ACTIVe communication: Assessment and enhancement of pragmatic and narrative skills in hEaLthY aging (ACTIVELY)

Research project title: ACTIVe communication: Assessment and enhancement of pragmatic and narrative skills in hEalthY aging (ACTIVELY)

Call: PRIN 2022 Prot. n. 2022CZF8KA

Duration: 24 months (October 2023-September 2025)

Founding Entity: PRIN 2022 PNRR M4C2 Inv. 1.1. Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca (Founded by Unione Europea, NextGenerationEU)

Code Project (CUP): CUP G53D23003110006

Founding: 261.762

List of Research Units:

1. University of Turin, Prof. Francesca Marina Bosco Ph. D. (National Coordinator)

2. University of Udine, Prof. Andrea Marini (Local Coordinator)

The project aims at (1) conducting a comprehensive assessment of pragmatic and narrative abilities in three samples of healthy adults ranging from 20 to 86 years old, and investigating the relationship between the decline of pragmatic and narrative abilities and other cognitive functions, namely cognitive skills (i.e. working memory, long-term memory and attention), Executive Functions (planning inhibition and shifting), Theory of Mind (ToM), and Cognitive Reserve. A further aim of the project is (2) to provide normative data of the Assessment Battery for Communication (ABaco) for the Italian aging population and to verify whether pragmatic and narrative abilities can be enhanced in healthy aging with a new training, proposed to contrast the decline of such skills. Finally, the project aims at (3) investigating whether the expected improvement impacts on the participants' perceived quality of life.

The project regularly started in October 2024 with the preparation of the activities, the beginning of the recruitment phases in collaboration with local centers (e.g. Uni3 Nichelino) in Torino area, and harmonization of ethics-related documents: the approval of the Bioethics Committee of the University of Turin was obtained (WP0). We then enrolled the participants and administered the materials concerning the assessment of pragmatic ability with ABaCo, assessment of narrative ability, cognitive skills, EF, ToM, and with CRIq. Furthermore, we coded and analyzed data (WP1 and WP2).

At the same time, we administered ABaCo in adults ranging in age from 65 to 89 years, stratified for age, sex, and education to be representative of the Italian population, in order to determine the norms of the tool for that age range and we processed and analyzed data (WP3) Il line with our w. We also started writing papers showing the first results obtained in the project and presented the first results of the project at conferences (see below for details) (WP5). Finally, we provided education and career opportunities for young researchers recruiting 5 post-doc students working on the project (WP6).ork program we started testing the effectiveness of training for enhancing communicative skills and slowing down their decline in healthy aging (WP4)

• Parola A., Gabbatore I., Hilviu D., Marini A., Bosco F.M. (under review).Multimodal pragmatic assessment in healthy aging: The interplay with Executive functioning, Theory of Mind and Cognitive reserve.

• Hilviu, D., Parola, A., Bosco, F. M., Marini, A., & Gabbatore, I. (2025). Grandpa, tell me a story! Narrative ability in healthy aging and its relationship with cognitive functions and Theory of Mind. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, 40(1), 103–121. https://doi.org/10.1080/23273798.2024.2401027

• Bosco, F. M., & Gabbatore, I. (2025). Pragmatica Cognitiva: Dalla teoria al trattamento clinico. Sistemi Intelligenti (in press).

• Gobbo, M., Gabbatore, I., Piovani, G., Bosco, F. M., Marini, A., & Tacchino, A. (under review). A multilevel linguistic analysis reveals linguistic impairments in persons with multiple sclerosis. 

• Gallo, E., Bosco, F. M., & Marini, A. (submitted). An assessment of the relation between narrative productivity, subjectivity expression, emotion description, and ToM abilities in healthy aging. 

• Gabbatore, I., Salvini, R., Parola, A., Angeleri, R., Zettin, M., & Bosco, F. M. (submitted). Analyzing pragmatic ability with Machine Learning: Strengths and weaknesses in different profiles of Acquired Brain Injury. Journal of Communication Disorders.

• Bosco, F. M. (2025). Specific efficacy of the Advanced Cognitive Pragmatic Treatment to improve communicative ability in healthy aging. Symposium: Pragmatics and Communication in Ageing, EUCAS Conference on Aging & Cognition (accepted), Pavia, May 7–11.

• Gabbatore, I., Vegna, G., Conterio, R. & Bosco, F. M. (2025).  Abilità pragmatica e Declino Cognitivo Soggettivo: uno studio longitudinale nell’invecchiamento sano. XXXI Congresso annuale AIP Sperimentale 2025 (accepted), Turin, September 11-13.

• Merlini. A., Boldi, A., Hilviu, D., Parola, A., Gabbatore, I., & Bosco, F. M. (2025). Il rapporto tra Teoria della Mente e Funzioni Esecutive nell’invecchiamento sano: il declino cognitivo generale e dominio-specifico. XXXI Congresso annuale AIP Sperimentale 2025 (accepted), Turin, September 11-13.

• Merlini. A., Boldi, A., Hilviu, D., Parola, A., Gabbatore, I., & Bosco, F. M. (2025). Social cognition in aging: assessing Theory of Mind decline and the role of Executive Functions. The 11th Biennial Experimental Pragmatics Conference XPrag 2025 (accepted), Cambridge, September 17–19.

• Simonelli, F., Vegna, G., Hilviu, D., Colombo, P., Gallo, D., Gabbatore, I. & Bosco, F. M. (2025).  Comunicazione attiva: miglioramenti pragmatici duraturi nell’invecchiamento sano grazie all’Advanced Cognitive Pragmatic Treatment. XXXI Congresso annuale AIP Sperimentale 2025 (accepted), Turin, September 11-13.

• Vegna, G., Conterio, R., Gabbatore, I. & Bosco, F. M. (2025).  Pragmatic ability and subjective cognitive decline: a longitudinal assessment in healthy aging. The 11th Biennial Experimental Pragmatics Conference XPrag 2025 (accepted), Cambridge, September 17-19.

• Marini, A., Gallo, E., Gabbatore, I., & Bosco, F. M. (2024). The Advanced Communicative Pragmatic Treatment improves narrative production skills in healthy aging. In Bischetti, L., Bambini, V., Giunta, G., Domaneschi, F., & Arcara, G. (Eds.), Book of Abstracts of the 5th Experimental Pragmatics in Italy Conference (XPRAG.it 2024; Venice, September 26–27, 2024). https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/W8V9J