Abstract
What do we propose? One of the unsolved issues in neuroscience is how we regulate interpersonal distance (IPD) to defend ourselves and to interact with others. The aim of this project was to identify the psychological and neural mechanisms through which emotional, psychophysiological, and personality variables regulate optimal interpersonal distance, and to understand how IPD dysregulation contributes to inappropriate social behaviours, such as social inhibition, withdrawal, and interpersonal difficulties displayed by individuals with autistic traits. Why is it important? Understanding the mechanisms underlying interpersonal distance regulation, and how they are altered in autism, is of major societal relevance because of its implications for mental health, social functioning, and quality of life. Beyond its clinical significance, the project addresses fundamental questions about how humans balance self-protection and social interaction, advancing theoretical models of social cognition and interpersonal behaviour. How did we achieve it? The project combined immersive virtual reality, neuroimaging, non-invasive brain stimulation, and advanced analytical approaches to investigate interpersonal distance across typical development and Autism Spectrum Disorder. This multidisciplinary strategy allowed us to study how emotional body and facial expressions, socio-affective traits, and their neural correlates interact to shape social space regulation. What have we achieved? The project successfully demonstrated that emotional signals dynamically shape interpersonal distance from childhood onwards. Typically developing children adjusted their preferred distance according to others' emotions, and actively imitating emotional expressions further promoted adaptive changes in interpersonal space. In children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, emotional cues continued to influence interpersonal distance, indicating preserved sensitivity to basic emotions, although emotion imitation did not induce the adaptive recalibration of interpersonal distance observed in typically developing peers. In healthy adults, higher autistic traits and social anxiety were associated with a preference for greater interpersonal distance, highlighting the contribution of individual socio-affective characteristics to everyday social behaviour. Complementing these behavioural findings, neuroimaging studies identified a distributed fronto-parietal and socio-emotional brain network involved in interpersonal distance regulation, while preliminary brain stimulation results provided causal evidence for the contribution of these regions. An additional fNIRS study further showed that exposure to unpredictable threatening sounds increases interpersonal distance through anticipatory neural responses associated with vigilance and emotional processing. Overall, the project provides a comprehensive, multi-level account of the psychological and neural mechanisms underlying interpersonal distance regulation and establishes a strong foundation for future research and interventions aimed at improving social functioning in neurodevelopmental conditions.
Dettagli del progetto
Strutture Unibo coinvolte:
Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari"
Coordinatore:
Università degli Studi di Trento(Italy)
Contributo totale di progetto: Euro (EUR) 168.928,00
Contributo totale Unibo: Euro (EUR) 79.067,00
Durata del progetto in mesi: 24
Data di inizio
12/12/2023
Data di fine:
28/02/2026
