Michele Vicovaro

I graduated in Psychology at the University of Padova in 2009, and three years later I got a PhD in Experimental Psychology at the same university. I also got a Degree in Cognitive-Behavioural Psychotherapy. My main research interests are in visual cognition, research methods, and psychometrics. In particular, I study how people without a formal instruction in physics deal with everyday life physical events. For instance, are we able to predict the trajectory of an object that is going to move in front of us? Are we able to discriminate a physically possible from a physically impossible bounce? Can we use the results from these studies to improve the teaching of physics? I seek to apply advanced methods of research and data analysis to these topics. I’m also interested in the application of mathematical models to the description of human behaviour, like the applications of Bayesian models to visual perception and decision making. I’m working with some colleagues on models aimed at explaining the mechanisms underlying the decisions of referees and the assignment of priority codes by emergency nurses. I also study how the cognitive system processes the concept of quantity, and in particular how non-numerical quantities like weight, time, and speed are represented in space. Besides the research activity, I’m also engaged in teaching activities. I teach Multivariate Statistics and Basic Research Methods in Psychology. I spend most of my free time with my little daughter. I also love watching and practicing sports, I played waterpolo for several years, and I was the goalkeeper of the DPG soccer team that won the “Dipartimentiadi 2019”. I love nature travels!