NEWS AND EVENTS
Stay up to date with the latest from ConnectLab. Here you’ll find news about events, guest speakers,
summer schools, and also all the labâs current activities.
March – September 2025
TERESA TRAVERSA – VISITING
Between March and September 2025, Teresa Traversa visited the Social Identity and Groups Network (SIGN) at the University of Queensland (Australia).
She was supervised by Prof. Jolanda Jetten and during this visit she deepened her knowledge about the Social Cure Theory, with a specific focus on its application in marginalized social groups.
July 2025
MARCO MARINUCCI – TALK
On July 3-6, 2025, Marco Marinucci participated at the International Society of Political Psychology Annual Meeting in Prague, Czech Republic. He presented the following talks:
-Marinucci, M., Schaefer, C., Dupont, P., Manley, D., Taylor, L. K., & McKeown, S. (2025). Desegregating spaces: replicated GPS-GIS evidence shows that youth frequent urban spaces with higher outgroup prevalence following positive intergroup contact.Â
-Marinucci, M. & Riva, P. (2025). A Social Exclusion Model of Stigmatized Social Identity. Â
July 2025
AASP 2025
On July 10â12, members of our lab attended the Asian Association of Social Psychology (AASP) Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malesia.
Find out more
Teresa Traversa presented:
-A talk titled “Stronger together: how social interactions promote prison officersâ well-being via social identity”.
June 2025
MARCO MARINUCCI – TALK
On June 12-13, 2025, Marco Marinucci was invited to give a keynote talk titled âSocial Exclusion of Marginalized Groups: Understanding Its Impact on the Excluded and How to Prevent It Among the Excludersâ. It took place at the Trinational Symposium on Societal and Interpersonal Dimensions of Social Exclusion â Conference Center Villa Denis, University of Kaiserslautern-Landau, Frankenstein-Dimerstein, Germany.Â
April 2025
Ilja van BeesT – SEMINAR
This week we hosted Professor Ilja van Beest from Tilburg University at our department. His talk was titled “20 Years of Ball Tossing: What to Manipulate and What to Learn in Cyberball”. Ilja walked us through two decades of research using a deceptively simple game to explore how people experience inclusion and exclusion.
April 2025
ADAM WAYTZ – seminar
We had the honor of hosting Professor Adam Waytz from Northwestern University. He joined us for a compelling lecture titled Humans and Machines.
His presence offered a unique opportunity to explore, together, some of the most pressing questions at the intersection of psychology, technology, and also society.
March 2025
SUMMER SCHOOL 2025
We are pleased to announce the third edition of the Summer School “Social Connections and Well-Being in the Digital Era”, which will take place in Lake Como, Italy, from August 25 to 29, 2025.
Find out more
We are pleased to announce the third edition of the Summer School. “Social Connections and Well-Being in the Digital Era” will take place in Lake Como, Italy, from August 25 to 29, 2025. The Summer School will bring together academics from social psychology and also related disciplines.
The program will cover key topics such as technology-mediated social connections and isolation, anthropomorphism of digital agents, and moreover, interventions for digital well-being.
For more details on the program, the list of speakers, and logistics, you can clearly visit the schoolâs homepage: https://cwde.lakecomoschool.org/.
Registration is now open, and the deadline for applications is April 27, 2025. To finlly apply, fill out the online form available on the website.
To conclude, for inquiries regarding logistics (e.g., travel arrangements and accommodation options), please contact nadia.tansini@fondazionealessandrovolta.it
For questions about the scientific program, contact ConnectionsDigitalEraSchool@gmail.com.
February 2025
MARCO MARINUCCI – TALK
On February 25, 2025, Marco Marinucci was invited to give a talk titled  âSocial Exclusion of Marginalized Groups: Understanding its Impact and How to Prevent itâ at an online Department Seminar of the Center for Social and Cultural Psychology, Universitè Libre de Bruxelles.
February 2025
SPSP 2025
On February 20â22, members of our lab attended the Annual Convention of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) and selected preconferences in Denver, Colorado (United States).
