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 D53D23009630006

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)

• Angeleri, R., Gabbatore, I., Merlini, A., & Bosco, F. M. Assessment Battery for Communication (ABaCo): An extension of normative data to elderly individuals, under review.

• Boldi, A., Gabbatore, I., Bosco, F. M. (2025). Large Language Models as Coders of Pragmatic Competence in Healthy Aging: Reliability, Limits, and Implications for Human-Centered AI. Electronics 2025, 14(22), 4411; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14224411    

• Bosco, F.M., & Gabbatore, I. (2025). Pragmatica Cognitiva: Dalla teoria al trattamento clinico. Sistemi Intelligenti, XXXVII, 69-88, https://doi.org/10.1422/115209 

• Gabbatore, I., Conterio, R., Vegna, G. & Bosco, F.M. (2025) Longitudinal assessment of pragmatic and cognitive decay in healthy aging, and interplay with subjective cognitive decline and cognitive reserve. Scientific Reports 15(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14062-4 

• Gallo, E., Bosco, F.M., and Marini, A. (2025). An assessment of the relation between narrative productivity, subjectivity expression, emotion description, and ToM abilities in healthy aging. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-23442-9 

• 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

• Petriglia, F., Marini, A., Gabbatore, I., Bosco, F.M. (2025) Pragmatic and narrative decline in healthy aging: a multilevel assessment of their interplay. Journal of Communication Disorder. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2025.106593 

• Gabbatore, I., Bosco, F. M., & Tirassa, M. (2024). What are they all doing in that restaurant? Perspectives on the use of theory of mind. Frontiers in psychology, 15, 1507298. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1507298  

• Gabbatore I., Parola A., Hilviu D., Marini A., Bosco F. M. (2026). Multimodal pragmatic assessment in healthy aging: The interplay with Executive functioning, under review

• Gabbatore, I., Vegna, G., Hilviu, D., Merlini, A. & Bosco, F.M. (2026). Enhancing pragmatic communication in healthy aging: Long-term effects of the Advanced Cognitive Pragmatic Treatment, under review

• Gabbatore, I., Simonelli, F., Vegna, G. & Bosco, F.M. (2026).  Pragmatic Pathways: Evaluating the Efficacy of the Advanced Cognitive Pragmatic treatment vs. Unspecified Socializing activities in healthy aging,  under review

• Vegna, G., Bosco, F.M., Simonelli, F. & Gabbatore, I. (2026). Subjective Cognitive Decline is associated with Pragmatic Ability but not Theory of Mind or Cognitive Performance in healthy aging,  under review

• Boldi, A. (2026). Può una macchina valutare l'abilità pragmatica nell'invecchiamento sano? Indaghiamo possibilità e limiti di GPT-4o come codificatore del protocollo ABaCo. Workshop: ACTIVe communication: Assessment and enhancement of pragmatic and narrative skills in hEalthY aging (ACTIVELY). Torino 23 Gennaio.

• Bosco, F.M. (2026). Esplorando i risultati della ricerca. Workshop: ACTIVe communication: Assessment and enhancement of pragmatic and narrative skills in hEalthY aging (ACTIVELY). Torino 23 Gennaio.

• Marini, A. (2026). Riflessioni sull’impatto dell’invecchiamento sulle abilità narrative. Workshop: ACTIVe communication: Assessment and enhancement of pragmatic and narrative skills in hEalthY aging (ACTIVELY). Torino 23 Gennaio.

• Petriglia, F. (2026). Declino pragmatico e narrativo nell’invecchiamento sano: valutazione integrata tra analisi multilivello del discorso e ABaCo. Workshop: ACTIVecommunication: Assessment and enhancement of pragmatic and narrative skills in hEalthY aging (ACTIVELY). Torino 23 Gennaio.

• Simonelli, F. (2026). Potenziare la comunicazione nell’invecchiamento sano è possibile: una valutazione controllata dell’Advanced Cognitive Pragmatic Treatment. Workshop: ACTIVe communication: Assessment and enhancement of pragmatic and narrative skills in hEalthY aging (ACTIVELY). Torino 23 Gennaio.

• Simonelli F., Vegna G., Gabbatore I., Bosco F. M. (2025). Long-term improvements in older adults’ pragmatic communication: a controlled evaluation of the Advanced Cognitive Pragmatic Treatment. 3rd Global Conference on Aging and Gerontology (London, November 14-16).

• Boldi, A., Gabbatore, I. & Bosco, F.M. (2025). Evaluating pragmatic competence of ChatGPT using the ABaCo clinical protocol in aging. NeuroMI 2025 (Milan, Italy, October 15–17).

• Petriglia, F., Marini, A., Gabbatore, I. & Bosco, F.M. (2025). Pragmatic and narrative decline in healthy aging: a multilevel assessment of their interplay. LLC Poster Day 2025 (Center for Logic, Language, and Cognition, Turin, October 16).

• Vegna, G., Simonelli, F., Bosco, F.M. & Gabbatore, I. (2025). Associations between pragmatic communication and subjective cognitive decline in older adults. LLC Poster Day 2025 (Center for Logic, Language, and Cognition, Turin, October 16).

• Simonelli, F., Vegna, G., Colombo, P., Gallo, D., Gabbatore, I., & Bosco, F.M. (2025). Advanced Cognitive Pragmatic Treatment: un intervento efficace per il benessere comunicativo nell'invecchiamento sano. LLC Poster Day 2025 (Center for Logic, Language, and Cognition, Turin, October 16).

• 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 (XPRAG 2025; Cambridge, September 17-19).

• 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 (XPRAG 2025; 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 (AIP sperimentale 2025; Turin, September 11-13).

• 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 (AIP sperimentale 2025; 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 (AIP sperimentale 2025; Turin, September 11-13).

• 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 (EUCAS 2025; Pavia, May 7–11).

• 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). https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/W8V9J