Positive Technologies for Promoting Emotion Regulation Abilities in Adolescents
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
UNIVERSITY OF MILANO-BICOCCA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SCIENCES FOR EDUCATION "RICCARDO MASSA" EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION SCIENCES Personal wellness, health and intercultural communication CYCLE XXVII Positive technologies for promoting emotion regulation abilities in adolescents Coordinator: Prof. Laura FORMENTI Supervisor: Prof. Fabrizia MANTOVANI PhD Dissertation by Esther Judith SCHEK ACADEMIC YEAR 2014/2015 A mia Nonna Peppa 2 CONTENTS ABSTRACT 7 PART 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 9 CHAPTER 1: STRESS, EMOTION REGULATION AND THE ENHANCEMENT OF EMOTIONAL COMPETENCE 10 1.1 The physiological stress response 11 1.1.1 Current theories and researches 11 1.1.2 Psychological activators and moderators of the stress response 12 1.1.3 From omeostasis to allostasis 13 1.2 Emotion regulation: the conceptual framework 14 1.2.1 The process model of emotion regulation 14 1.2.2 Emotion and emotion regulation as interdependent process 16 1.2.3 Emotion regulation strategies and patterns of emotion regulation 17 1.2.4 Emotion regulation and emotional coping 21 1.3 The enhancement of emotional competence 23 1.3.1 Learning emotions: imitative and observational learning 23 1.3.2 The development of emotional competence: the model of Saarni 24 1.4 Promoting emotional competence 27 1.4.1 Overview of the programs developed for promoting emotional competence 27 1.4.2 The Building Emotion and Affect Regulation (BEAR) program 29 3 CHAPTER 2: THE ROLE OF POSITIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN PROMOTING EMOTION REGULATION ABILITIES 34 2.1 New technologies and well-being 35 2.1.1 The Positive Psychology shift 35 2.1.2 Positive Technology paradigm 36 2.2 The three perspective: hedonic, eudemonic, social and interpersonal 37 2.2.1 The Hedonic perspective: Fostering positive emotional states 37 2.2.2 Using technologies to foster positive emotional states 38 2.2.3 The Eudemonic perspective: Promoting individual growth and fulfilment 39 2.2.4 Using technologies to promote individual growth and fulfilment 40 2.2.5 The Social perspective: Enhancing integration and connectedness 41 2.2.6 Using technologies to enhance integration and connectedness 42 2.3 New technologies: a look to the main tools 43 2.3.1 Virtual Reality and its application domains 43 2.3.2 Biosensors and their application domains 45 2.3.3 Mobile technologies and their application domains 47 PART 2: DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT 49 CHAPTER 3: DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED PROTOCOL 50 3.1 A user centre approach 51 3.1.1 Actors involved 51 3.1.2 The methodological approach adopted: the user centre design 52 3.1.3 Methodological premises and tools used 53 4 3.2 Process of the technology-enhanced protocol development 55 3.2.1 Adaptation of the BEAR training to a technology-enhanced protocol 55 3.2.2 Description of Session 1: group-traditional & individual-technological versions 56 3.2.3 Description of Session 4: group-traditional & individual-technological versions 57 3.2.4 Description of the traditional adapted version 59 3.2.5 Definition of the storyboard for the two technology-enhanced versions 62 3.3 Definition of functional requirements 65 3.3.1 The software selection 65 3.3.2 The computational module selection and integration 66 3.3.3 Integration of avatars 69 3.3.4 The graphic design for the two technology-enhanced versions 72 3.3.5 The biosensors choice 74 3.3.6 Inclusion of gamification aspects 75 3.4 Integration of the technological components 77 3.4.1 Integration of the biosensor 78 3.4.2 Integration with FatiMA 78 3.4.3 Animation of avatars 79 3.4.4 Integration of images and music, text and voice 82 PART 3: EMPIRICAL CONTRIBUTION 83 OVERVIEW OF EMPIRICAL STUDIES 84 CHAPTER 4: THE POSITIVE TECHNOLOGY APP STUDY 85 4 Introduction 85 4.1 Aims and Hypothesis 88 4.2 Methods 88 4.2.1 Participants 88 5 4.2.2 Measures 89 4.2.3 Procedure 91 4.3 Results 92 4.3.1 Overview of statistical analyses 92 4.3.2 Preliminary processing of data 93 4.3.3 Comparability at baseline 94 4.3.4 Self-report measures results 95 4.3.5 Evaluation questionnaires 97 4.4 Discussion 98 CHAPTER 5: THE EMOREGULATOR STUDY 102 5 Introduction 102 5.1 Aims and Hypothesis 107 5.2 Methods 108 5.2.1 Participants 108 5.2.2 Measures 109 5.2.3 Procedure 113 5.3 Results 116 5.3.1 Overview of statistical analyses 116 5.3.2 Preliminary processing of data 117 5.3.3 Comparability at baseline 119 5.3.4 Self-report measures results 121 5.3.5 Physiological measures results 156 5.3.6 Evaluation questionnaires 177 5.4 Discussion 183 CONCLUSION 187 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 191 REFERENCES 193 6 ABSTRACT The research question in the present empirical contribution concerns if and how new technologies can support adolescents in stress management and in enhancing their emotion regulation abilities, proposing an innovative technology-enhanced approach. In recent years there is a growing interest in the use of emerging advanced