Find out more
Alessia Telari presented:
-A poster titled âTurning Smartphone Interference into Positive Relationship and Personal Outcomes: The âResisting Phubbingâ Phenomenonâ at both the Psychology of Media and Technology Preconference and the Close Relationships Preconference.
-A talk titled âCan AI-Powered Chatbots Serve as Social Connections? An Experimental Investigation of Interaction Characteristicsâ at the main conference.
Teresa Traversa presented:
-A poster titled âImprisonment As a Form of Chronic Social Exclusion: First Empirical Evidence of a Novel Theoretical Frameworkâ at both the Social Psychology in Legal Contexts Preconference and the main SPSP Annual Convention.
Ilenia Gasparini presented:
-A poster titled “Bridging the Digital Divide:How Smartphones Influence Health and Integration in Marginalized Communities” at the main SPSP Annual Convention.
-A poster titled “The Role of Webcams in Videoconferencing: a Study on Online Ostracism” at the Psychology of Media and Technology Preconference.
September – October 2024
MARCO MARINUCCI – VISITING
Between September 20 and October 20, 2024, Marco Marinucci visited Prof. Shelley McKeown Jones at the Department of Experimental Psychology of the University of Oxford (UK). He collaborated on a research project investigating the bidirectional influence of socio-spatial segregation in conflictual urban contexts and the quantity and quality of eveyday intergroup contact among youth.
March – July 2024
ALESSIA TELARI – VISITING
Alessia Telari was a visiting scholar at the Close Relationships Laboratory at the University of Georgia (United States), under the supervision of Dr. Richard B. Slatcher. During this period, she worked on research related to social connection and digital technology, with a particular focus on technoference in romantic couples.
August 2023
REPORT SUMMER SCHOOL 2023
The third edition of the Summer School took place in the beautiful context of the Lake Como.Â
And you can read the full report here.
July 2023
19th General Meeting of the EASP
From June 30th to July 4th, our lab participated in the 19th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP) in Kraków, Poland.
Find out more
– Paolo Riva presented âSocial exclusion in the digital era: Investigating Schachterâs Research on Rejection, Deviance, and Communication (1951) in online groups discussionâ.
– Luca Pancani presented a poster entitled âThe digital ostracism phenomenon: Phubbing, ghosting, and orbitingâ.
– Marco Marinucci gave a talk titled âTo whom should I turn? Intergroup social connections moderate social exclusionâs short- and long-term psychological impact on immigrantsâ.
– Alessia Telari presented âA New Experimental Paradigm to Study the Effects of Ghosting Using an Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) Methodologyâ.
Furthermore, we had the opportunity to meet with the growing community of researchers studying social exclusion and also share many exciting ideas!
May 2022
ZETAVERSO PODCAST
Paolo Riva was the guest on the sixth episode of the podcast Zetaverso â âDallâesclusione allâansia social, tra vita reale e social mediaâ.
May 2022
Guest Lecture – marinucci
Marco Marinucci was kindly invited by Dr. Tabea Hässler and Dr. LĂŠĂŻla Eisner to give a talk. The lecture was titled âSocial Exclusion at its Extreme: Risk and Protective Factors from the Resignation Stage in Marginalized Social Groupsâ. University of ZĂźrich, Switzerland.
2022
GRANT â PRIN PNRR 2022
Luca Pancani (University of Milano-Bicocca, Principal Investigator) and Laura Salerno (University of Palermo) were funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research and Next Generation EU for a two-year project entitled: âDigital Ostracism (DIGOST): Psychological approaches for understanding the phenomenon and tackling its adverse impact on well-being.â Grant amount: ⏠224,948.00
2022
GRANT â PRIN 2022
Paolo Riva (University of Milano-Bicocca, Principal Investigator), Luca Andrighetto (University of Genoa), and Natale Canale (University of Padua) were funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research for a two-year project entitled: âHuman connections in the Digital Era (CONNECT).â Grant amount: ⏠219,363.00
Click here to explore news and events from 2021
Marco Marinucci and Nicolas Aureli attended the âSmall Group Meeting in Social Exclusion and Rejection Researchâ. University of Basel, Switzerland.
