Who: We are a group of brain and behavioural scientists, with diverse cultural and educational background, combining hard and social sciences.
Where: We are based in Rome, just next to the La Sapienza University Campus.
What: We investigate fundamental questions about how humans perceive the world and act in it. We are currently investigating two widespread human capacities: social interaction and musicality (the biological predispositions that make humans universally apt to musical behaviour). We mostly study these capacities in human adults, and compare them to human infants or non-human primates.
How: Our research integrates traditional (i.e. laboratory-based) and naturalistic approaches to human brain and behavior, notably including free-behavior and ecologically-valid sensory stimulation. We recognize the value of these approaches and believe that they can mutually fertilise each other: naturalistic settings offer the opportunity to observe phenomena in their authentic context, while laboratory-based research is essential to rigorously test new theories.
Now: The group is currently working on the following topics, using the listed methodologies.
Current topics: Neural bases of musicality in human adults, infants and macaques, collective dance and music making, spontaneous social behaviour (both verbal and non-verbal), as well as combinations of the aforementioned topics.
Current methods: Neuroimaging (electroencephalography, EEG), brain stimulation (transcranial electrical stimulation, tES), physiology (of the heart, pupil, skin, respiration), motion tracking (optical and video-based motion capture, eye tracking), acoustic analysis, computational modelling (including machine learning), as well as combinations of the aforementioned methods.
