Under the project Self-Control in Context, funded by the foundation John Templeton (Grant 62622) and affiliated with the Externado University and the Los Andes University of Colombia, Nicholas Napolitano, an outstanding PhD student in Psychology at the Talca University, has participated in different academic activities linked to this initiative in which young researchers from different countries participate. parts of the world. During the first week of August in 2023, Nicholas contributed his knowledge about the role of executive functions in self-control behaviors. Likewise, with the support of their tutor, Dr. Cristian Rojas, and colleagues and professors from the Faculty of Psychology, they have obtained funding to continue and complement their doctoral research, associated with developing interventions to improve executive functioning in educational contexts and measure variables. associated with the effectiveness of these interventions. In February of this year, Nicholas traveled to Bogotá to work together with two researchers from the Universidad de los Andes; William Jimenez Leal, researcher and director of the Psychology department, and Santiago Amaya, researcher and director of the philosophy department. Below, Nicholas tells us a little about his internship experience.
“It is an important experience in my training as a researcher to work with William and Santiago. They are two expert researchers on the topic of cognition, morality, self-control and research methodologies. Together under their direction, and the direction of Cristian Rojas, I hope to develop an impressive work that contributes to this gap in the literature. In addition to the research work, I had the opportunity to present and discuss the literature with undergraduate cognitive psychology students at the university. The students had excellent questions and comments about the exhibition , and for this I am highly grateful.”
Nicholas also highlights that he is part of an experimental study led by the Colombian researcher, Andrés Castellanos, which seeks to determine the effectiveness of an intervention, based on play, to improve executive functions in autistic boys, girls and young people. This ambitious project will be carried out between two clinics with rural and urban populations in highly vulnerable areas of Colombia. “It is a project that involves careful planning given the sample with which we propose to work. At this moment, we are waiting for the scientific ethics committee of the Universidad del Bosque, to ensure the care of each girl and boy who will participate.”
Along with congratulating Nicholas, we wish him success in developing these initiatives.