AIP BEST SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE AWARD 2021
The commission (Francesca DâErrico, Camilla Matera, Emilio Paolo Visentin) decided to award as the best article among those in competition: Pancani, Pancani, L., Gerosa, T., Gui, M., & Riva, P. (2021). âMom, dad, look at meâ: The development of the Parental Phubbing Scale. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 38(2), 435-458
AIP BEST DOCTORAL DISSERTATION AWARD 2021
The commission (Prof. Michela Menegatti â University of Bologna, Prof. Luca Andrighetto â University of Genoa, Dr. Natale Canale â University of Padua) agreed on the awarding of the prize to Marco Marinucci. The thesis is entitled: âSocial exclusion in immigrants: how intergroup social connections influence its impactâ.
âLUCIA MANNETTIâ AWARD 2021
The commission (Gianni Marchetti, Nicoletta Cavazza, Elvira Cicognani) decided to award as the best article among those in competition: Marinucci, M., & Riva, P. (2021). Surrendering to social emptiness: Chronic social exclusion longitudinally predicts resignation in asylum seekers. British Journal of Social Psychology, 60(2), 429-447.
Latest news! Summer School âSocial Connections and Well-Being in the Digital Eraââ¨Lake Como â August 23 â 27, 2021. The Summer School aims at offering an overview of the most cutting-edge psychological theories and, moreover, research on the social impacts of digital technologies. Furthermore, for more details visit the schoolâs homepage: https://cwde.lakecomoschool.org/.
Marco Marinucci succesfully defended his Ph.D. thesis titled â Social Exclusion in Immigrants: How intergroup social connections influence its impactâ.
Click here to explore news and events from 2020
Marco Marinucci attended the âSociety for Personality and Social Psychologyâs (SPSP) Annual Conventionâ in New Orleans. They presented poster titled âHow intergroup social connections shape immigrants psychological responses to social exclusionâ. Moreover, the poster âPrestige and Dominance hierarchies: a latent-class analysis to examine the sociometric status of 15,002 studentsâ.â¨
With Dr. Patrice Rusconi & Konstantin Chterev. Project: Effects of isolation and confinement on individualsâ psychological states and coping strategies: A study on social exclusion in the LUNARK project.
AIP BEST POPULAR SCIENCE ARTICLE AWARD 2020
The executive committee of the Italian Association of Psychology (Social Psychology division) decided to award as the best popular science article among those in competition: Pancani, L., & Riva, P. (2019). Connessioni sociali nellâEra digitale [Social connections in the digital age]. In-Mind Italia, 17.
Click here to explore news and events from 2019
Davide Mazzoni attended âThe Migration Conferenceâ in Bari. They presented a work titled âThe role of smartphones in the migration process: Achieving belonging via information and communication technologies.â
Tom Denson (Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of New South Wales) visited our lab and presented his research on self-control and aggression to our Department.
Marco Marinucci attended Workshop âHow to specify panel data analysesâ, at the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES), Mannheim.
Brad J. Bushman (Professor of Communication & Psychology at Ohio State University) visited our lab and presented to the Departiment of Psychology his latest research on Narcisism and Aggression.
Between April and July 2019, Marco Marinucci visited Prof. Mark Rubin at the School of Psychology of the University of Newcastle (Australia). They worked together on research projects investigating the role of social identity processes in predicting attitudes and beliefs justifying the socio-economic system.
Click here to explore news and events from 2010-2018
AIP BEST DOCTORAL DISSERTATION AWARD 2016
The commission (Prof. Camillo Regalia â University of Milano-Cattolica, Prof. Stefano Boca â University of Palermo, Prof. Norma De Piccoli â University of Torino, Prof. Simona Sacchi â University of Milano-Bicocca and Prof. Loris Vezzali â University of Modena and Reggio Emilia) agreed on the awarding of the prize to Luca Pancani. The thesis is entitled: âIl Comportamento di Fumo nei Giovani Adulti: Fattori Psicologici, Motivazionali e Contestuali nella Individuazione di Diverse Tipologie di Fumatori.â
SMALL RESEARCH GRANT 2018
Luca Pancani was funded by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) for the project entitled: âWhatâs behind smartphone usage? Studying the antecedents and consequences of smartphone actual usage.â Grant amount: $ 1,472.40