technologies in supporting well-being and health promotion. Within the conceptual framework of Positive Technology, referring to those technologies specifically designed to foster positive emotions, to promote engagement in empowering activities and to support connectedness between individuals and groups, Riva, Waterworth, and Murray (2014) pointed out that they can improve the quality of personal experience in three separate, but related, ways: by structuring, by augmenting, or by replacing it (Riva, Baños, Botella, Wiederhold, & Gaggioli, 2012). Within this perspective, two main groups of positive technologies emerged, in relation to the management of psychological stress: virtual-interactive environments and mobile technologies (Serino et al., 2014). As to the emotion regulation domain, the training protocols that have thus far been developed to promote emotion regulation do not integrate new technologies (CASEL, & LSS, 2003; Harlacher, et al, 2010). Indeed, existing training protocols that employ innovative technologies so as to foster social and emotional learning in adolescents are not specifically focused on emotion regulation (Ben Moussa, et al., 2009; Lim, 2011). Furthermore, research in this domain has primarily tested the efficacy of these training protocols through assessment strategies designed with one type of measurement technique at a time, although most recent theories highlight that emotions are multidimensional and multicomponent processes. The latter speaks to the need for multi-modal assessment methods (Scherer, 2001). With the above in mind, the efficacy of positive technologies was tested in a sample of youth between the ages of 12-18. Two empirical studies were carried out with the aim on the one side, to test the efficacy of the Positive Technology App in inducing relaxation (PTA; Riva, 2013) and, on the other side, to test and to evaluate the efficacy of selected sessions of the BEAR training protocol (Pat-Horenczyk et al., 2012) in the technology-enhanced adaptation. The Positive Technologies employed have been developed through a user-centered design, combining together different technological components such as gamification aspects, virtual characters and wearable physiological sensors. Overall, results show the efficacy of positive technologies not only in reducing perceived psychological stress and feelings of anxiety, but also in promoting engagement and motivation, as 7 well as in improving the awareness of body sensations and the well-being of young users. In terms of general impact and anticipated benefits, this project aims at making progress in the state of the art of methodological solutions for the training of stress management and emotion regulation abilities, with the final goal to propose a useful tool for the improvement of these competences in adolescents. The thesis is organized in three main parts: The first part is dedicated to the theoretical background of the present contribution. In chapter 1, the classic biological view of stress and health will be introduced, underlying the important shift from omeostasis to allostasis. The conceptual framework of emotion regulation and the related concept of coping will then be discussed, analyzing the ways in which they are both related to stress management. In the second part of the chapter, an overview of the earliest works on temperament is provided, particularly linking imitative and observational learning to the concept of emotion and emotion regulation. The theoretical basis of emotional competence is then introduced, focusing on the model of Saarni. Lastly, an overview of programs for enhancing emotional competence is offered, with a specific focus on the training program chosen for the development of the technology-enhanced protocol introduced in the presented empirical study: the Building Emotion and Affect Regulation (BEAR) program (Pat-Horenczyk et al., 2014). Then, in chapter 2, starting from an introductory analysis of the concept of well-being as it has being framed by positive psychology, the Positive Technology paradigm and the concept of personal experience will be analysed focusing on how new technologies can manipulate its three features: Hedonic, Eudemonic and Social/Interpersonal. The chapter with then shift to focus on the main new technologically advanced tools used in the present empirical contribution – virtual reality, biosensors and mobile technologies – due to the possibilities that these tools may offer in the enhancement of stress management and emotion regulation abilities, and some practical examples of their application will be presented. The second part of the thesis, “Design and development”, is focused on the development of the technology-enhanced protocol. Each of the four phases will be deeply analyzed: the user need analysis; the adaptation of the BEAR to a technology enhanced protocol; the definition of functional requirements; the integration of the technological components. The third part of the thesis is dedicated to the empirical contribution. In chapter 4 the first study on the Positive Technology App will be introduced, then in chapter 5 the second study on Emoregulator will be presented.