Raffaella Di Schiena

Raffaella DI SCHIENA PhD, researcher Unit of Clinical Psychology: Emotion, Cognition, Health  Address: Department of Psychology Catholic University of Louvain Place du Cardinal Mercier 10 (E240) 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve Belgium  Phone: +32 (0)10474638  Fax.: +32 (0)10474834  E-Mail:        Research domains    Representative publications

Titles:

Ph.D. in “Psychology: Cognitive, Emotional and Communicative Processes”
Advisor: Prof. Guglielmo Bellelli
Institution: University of Bari (Italy)

Master’s Degree in Psychology
Institution: University of Bari
Vote: 110 /110 cum Laude

Research domains

I am interested in the role of anticipated and experienced affect in dysfunctional decision making processes. This may have many different forms (Anderson, 2004). In particular my research is focused on omission bias and indecision.

• Omission bias (Ritov & Baron, 1990) is the tendency to prefer inactive over active options, even when this leads to greater risk or worse outcome. In this domain I investigate the role of regret anticipation and of anxiety generated by the choice situations.
• Indecision (Rassin, 2007) is the tendency to experience decision making as a very difficult task, to feel discomfort during the process and to take longer time in accomplishing the task. In this domain I investigate the role of dispositional and/or transient mood, assuming that negative mood is associated with higher levels of indecision.

Representative publications

Articles:

Di Schiena, R. (2008). Salute e decisioni: ll ruolo degli stili di pensiero [Health and decision-making: The role of different cognitive styles]. In G. Bellelli, P. Livrea, & L. Soleo (Eds), Stress, Salute, Benessere. Atti della Giornata di studio della scuola di Dottorato in Scienze del Benessere: sistemi di relazione e ambiente (pp 29-47). Aracne, Roma.

Di Schiena, R., & Bellelli, G. (2008). To do or not to do: Il ruolo del rimpianto nella scelta tra azione e omissione [To do or not to do: The role of regret in omission vs. commission choice]. In S. Di Nuovo, & G. Sprini (Eds.), Teorie e metodi della psicologia italiana: tendenze attuali. In memoria di Angelo Majorana (pp 201-212). Ed. Franco Angeli, Milan.

Di Schiena, R., Zeelenberg, M., & Bellelli, G. (2007). Omission Bias: A matter of possible regret? Paper presented at the Workshop on Emotions, University of Padua, Italy.

Di Schiena, R., & Bellelli, G. (2007). Bias di omissione: Un contributo al dibattito attraverso la proposta di un test empirico [Omission Bias: An ampirical test as a contribution to the debate]. Psychofenia, X, 17, 147-174.

Articles in prep.:

Di Schiena, R., Zeelenberg, M., & Bellelli, G. (in preparation). Additional evidence about Omission Bias in Choice: Closing the Debate?

Di Schiena, R. (in preparation). Prospettiva e retrospettiva sul rimpianto: Una rassegna di studi [New perspectives and retrospectives about regret: A litterature review]

Di Schiena, R., Zeelenberg, M., & Bellelli, G. (in preparation). The role of anticipated regret in Omission Bias.

Theses:

Di Schiena, R. (2008). To Act or Not To Act? The Role of Emotions In Omission Vs. Commission Dilemmas. Experimental Studies on Omission Bias. PhD Thesis, University of Bari, Italy.

Di Schiena, R. (2004). The incidental influence of mood and specific emotions on decision making: options evaluation, risk perception, choice behaviour, and decision strategies. Master Thesis, University of Bari, Italy.

Selected presentations:

Di Schiena, R., Zeelenberg, M., & Bellelli, G. (2008) The role of anticipated regret and affective vs. analytical evaluation strategies in omission bias. Presented at the European Social Cognition Network (ESCON), Volterra, Italy, September 3-7.

Di Schiena, R., Zeelenberg, M., & Bellelli, G. (2007). Omission bias and Anticipated Regret. Presented at the VI Symposium on Psychology and Economics, TIBER (Tilburg Institute of Behavioral Economics), Tilburg, NL, August, 31.

Di Schiena, R. (2006). Omission Bias: Questioni ancora aperte [Omission Bias: Still opened questions]. Presented at the National Congress of Experimental Psychology-Italian Psychological Association (AIP), University of Trento (Italy), September, 13-15.

Di Schiena, R. (2006). Reconsidering Omission Bias. Presented at the 13th Foundations and applications of Utility, Risk and Decision theory’ (FUR)s Conference L.U.I.S.S., Rome (Italy), June, 22-26.