The MR intervention will be developed in the classroom for 15 minutes before learning activities, three times per week, for five months, and its effects will be measured on a range of emotional, physiological, and cognitive outcomes. Fifteeen classes will be randomly assigned to three conditions: (a) relaxation and guided imagery-MR; (b) relaxation only; and (c) waitlist control. The RCT includes four data collection times: pretest, intermediate, posttest, and a six-month follow-up (trial registration NCT06101225, 05th October, 2023). The sample comprises 240 students, elementary school third and fourth graders, 8–11 years old. The variables measured in all times, except the intermediate, are: well-being, affect, anxiety, emotional regulation, socioemotional competencies, attention and processing speed, and perceived benefits of the intervention. Physiological indicators of emotional arousal, emotional regulation, stress and well-being are also taken, specifically, heart rate variability, electrodermal activity, actigraphy and salivary cortisol. The validity of the measures will be tested for the population and objectives of the study. Discussion: Significant improvements on the children's well-being, socioemotional regulation, cognitive function, physiological activity and academic performance are expected - after 5-months’ intervention at posttest and11 months’ follow-up -at MR condition, compared to the relaxation and control conditions. Changes in physiological activity are expected during MR and relaxation sessions. Emotional regulation, well-being and anxiety are expected to mediate the effects of the interventions over socioemotional competence, cognitive function and academic performance. Well-being and anxiety levels at pretest are expected to moderate the interventions’ effects.
- Social sensing and human in the loop profiling during pandemics: the Vitoria applicationPublication . Fernandes, J.; Silva, J. Sá; Rodrigues, A.; Boavida, F.; Gaspar, R.; Godinho, C.; Francisco, R.As the number of smart devices that surround us increases, so do the opportunities to leverage them to create socially- and context-aware systems. Smart devices can be used for better understanding human behaviour and its societal implications. As an example of a scenario in which the role of socially aware systems is crucial, consider the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. In this paper we present an innovative Humanin-The-Loop Cyber Physical system that can collect passive data from people, such as physical activity, sleep information, and discrete location, as well as collect self-reported data, and provide individualised user feedback. In this paper, we also present a three and a half months field trial implemented in Portugal. This trial was part of a larger scope project that was supported by the Portuguese National Health System, to evaluate the indicators and effects of the pandemic. Results concerning various applications usage statistics are presented, comparing the most used applications, their objective and their usage pattern in work/non-work periods. Additionally,the time-lagged cross correlation between some of the collected metrics, Covid events, and media news, are explored. This type of applications can be used not only in the context of Covid but also in future pandemics, to assist individuals in self-regulation of their contagion risk, based on personalized information, while also function as a means for raising self-awareness of risks related to psychological wellbeing.
- The Your COVID-19 risk assessment tool and the accompanying open access data and materials repositoriesPublication . Your COVID-19 Risk Group; Godinho, CristinaIn March 2020, the Your COVID-19 Risk tool was developed in response to the global spread of SARS-CoV-2. The tool is an online resource based on key behavioural evidence-based risk factors related to contracting and spreading SARS-CoV-2. This article describes the development of the tool, the produced resources, the associated open repository, and initial results. This tool was developed by a multidisciplinary research team consisting of more than 150 international experts. This project leverages knowledge obtained in behavioural science, aiming to promote behaviour change by assessing risk and supporting individuals completing the assessment tool to protect themselves and others from infection. To enable iterative improvements of the tool, tool users can optionally answer questions about behavioural determinants. The data and results are openly shared to support governments and health agencies developing behaviour change interventions. Over 60 000 users in more than 150 countries have assessed their risk and provided data.
- Expressions of gratitude applied to business: a lesson for managing online reviewsPublication . Simão, Claudia; Farias, Ana Rita; Reis, JoanaOnline reviews are critical for business thriving, but their management is not often effective. Using data from one Social Media platform, with more than 600 observations of public online interactions between business owners and customers, we showed that a strategic management of online reviews predicts a positive increment of online reputation. Publicly expressing gratitude (Study 1), and specifically, directing these expressions towards beneficial online reviews (Study 2), are effective strategies supporting a general increase of the business online score. These findings identify public expressions of gratitude as a responsive, attentive gesture that signals care and consideration towards customers. Such gesture promotes the online reputation through satisfaction between business-community relationships.