News
Biografia/Biography
After obtaining the PhD at Sapienza University, I worked at the Université Laval (Canada), at Emory University (U.S.A.) and at Hull University (U.K.). At the end of 2009 I returned to Italy, at the Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome.
Ricerca/Research
My research focuses on the interactions between attention and emotion. I study the mechanisms underlying selective attention under conditions of emotional conflict, that is when some emotional information is to be attended and other information is to be ignored. I use Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation to assess the contribution of brain areas involved in cognitive control and I am interested in changes that occur across the lifespan. Another line of research looks at how attention is oriented in space based on the observed direction of eye-gaze of another individual (e.g., gaze cueing). I am especially interested in disentangling the conditions under which gaze cueing is modulated by emotion and to what extent these effects rely on top-down mechanism. Recent work also looks at how attentional orienting based on eye-gaze changes across the lifespan from childhood to old age and to what extent it is affected by individual characteristics (i.e., loneliness). Finally, I study temporal selective attention to emotional faces and the effects of implicit contingencies on attention.
I am P.I. of the lab Affective Processes and Social Cognition/Processi Affettivi e Cognizione Sociale
Didattica/teaching sem 1 2025/2026
Courses
Psicologia Sperimentale delle Emozioni 6 CFU
Affective Neuroscience Across the Lifespan 6 CFU (3 +3)
Learning Disorders part 1 - 3 CFU (covering for Prof. M. Martelli who is on sabbatical this year)-- for information pleasse contact the Module leader Prof. Allegra Cattani (allegra.cattani@uniroma1.it)
Lezioni/Lectures: (attendance is "in person" only)
CdLM in Neuroscienze Cognitive e Riabilitazione Ppsicologica: Psicologia Sperimentale delle Emozioni
CdLM in Cognitive Neuroscience: Affective Neuroscience Across the Lifespan
CdLM in Cognitive Neuroscience: Learning Disorders
My courses have a companion website on Moodle (https://elearning.uniroma1.it/)
You’ll need the password which is:
For Affective Neuroscience Across the Lifespan: Russell.
For Psicologia Sperimentale delle Emozioni: Barrett
For Learning Disorders part 1: Fletcher
On Moodle students can find the description of the course content, the syllabus and information about the assessment method (except for Learning Disorders part 1 for which the information about assessment is provided by the course manager, Prof. Cattani).
Each course is offered in the same modality to students who can attend classes and for students who cannot attend classes. In the last case, students will need to catch up on their own using the information provided on Moodle.
Ricevimento/Office Hours:
Previo appuntamento da richiedere via email/ by requesting an appointment via email: anna.pecchinenda@uniroma1.it
By appointment only. Please email anna.pecchinenda@uniroma1.it
Lessons
| Lesson code | Lesson | Year | Semester | Language | Course | Course code | Curriculum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10612539 | LEARNING DISORDERS - LEARNING DISORDERS I | 2nd | 1st | ENG | Cognitive neuroscience | 33574 | Curriculum unico |
| 1055053 | AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE ACROSS THE LIFESPAN | 1st | 1st | ENG | Cognitive neuroscience | 33574 | Curriculum unico |
| 10612022 | PSICOLOGIA SPERIMENTALE DELLE EMOZIONI | 2nd | 1st | ITA | Cognitive Neurosciences and Psychological Rehabilitation | 33575 | Neuroscienze Cognitive Sperimentali (percorso formativo valido anche ai fini del rilascio del doppio titolo italo-colombiano) |